Design and Construction
Ta Shing built the 49 with a hand-laid, solid-GRP hull reinforced by foam-filled longitudinal stringers and PVC-foam-cored transverse floors. The outer three laminate layers are vinylester to resist blistering. Construction followed Lloyd’s Register practice.
The deck is balsa-cored, with marine plywood substituted where hardware loads are concentrated. It is bonded to the hull flange with bedding and stainless-steel thru-bolts.
Displacement is near 32,500 pounds, including 13,000 pounds of iron ballast, for a 40-percent ballast-displacement ratio. With a 15-foot beam and a waterline just under 42 feet, the length-to-beam ratio is 3.34, giving the hull a relatively slender plan for its beam.
The fin keel draws between 6.76 and 7.06 feet, depending on load. That draft confines the boat to major marinas able to accommodate her depth. Below the waterline, she presents about 667 square feet of wetted surface.
Rig and Handling
The cutter rig carries a 1,064-square-foot sail plan. Using the period reference sail, the sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 16.9; with a 135-percent genoa, it rises to 20.1. Combined with a displacement-length ratio of 212, those figures were enough to classify the design among moderate racers.
Standing and running rigging dimensions are generous. All three halyards are 138 feet long and 14 mm in diameter. The mainsheet is 125 feet of 5/8-inch line, while the jib or genoa sheets are 50 feet of 5/8-inch line.
A capsize screening value of 1.89 and a motion comfort ratio of 30.6 place the Taswell 49 within accepted offshore ranges. The theoretical displacement hull speed is about 8.6 knots. An immersion rate of 2,127 pounds per inch points to a hull that settles deliberately under cruising load rather than skitting about.
Accommodations and Layout
Ta Shing offered the 49 in standard center-cockpit form and as an “All Season” raised-salon variant with a secondary interior helm. That arrangement suits high-latitude passagemaking without giving up the protected outdoor steering station, while the standard center-cockpit form also retains the interior helm.
The 15-foot beam and 41-foot-10-inch waterline create interior volume that, in the late eighties, felt generous rather than merely adequate. At the same time, the low-profile center cockpit preserves the helmsman’s forward sightline.
Both three-cabin owner layouts and ex-charter versions appeared. The owner layouts are more often encountered on the resale market.
The Verdict
The Taswell 49 is a thoughtfully engineered Dixon design that bridges the comfort of a heavy cruiser and the responsiveness of a lighter hull. Ta Shing built it to a disciplined Lloyd’s-spec laminate schedule.
Its cutter rig and moderate-racer numbers reward an owner who sails rather than merely motors. The optional raised salon adds genuine helm redundancy for cold-weather voyaging. The main constraints are the deep fin keel and major-marina draft, along with the usual need for vigilance around a balsa-cored deck.
Pros
- Solid-fiberglass hull with vinylester outer layers and Lloyd’s-spec reinforcement
- Cutter rig with strong sail-area-to-displacement ratios under genoa
- Offshore-acceptable capsize and comfort numbers
- Raised-salon helm redundancy available
Cons
- Deep draft limits anchorage and marina choice
- Balsa-cored deck requires inspection for water intrusion
- Loaded draft restricts access to major marinas
