Westerly Sealord 39 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Ed Dubois drew the Sealord as a fin-keeled monohull with a center cockpit, and the hull is solid fiberglass. Westerly's own lineage placed this boat late in the builder's independent era: the company had passed through liquidation and reconstitution by 1982, and the Sealord was among the 17 Dubois designs produced for the marque between 1979 and 2000. The deck is solid fiberglass covered in non-skid, and the deck layout drew praise from a later owner-account, who found the wheel positioned so the helmsman could sit atop the aft cabin, hold the wheel, and still see forward great deck layout. One cockpit seat lifts to reveal a very deep lazarette. With a ballast-displacement ratio near 43 percent and a capsize screening value of 1.99, the numbers describe a stiff, seaworthy hull rather than a lightweight racer.

Rig and Handling

The standard rig is a simple masthead sloop with a single-panel mast and one set of spreaders — a configuration the builder described as essentially bullet-proof and unchanged from the first hull simple sloop rig. A ketch version was also offered, trading the 352-square-foot sloop main for a 274-square-foot main and 108-square-foot mizzen, with genoa area stepping down only slightly. At least one owner converted a boat to a cutter, though the stock boat is not. The traveler sits aft of the helmsman, easing mainsail adjustment from the helm. Under sail the Sealord's character is unambiguous: she enjoys heavy weather and can be pushed quite hard, taking squalls in stride and feeling stiff, manageable, and wonderfully powerful when the wind builds. In light air she is probably a little sluggish, a concern one reviewer noted might be eased with the right sail plan. Under power, the design began with a 36-horsepower Volvo MD17D, quickly swapped for a 28-horsepower Volvo 2003, then a turbocharged 42-horsepower 2003T when the lesser engine proved unpopular; a three-bladed prop gave good acceleration and stopping, and top speed under power was well beyond 7 knots.

Accommodations

Below, the Sealord is built to carry people and gear across oceans. The manufacturer lists 10 berths and two heads, while a later survey counted eight; either way the layout is generous for the length. There is a good-sized v-berth cabin forward with its own head and ample storage, a u-shaped galley with double deep sinks, cabinet space, a large fridge-freezer, and a built-in microwave, and a full-sized navigation table opposite with stowage and sea berths aft of it. The main cabin occupies the extreme stern with a full head off it, cabinets, and a hanging locker; one owner described the after berth converting to a good double with a simple infill, and the saloon settees themselves making two sound sea berths. Settee backs remove to enlarge lounging space, and storage runs above and below. The deck aft of the cockpit suits stowing a smaller dinghy. As a load carrier she is brilliant, in one owner's words.

Known Issues

The Sealord is not free of faults that a buyer or owner should understand. A documented case showed a bad leak in the forward head with significant water damage to the wood trim, suspected to trace from a crack in the deck at the base of the forestay. Bilges with standing water and a wet engine compartment appeared in the same boat, alongside soaked settee cushions in every cabin and mold forming on wet wood — the kind of pervasive leak that ruins interior soft goods. Several aluminum stanchions were cracked, and the pulpit wiggled when it should not. One owner's report traced an overly tightened babystay pulling the deck and bulkhead upward because the bulkhead was not well attached to the hull, leaving a gap about a half-inch wide at the sole. All port and hatch glass needed replacement, and all running rigging was worn. These are concrete service-history defects, not abstractions.

Refits and Ownership

Ownership of a Sealord tends to involve attention to the items above and to powerplant identity. The MD17D may look agricultural but one owner called it nigh on indestructible, and a viewed example showed 1,733 hours. The holding tanks are metal, and a viewed boat carried only a stove-top propane burner rather than a full oven. Period equipment included a full dodger and bimini, large single-speed primary winches, and a decent anchor windlass. With only 42 built, each hull is a small part of a short production run that nearly ended early; the best-design-Westerly claim one owner repeated speaks to affection more than volume.

The Verdict

The Sealord 39 is a Dubois flagship that nearly vanished under the weight of the Corsair's pricing, yet earned its bluewater credentials through a stiff, heavy hull and a forgiving heavy-weather temperament. She is roomy, a superb load carrier, and structurally simple in rig, but plagued by deck-leak pathways, bulkhead attachment weakness, and worn consumables on surviving examples.

Pros