mason 44 yacht review

MASON 44 Detailed Review

If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of MASON 44. Built by Ta Shing Yacht Building Ltd. and designed by Alvin Mason, the boat was first built in 1985. It has a hull type of Long Keel and LOA is 13.39. Its sail area/displacement ratio 16.28. Its auxiliary power tank, manufactured by Perkins, runs on Diesel.

MASON 44 has retained its value as a result of superior building, a solid reputation, and a devoted owner base. Read on to find out more about MASON 44 and decide if it is a fit for your boating needs.

Boat Information

Boat specifications, sail boat calculation, rig and sail specs, auxillary power tank, contributions, who designed the mason 44.

MASON 44 was designed by Alvin Mason.

Who builds MASON 44?

MASON 44 is built by Ta Shing Yacht Building Ltd..

When was MASON 44 first built?

MASON 44 was first built in 1985.

How long is MASON 44?

MASON 44 is 9.68 m in length.

What is mast height on MASON 44?

MASON 44 has a mast height of 13.35 m.

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Review of Mason 44

Basic specs., sailing characteristics.

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.5 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Mason 44 is about 240 kg/cm, alternatively 1348 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 240 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1348 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

Maintenance

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

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• Sailboat Guide

Mason 44 is a 43 ′ 11 ″ / 13.4 m monohull sailboat designed by Alvin Mason and built by Ta Shing Yacht Building Ltd. starting in 1985.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Updated version of MASON 43. Cutter or ketch. Cutter short rig: I: 48.50’ / 14.78m J: 17.80’ / 5.43m P: 42.30’ / 12.89m E: 18.40’ / 5.61m

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The lines of a Mason 44 are “classic and timeless” – her well documented sea kindly motion offers effortless blue water cruising. 180 Mason 43 and 44 were built – long keel with solid GRP hull construction makes a ‘bullet proof’ go anywhere sailing vessel. This example was imported into the UK in 2013 by the current owner with full UK VAT paid and CE certification in place. A  MAJOR  rebuild and refit included, new engine, generator, new electrical wiring, heating, hull paint, teak rub rails, refrigeration.  More recent upgrades include a bow thruster, Raymarine, Force 10 cooker, gas pipes.  In 2019 she had new standing rigging, new boom to suit a conventional slab reef main, new sails (main, yankee & staysail in Hydranet).  Also new batteries in 2023. ‘Lyra May’ has never had teak decks!  So…………she is quite special. Please call us for a copy of the high resolution pictures

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PAE/MASON SAILBOATS

Beautiful Blue Water Sailing Yachts

The Journey Continues…

Designer Al Mason was chosen as the naval architect of PAE’s first project. Al was the natural choice for several reasons. His designs were famously beautiful, rugged and seaworthy and several boats of his design had been sold by PAE through their brokerage. Furthermore, because Al Mason had worked for John Alden in his earlier years, there was a DNA connection in design, style and beauty to the lovely Malabar VII. The first PAE/Mason design was a 43-foot sailboat. With completed design in hand, the search began for the right Taiwan builder. Through introductions, serendipity and hard work, the young men at PAE learned of Ta Shing Yacht Building. Ta Shing (which means Big New in Chinese) was founded in 1976 and the company was just completing their state of the art factory when the Mason 43 project was introduced to them. The founder, visionary and first president of Ta Shing, Mr. CM Juan, had a simple mission statement: to be the best. No expense was spared on the facility, equipment or staff. But two things were missing; a good design and an American partner. PAE and their Mason 43 project came along at the perfect time. The Mason 43 was an immediate success and was followed by the M63, M53, M53cc and M33. There were 132 “3” series PAE/Mason sailboats produced between 1978 and 1985. Nearly all of these boats are still in service today and have become beloved and respected icons. Between 1984 and 1988, PAE redesigned each of the “3” series Mason designs into the PAE/Mason 34, 44, 54 and 64. These handsome designs used the same hull but had new deck designs and interior layouts. Eighty of these “4” series PAE/Masons were produced. PAE’s last sailboat order, a Mason 44, was taken in 1997 and a few years later, all the Mason sailboat molds were destroyed. But the classic breed lives on. Of the hundreds of Masons sold, most of those are still being used by their faithful owners today. These Mason sailboats are still cruising in all parts of the world, further illustrating the timeless, ocean-crossing durability and class of yachts manufactured by PAE. Mason owners are a tight-knit group and have established their own online community. If you are a Mason owner, or just a fan of Mason sailboats, and would like to join the PAE/Mason Sailboat Owners Group, please visit us by clinking on the link at the bottom of this page. PAE-Mason-Sailboats Owners Group

Mason 44 Sailboats

Mason reviews.

Practical Sailor   (great magazine, click here to check it out)

Blue Water Sailing

Nautical Quarterly Magazine

Masons in the Robb Report

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The Best Sailboats for the High Seas?

At the St. Petersburg Boat Show month last month, I had the pleasure of seeing delivery skipper and author John Kretschmers presentation on what he called sailboats for a serious ocean. I have reservations about any ideal boat list, but Kretschmer, who reviews boats for Sail Magazine and whose most recent book Sailing a Serious Ocean is available in our online bookstore , has the ideal background for this sort of work, and a list like this is undeniably helpful for wannabe cruisers who need a place to start their search.

I certainly wouldnt limit my search to boats on such a list, but by paying careful attention to the pros and cons of each, you can find something that suits your own aspirations.

Here are the boats Kretschmer suggests: Contessa 32, Pacific Seacraft 34, Pretorien 35, Cape Dory/Robinhood 36, Valiant/Esprit 37, Prout Snowgoose 37, Alajuela 38, Privelege 39, Freya 39, Passport 40, Caliber 40, Baba 40, Hallberg Rassy 42, Taswell 43, Hylas 44, Norseman 447, Beneteau 456, Outbound 44, Hylas 46, Kaufman 47, Tayana 48, Hylas 49, Amel Maramu 53, and the Sundeer 60/64. For a brief capsule summary of each, be sure to check out his website.

The list is hardly definitive. There are plenty of good boats that arent featured, and some of these would be ill-matched for the wrong sailor-Kretschmer clearly pointed this out during his talk. I like how the list presents a good cross-section of the various shapes and sizes for a boat in this category. For example, Kretschmer includes the Prout Snowgoose and Steve Dashews Sundeer 60, boats that, notwithstanding their successful record at sea, fill an outlying niche.

If I were going to expand the list, one of the heavier-displacement microcruisers like those I blogged about would be a nice addition. Although I would be wary of promoting even the most formidable of this breed as well-suited for a serious ocean, John Neale of Mahina Tiare Expeditions includes one of them, the Dana 24, on his own list of recommend cruising boats . Neales much broader list of boats is accompanied by a very helpful discussion of design elements to consider.

What got me thinking about formidable cruising boats was our series of reports o n sailboat construction , focusing specifically on structural details. Although there are plenty of excellent coastal cruisers on the market, once you start talking about offshore duty, scan’tlings (the dimensions for structural components) take on far more importance.

A few years ago we touched on this subject in our Mailport section, encouraging readers to suggest their own nominees for a list of what we called at the time, tough boats, vessels that were built to take a beating, requiring minimal care and upkeep.

Here are some of the boats that were suggested from our readers: Mariner 36, Cal 34, Morgan 43, Swan 43, Bermuda 40, Island Packet 26, Mariner 47, LeComte Northeast 38, Westsail 32, Dana 24, J/35, and the CSY 44.

Id be interested in hearing of other nominees for this list, or other good resources for sailors looking for a short list of good offshore boats.

For those who are frustrated to find that their own ideal boat isn’t on anybodys list, I wouldnt be too miffed. The best line Ive heard in a while on this topic came from Steve Callahan, the author of the survival classic Adrift , who gave a presentation at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show . When I asked Steve, who has sailed extensively on both multihulls and monohulls, what type of boat he preferred, he said, quite seriously. Well, at the end of the day, the best cruising boat is the one that you are on.

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Interesting list. I am fond of Hylas of which you chose three models. However, I am suspect of their yard and construction techniques and do not have confidence that they are as strong as they are beautiful. Only one Hallberg-Rassy was selected, which is a far more robust and dry sailing boat than the Hylas. Passports make a good boat as does Cape Dory and several others on your list. Didn’t four sailors die on a Beneteau in 2018? Over all it is a decent list.

https://metro.co.uk/2018/04/25/last-pictures-doomed-yacht-cheeki-rafiki-sank-killing-four-british-sailors-7497805/

I believe this is the accident you’re talking about in which a Beneteau and it’s bolted on keel parted company.

Almost all of the sailing clubs in San Diego rent Beneteaus out. They are a decent coastal sailboat. I have a couple friends who have even made the crossing to Maui in them..not me, not ever. I consider them a living room boat. Having said that, I am certainly no expert so its just my opinion. If I am crossing an ocean I want a capable kindly strong boat with redundancy built into critical systems.

Curious to think what people think about the early 70s Swan 43 as a cruising boat for a couple with occasional guests for a round the world trip? I have an S&S 30 which is too small but I do have some bias towards their designs. Add a watermaker and some power generation and off you go… Any thoughts?

Are Motor Sailors like the Nauticats or Fishers ocean worthy ( if their pilot house windows and sliding doors are lifeboatified ? )

Walt Schulz’s Shannon 43 is a beautiful, sea kindly, comfortable and sturdy bluewater boat. Walt had not only the ICW and Bahamas in mind when he designed and built 52 of them. He designed for ocean cruising. He believes his boats should outlive him and still sailing for generations. We sailed the Chesapeake, Bahamas, Caribbean and Pacific to Australia on a Shannon 43 ketch. She took great care of us and is still turning heads.

Great article! John Kretchmer is one of my fave modern day sailors. While there is only one Crealock design on John’s list, and the Dana is added on John Neale’s list, I was surprised not to see a Crealock/ Pacific Seacraft 37 mentioned. But there are so many great serious off shore boats, it’s hard to narrow it down to 10. Here’s a few to think about. Cape George Cutter 36. Biscay 36, tradewind 35, Rustler 36, Nicholson 31 (never talked about) and 32. Seldom seen on top 10 lists, but great boats. Thanks for the article.

Great comment and interesting to note that the first four of your additions are those currently entered in the 2022 Golden Globe Race – kind of the definition of a blue water boat.

Hey! I know this is somewhat off-topic however I needed to ask. Does operating a well-established blog like yours take a massive amount work? I am completely new to writing a blog but I do write in my journal everyday. I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my experience and feelings online. Please let me know if you have any kind of recommendations or tips for new aspiring blog owners. Thankyou!|

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