BoatsPearson Yachts Countess 44

Pearson Yachts Countess 44

Masthead Ketch · Long Keel · 1965–1970

A John G. Alden-designed masthead ketch with a long keel, built by Pearson for comfortable, stable offshore cruising

Designed by Alden & John G. Alden.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

See her sail

The Pearson Yachts Countess 44, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from 59° North Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 41 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 41
CoastalBluewater

At 1.64 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.64
LightHeavy

393 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 393
EasygoingPowered-up

13.8 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 13.8
TenderStiff

32% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 32%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

What the fleet has seen

The Pearson Yachts Countess 44, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Pearson Yachts Countess 44 is a 13.6-meter masthead ketch designed by John G. Alden and built by Pearson Yachts from 1965 to 1970. It features a long keel hull, a 3.7-meter beam, a 1.6-meter draft, and displaces 11,339 kg. Alden design #989, the Countess 44 was offered with aluminum masts and spruce booms, and a Ford diesel engine was an optional upgrade. Aboard a friend's boat, Ben Doerr experienced an electrical fire in the engine room one mile outside Cordova Harbor, Alaska, during a Prince William Sound trip.19:47 The fire, originating from wiring beneath the floorboards, occurred on a boat that had completed multiple Pacific loops.58:40 A commercial fisherman advised using a saltwater deck hose, and the crew pumped approximately 300 gallons into the boat before the owner extinguished the fire.48:41

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
32.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.8
Displacement / length
393.4
Comfort ratio
40.7
Capsize screening
1.64
Hull speed
7.4 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1308
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1965–1970
Units built
59
Designer
Alden, John G. Alden
Builder
Pearson Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Morgan Yachts 4513.92 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA long-keeled masthead sloop with a high comfort ratio, built by Charles Morgan Jr. between 1966 and 1970
Travelling the Intracoastal Waterway0:05from Maryland School of Sailing
Mason 4413.39 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterAn updated long-keeled evolution of the Mason 43, offered as a masthead ketch or cutter for stable blue-water cruising
Full Keel Offshore, or Floating Condo Sailboat? $140,000 - Ep 201 - Lady K Sailing1:30from Lady K Sailing
Cabo Rico 42 Pilot14.17 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA 2005 pilothouse evolution of the Paine-designed cutter, featuring a long keel and a high comfort ratio for stable offshore
Cabo Rico 42 - Sailing Reunion1:26from Hold Fast!
Westsail 4313.08 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterAn aft-cockpit cruiser featuring a long keel and versatile rig options, including cutter, ketch, and yawl configurations
🚗 Oh, glorious tool road trip!11:10from Sail Life
Westsail 4213.08 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA William Crealock-designed long-keel cutter sharing its hull mold with the aft-cockpit 43 for heavy-weather stability
The Best Arctic Tour Guide | #47 | DrakeParagon Sailing Season 5from DrakeParagon
Morgan Yachts Out Island 4112.57 mSame hull family1.0 m shorterA prolific long-keeled masthead sloop designed by Charles Morgan Jr. that became a staple of the global charter trade
The Real Cruising Sailboat - Morgan - Episode 115 - Lady K Sailing6:25from Lady K Sailing

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Pearson Yachts 40A 12-meter masthead sloop with a deep 2.87-meter draft and high ballast ratio, built for stability and speedAlden Yachts 44A versatile cutter with a keel-centerboard configuration, designed for deep-water stability and shoal-draft flexibilityPearson Yachts 34A masthead sloop briefly revived by the Cal-Pearson Corporation, offered with either a fin or keel-centerboard configurationPearson Yachts 424 KetchA masthead ketch featuring an aft cockpit layout and a 1.6-metre draft for versatile coastal and offshore cruisingColvic Craft Ltd. Countess 35A twin-keel masthead sloop with a 1.37-metre draft, designed as an extended, shoal-water evolution of the Countess 33Pearson Yachts 33-2A William Shaw-designed masthead sloop built for a decade, balancing a fin keel with spade rudder for responsive handling

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