BoatsWestsail 39

Westsail 39

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1979

A Robert Perry-designed cutter with a production history spanning three different names and international builds.

Designed by Robert H. Perry, built by P&M Worldwide.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Westsail 39, on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Into Oblivion

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 32 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 32
CoastalBluewater

1.77 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.77
LightHeavy

250 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 250
EasygoingPowered-up

16.4 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 16.4
TenderStiff

44% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 44%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Heavier than ~75% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2900 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Westsail 39, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Westsail 39 is a Robert H. Perry-designed cutter-rigged sailboat, built from 1979 to the present, with 13 of the approximately 30 boats produced carrying the Westsail 39 name. It has an LOA of 11.8 meters, a beam of 3.6 meters, a draft of 1.7 meters, and a displacement of 8709 kg.3:21 The design features a fin keel with a rudder on skeg.6:28 Aboard *Sailing Into Oblivion*, a 38-foot Westsail *Sparrow* used a main, staysail, and number one jib to achieve speeds of 10 to 11 knots in the Gulf Stream.24:01 That crew navigated using dead reckoning, AIS, and noon sights, and managed a malfunctioning refrigerator by clearing a suspected Freon blockage.36:37 The crew also noted a need to replace plumbing hoses due to foul-tasting water.30:23 A 1982 Westsail 39, seen on *Sailing Miss Lone Star*, was undergoing a complete systems overhaul and re-rigging at a maritime institute in Anacortes, Washington, as a student project.3:21 This vessel featured a keel-stepped mast, a horseshoe-style galley, and a large cedar-lined hanging locker.5:57

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 2 times across 2 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Westsail 39 on video

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale
  • The school purchased this boat for $25,000 and expects to sell it for approximately $80,000 after a student-led refit, with availability in spring 2021

    from Sailing Miss Lone Starseen October 2020watch

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
43.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.4
Displacement / length
249.7
Comfort ratio
32.2
Capsize screening
1.77
Hull speed
7.6 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1374
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1979
Units built
13
Designer
Robert H. Perry
Builder
P&M Worldwide, Westsail Corp, Down East Yachts Inc

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.

Catalina Yachts 38011.71 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1997-era masthead sloop derived from the Morgan-Catalina 381, offering optional shoal draft and tall rig configurations
RM Yachts 118011.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Marc Lombard-designed performance cruiser featuring a wide beam, dual rudders, and a powerful cutter rig
Sabre Yachts 38 MKII11.79 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1988-1995 production cruiser with a 1.98m draft and a skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stability
Catalina Yachts Morgan 3811.71 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1993-2005 production masthead sloop featuring a deep 1.98-meter draft and a performance-oriented fin keel
Morgan Yachts 38211.68 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Ted Brewer-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff displacement
Sadler Yachts 3811.79 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Stephen Jones-designed masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, built for performance cruising.

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.

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Westsail 39, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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