Westsail 39

BoatsWestsail 39

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 boats specifically named Westsail 39 out of approximately 30 total hulls produced under various names including Fair Weather 39 and Mariner 39. It features a fin keel with a rudder on skeg, measures 11.8 meters LOA, has a 3.6-meter beam, a 1.7-meter draft, and displaces 8709 kg. Aboard *Sparrow*, a 38-ft Westsail, a solo sailor attempted a speed run from Fort Pierce, Florida, to Cape Fear, North Carolina, reaching 10 to 11 knots in the Gulf Stream under main, staysail, and number one jib.20:07 The crew navigated using dead reckoning, AIS, and noon sights, and addressed a malfunctioning refrigerator by clearing a suspected Freon blockage.14:50 The sailor also noted a need to replace plumbing hoses due to foul-tasting water.30:23

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

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

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.

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

Why This "Wooden" Sailboat Is Faster, Warmer, and Stronger - the RM 11800:47 from Practical Sailor

Najad Yachts 39011.75 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn 11.75-metre masthead sloop with a 42% ballast ratio, built for over a decade to provide a stable, predictable offshore platform

My Pick for the BEST Offshore Boat at $80K8:46 from Be The Captain

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

The Amazingly Cheap Sabre 34 Mk II from Practical Sailor

Aragosa Yachts 3811.61 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 1988 masthead sloop with a 35% ballast ratio, designed by Ted Brewer for balanced offshore performance

DIY furniture from Velero Regina

C&C Yachts 3911.96 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 1971-1974 production masthead sloop with a moderate displacement-to-length ratio, balanced for coastal cruising

Sushi Bar Tortola, BVI from Epiphany Sailing

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

Morgan 382 - The $30K Boat Nobody Talks About from Practical Sailor

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.

Mariner 39 (Perry)A Robert Perry-designed cutter with a unique trans-Pacific build history, finished in Taiwan for offshore capability Westsail 42A William Crealock-designed long-keel cutter sharing its hull mold with the aft-cockpit 43 for heavy-weather stability Westsail 43An aft-cockpit cruiser featuring a long keel and versatile rig options, including cutter, ketch, and yawl configurations Westsail 28A heavy-displacement cutter with a long keel, refined through production updates to improve sail area and handling Westsail 32A fiberglass adaptation of William Atkin's Thistle design, this heavy-displacement cutter saw 834 hulls built.Mariner 39 (Berry & White)A masthead sloop commissioned by The Moorings for charter service, featuring a robust fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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