BoatsWestsail 43

Westsail 43

Cutter · Long Keel · First built 1974

An aft-cockpit cruiser featuring a long keel and versatile rig options, including cutter, ketch, and yawl configurations

Designed by William Crealock.

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

See her sail

The Westsail 43, on the water

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

Footage from Sail Life

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 moderate beam gives 44 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 44
CoastalBluewater

At 1.65 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.65
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 380
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.3
TenderStiff

35% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 35%

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

  • Heavier than ~85% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~78% of boats her size on file

Compared with 315 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Westsail 43, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Westsail 43 is a William Crealock-designed sailboat, built from 1974, featuring a long keel hull and an aft cockpit. It shares its hull mold with the center-cockpit Westsail 42 and was offered in cutter, ketch, and yawl rigs.12:07 The boat measures 13.1 meters LOA, with a 4.0-meter beam, 1.7-meter draft, and displaces 14,288 kg. After Westsail Corporation closed, Jomarco built six hulls, and two pilothouse versions were produced as the Worldcruiser 43 Pilothouse. Aboard *Sail Life*, a Westsail 43's cockpit instrument panel and wiring harness were replaced, a project complicated by a persistent alarm and tachometer calibration issues.13:57 The *Sail Life* crew noted the Westsail 43's spacious interior compared to the Westsail 42.12:40

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
34.9%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.3
Displacement / length
379.8
Comfort ratio
44.2
Capsize screening
1.65
Hull speed
7.7 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1548
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1974
Units built
61
Designer
William Crealock
Builder
Westsail Corp, Jomarco

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.

Westsail 4213.08 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA William Crealock-designed long-keel cutter sharing its hull mold with the aft-cockpit 43 for heavy-weather stability
Why Keep A Watch While Sailing? - Sailing from France to England, Part 4 | DrakeParagon Sailing0:11from DrakeParagon
Mason 4413.39 mSame hull family0.3 m longerAn updated long-keeled evolution of the Mason 43, offered as a masthead ketch or cutter for stable blue-water cruising
A CHEAP Bluewater Cruiser Built in Taiwan? Ep 289 - Lady K Sailingfrom Lady K Sailing
Explorer 45 (Huntingford)13.79 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA long-keeled staysail ketch designed by Stan Huntingford for stable, comfortable blue-water passage making
Living in a Postcard | Toau | Ep 1143:49from Cruising Meraki • Sailing Family
Cabo Rico 42 Pilot14.17 mSame hull family1.1 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!
Vagabond 4714.20 mSame hull family1.1 m longerA William Garden-designed staysail ketch with a long keel, built for heavy-displacement offshore comfort since 1972
Day 14: The saloon is no longer scary 🫣 The visual transformation is brutal22:21from Piratas Aderiva
Panda 4012.16 mSame hull family0.9 m shorterA Robert Perry-designed cutter with a long keel and heavy displacement, sharing the classic lines of the Baba 40
Freeing A Stuck Mast on a 1981 Panda 40 at Seaview Boatyard in Seattle, Washington0:16from Sailing Triteia

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.

Westsail 42A William Crealock-designed long-keel cutter sharing its hull mold with the aft-cockpit 43 for heavy-weather stabilityWesterly Marine Ltd. Ocean 43A Ron Holland-designed masthead sloop built for offshore comfort with a stable, skeg-mounted rudder configurationWestsail 32A fiberglass adaptation of William Atkin's Thistle design, this heavy-displacement cutter saw 834 hulls built.Westsail 39A Robert Perry-designed cutter with a production history spanning three different names and international builds.Westsail 28A heavy-displacement cutter with a long keel, refined through production updates to improve sail area and handlingWauquiez Pilot Saloon 43An Ed Dubois-designed fractional sloop featuring a raised saloon layout for panoramic views and comfortable cruising

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Westsail 43, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Westsail 43

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue