Pearson Yachts Countess 44

BoatsPearson Yachts Countess 44

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 Waterway0:05 from 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 Sailing1:30 from Lady K Sailing

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

A Day Off The Boat Exploring in the Golfe du Morbihan, France! | DrakeParagon Sailing from DrakeParagon

Allied Boat Co. Mistress 3912.09 mSame hull family1.5 m shorterA heavy-displacement Arthur Edmunds ketch available in both aft and centre cockpit configurations for stable cruising

Allied Boat Company: The Fiberglass Sailboat That Changed Everything from Lady K Sailing

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 Sailing6:25 from Lady K Sailing

Whitby Boatworks 4212.80 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterAn Edward S. Brewer-designed long-keeled ketch built for offshore comfort and stability over a long production run

Discover the Legendary Whitby 42 Sailboat – Full Tour & Review0:50 from Practical Sailor

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Pearson Yachts 40A 12-metre masthead sloop with a deep 2.87-metre draft and high ballast ratio, built for stability and speed Alden Yachts 44A versatile cutter with a keel-centreboard configuration, designed for deep-water stability and shoal-draft flexibility Pearson Yachts 34A masthead sloop briefly revived by the Cal-Pearson Corporation, offered with either a fin or keel-centerboard configuration Pearson Yachts 424 KetchA masthead ketch featuring an aft cockpit layout and a 1.6-metre draft for versatile coastal and offshore cruising Colvic Craft Ltd. Countess 35A twin-keel masthead sloop with a 1.37-metre draft, designed as an extended, shoal-water evolution of the Countess 33 Pearson 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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