BoatsEricson Yachts 39

Ericson Yachts 39

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1970–1979

A Bruce King-designed masthead sloop with a skeg-hung rudder, offered in multiple cabin and rig configurations

Designed by Bruce King.

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

See her sail

The Ericson Yachts 39, on the water

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

Footage from The Sailing Doodles Podcast

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 35 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 35
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.70
LightHeavy

314 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 314
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.6
TenderStiff

50% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 50%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Ericson Yachts 39, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Ericson Yachts 39 is a masthead sloop designed by Bruce King and built by Ericson Yachts from 1970 to 1979. It features a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg, measures 11.9 meters LOA, has a 3.5-meter beam, and draws 1.8 meters with a displacement of 8618 kg. A cruising-oriented variant, the Ericson 39 B, was available with a trunk cabin and a shorter rig option.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

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

1seen for sale

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
50.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.6
Displacement / length
314.1
Comfort ratio
35.4
Capsize screening
1.70
Hull speed
7.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1215
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1970–1979
Units built
105
Designer
Bruce King
Builder
Ericson 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.

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 11800:47from Practical Sailor
Warrior 4012.00 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA cutter-rigged cruiser with a skeg-hung rudder and a 1.52m draft, built for steady offshore passages
BOAT FLIES OVER TABLE MOUNTAINfrom Adventures of an old Seadog
Puma 38-K12.00 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead ketch featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, offering a spirited sail area-to-displacement ratio
111. Boats of the past and boats of the future.58:48from A Son de Mar
Hallberg-Rassy 3911.85 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthProduced in two versions over twelve years, this cruiser evolved from the 1991 MK I to the extended MK II with a bathing platform
EP#384 Getting Ready for the High Seas Once Again!1:04from Sailing Into Oblivion
Westsail 3911.79 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter with a production history spanning three different names and international builds.
EP#332 Part 1 Speed Run Offshore Recordingfrom Sailing Into Oblivion
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 IIfrom Practical Sailor

The family

Boats like this

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

Ericson Yachts 39 BA Bruce King-designed cutter featuring a trunk cabin layout that offers a cruising alternative to the flush-decked 39Ericson Yachts 41A 12.6-metre masthead sloop from the late 1960s featuring a heavy displacement hull and a deep 1.8-metre fin keelEricson Yachts 29A 1970s masthead sloop with a 1.32-meter draft and a 45% ballast ratio, balancing coastal stability with shoal accessEricson Yachts 38A Bruce King-designed masthead sloop with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performanceEricson Yachts 37An IOR One Ton racer from 1973 featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a balanced 50% ballast ratioEricson Yachts 34-2A Bruce King-designed masthead sloop balancing performance and cruising comfort with a stiff, fin-keel hull

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