BoatsExplorer 45 (Huntingford)

Explorer 45 (Huntingford)

Staysail Ketch · Long Keel · 1977–1982

A long-keeled staysail ketch designed by Stan Huntingford for stable, comfortable blue-water passage making

Designed by Stan Huntingford, built by C.

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

See her sail

The Explorer 45 (Huntingford), on the water

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

Footage from Cruising Meraki • Sailing Family

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

Capsize screening 1.68
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 341
EasygoingPowered-up

12.1 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 12.1
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 ~78% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~97% of boats her size on file

Compared with 288 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Explorer 45 (Huntingford), as the fleet has seen it

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

The Explorer 45 (HUNTINGFORD) is a 13.8-meter Stan Huntingford-designed staysail ketch with a long keel, built in Taiwan by C, L Marine and C&L Marine Corp between 1977 and 1982. It displaces 13,607 kg and has a 4.0-meter beam and 2.0-meter draft. The model was also available with a cutter rig, and a MK II variant was offered. Aboard *Cruising Meraki*, the Explorer 45 has completed a 2,200-nautical-mile passage from Canada to Cabo San Lucas and across to Isla Isabela, and later sailed from the Tuamotu Archipelago to Papeete, Tahiti, and through the Society Islands.10:19 The crew installed 1,200 watts of solar power on a stainless steel arch, a 12-volt Nova Cool fridge, and replaced the 112-gallon aluminum fuel tank and 112-gallon polyethylene water tank. They also upgraded to a new Rolly Tasker jib and a C420 furler.2:13 The interior was renovated by painting bulkheads and trim white, covering galley countertops with contact paper, and installing new low-voltage lighting.3:21 The crew experienced an engine oil pressure alarm near Nuku Hiva due to a double-gasket issue on the oil filter, which they resolved by replacing the filter with a single gasket.12:13 They use floats on their anchor chain to prevent snagging on coral in reef-heavy areas.7:54

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 24 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Explorer 45 (Huntingford) on video

Unplanned MAGICAL stop | Suwarrow, Cook Islands | Ep 120The crew stops at Suwarrow in the Cook Islands to visit with park rangers and observe coconut crabs.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilyAU REVOIR French Polynesia | Ep 119The crew completes French Polynesia checkout procedures in Bora Bora before beginning a 10-day passage to Tonga.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilyHUGE UPGRADES and Real time updates | Ep 118The owners of the sailboat Meraki have listed the vessel for sale while continuing to cruise Fiji.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilyNew Friends in the Societies | Huahine & Raiatea | Ep 117The crew sails 20 miles from Huahine to Raiatea and tours botanical gardens with a local guide.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilySTINGRAY City | Sailing to Mo'orea | Ep 116The crew grounds their boat on a sandbar while approaching an anchorage in Mo'orea, French Polynesia.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilyWe SAILED to Tahiti! | French Polynesia | Ep 115Meraki times a Tuamotu atoll pass using the "tide guesstimator" spreadsheet, then radios Papeete harbour master for runway-crossing clearance.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilyLiving in a Postcard | Toau | Ep 114A cruising family navigates atoll passes in the Tuamotu Archipelago and performs engine bay cooling upgrades.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilyParadise Found | HAVAIKI Pearl Farm | Ep 113Havaiki pearl farm in Fakarava offers tours where visitors open oysters and keep the pearl inside.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilyAfter the storm BLISS | Tuamotu | Ep 112The crew uses a float on their anchor chain to protect coral reefs in Fakarava, France.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilyStorms and Boat COLLISIONS | SAILING THE TUAMOTUS | EP 111A 45-foot catamaran survives a 40-knot squall and a mooring-line collision in Fakarava, French Polynesia.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilyMarquesas to Tuamotus | Sailing South Pacific | Ep 110The crew uses a floating chain technique with fenders to anchor safely in the Fakarava atoll.Cruising Meraki • Sailing FamilyMarquesan Tattoos and German Chocolate | Ep 109A double-gasket error on an oil filter caused a total oil leak and engine failure on Nuku Hiva.Cruising Meraki • Sailing Family

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
34.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Staysail Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
12.1
Displacement / length
340.8
Comfort ratio
40.8
Capsize screening
1.68
Hull speed
7.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1579
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1977–1982
Units built
22
Designer
Stan Huntingford
Builder
C, L Marine (Taiwan), C&L Marine Corp (TAIWAN)

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.

Dolphin 47 (Alden)14.30 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA heavy-displacement staysail ketch from the board of John G. Alden, built for comfortable, stable blue-water cruising
Are Windows Really a Good Idea in Hulls?3:58from Lucky Pete Sailing AQUALIBRA
Westsail 4313.08 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterAn aft-cockpit cruiser featuring a long keel and versatile rig options, including cutter, ketch, and yawl configurations
🚗 Oh, glorious tool road trip!11:10from Sail Life
Westsail 4213.08 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA William Crealock-designed long-keel cutter sharing its hull mold with the aft-cockpit 43 for heavy-weather stability
🚩 RED FLAGS: How I Spot the Lemon Boats on Yacht World 🚩0:56from Be The Captain
Cabo Rico 42 Pilot14.17 mSame hull family0.4 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!
Mason 4413.39 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterAn 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
Morgan Yachts Out Island 4112.57 mSame hull family1.2 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 Sailing6:25from Lady K Sailing

The family

Boats like this

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

Hunter Marine 45A Warren Luhrs design featuring a B&R rig and a high ballast ratio, built for performance cruising in the mid-eightiesHunter Marine 45 CCA 13-metre centre-cockpit cruiser with a shallow 1.52-metre draught, designed for accessible coastal cruisingHardin 44/45A long-keeled staysail ketch redesigned from the Bounty 44, built for offshore comfort with a high displacement

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The fleet has more to say

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