BoatsFormosa 41

Formosa 41

Masthead Ketch · Long Keel · First built 1972

A William Garden-designed long-keel ketch, also marketed as the Yankee Clipper 41 and Atlantic Clipper

Designed by William Garden.

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

See her sail

The Formosa 41, on the water

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

Footage from Be The Captain

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 45 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 45
CoastalBluewater

At 1.61 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.61
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 381
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 11.8
TenderStiff

33% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 33%

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

  • Heavier than ~82% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~92% of boats her size on file

Compared with 366 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Formosa 41, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Formosa 41 is a William Garden-designed masthead ketch, built from 1972 to the present by Formosa Boat Yard Ta Chiao and Formosa Boat Building Co. Ltd., with a long keel, an LOA of 12.5 m, a beam of 3.7 m, and a displacement of 12,700 kg. It is also known as the Yankee Clipper 41 and Atlantic Clipper.0:49 The Formosa 41 is considered heavy and slow, with poor pointing ability, making it unsuitable for offshore cruising despite its aesthetic appeal.0:57

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
32.9%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
11.8
Displacement / length
381.5
Comfort ratio
44.8
Capsize screening
1.61
Hull speed
7.6 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1392
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Iron
Production
Years built
First built 1972
Designer
William Garden
Builder
Formosa Boat Yard Ta Chiao

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 4313.08 mSame hull family0.6 m longerAn 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 family0.6 m longerA 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
Tashiba 4012.16 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 13-ton cutter with a high comfort ratio of 41.48, engineered for steady, long-distance passage making
Anchoring at One Tree Point and Visiting Bruce on SV BOB6:57from Sailing Triteia
Panda 4012.16 mSame hull family0.3 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
Baba 4012.14 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 13-ton cutter with a 41.5 comfort ratio, built between 1980 and 1982 for steady, long-distance passage making
Full SAILBOAT TOUR [Baba 40, Bluewater, Deep Draft, Around the World Ocean Sailing Monohull]0:05from Adventureman Dan
Morgan Yachts Out Island 4112.57 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 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.

Formosa Yachts 51A William Garden-designed staysail ketch with a long keel that served as the foundation for multiple production yachtsFormosa 30An Alden-designed masthead ketch with a long keel, built for steady, comfortable cruising since 1972Formosa 34A 1975 masthead sloop featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a displacement-to-ballast ratio built for stable, comfortable cruisingFormosa 44A heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a long keel, also produced as the Spindrift 43 and the Hampton 43Formosa 43A Ron Holland-attributed masthead sloop built in Taiwan with a skeg-hung rudder and a high comfort ratio

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