BoatsHans Christian 43

Hans Christian 43

Staysail Ketch · Long Keel · 1974–1992

A 12.99-metre staysail ketch with a long keel and high comfort ratio, built from 1974 to 1992 for steady offshore work

Designed by Harwood Ives & George H. Stadel Jr.

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

See her sail

The Hans Christian 43, on the water

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

Footage from Life is Like 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 moderate beam gives 38 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 38
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.76
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 281
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.4
TenderStiff

39% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 39%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Heavier than ~86% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~83% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~92% of boats her size on file

Compared with 330 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Hans Christian 43, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Hans CHRISTIAN 43 is a Staysail Ketch sailboat model built between 1974 and 1992, designed by Harwood Ives and George H. Stadel Jr. It features a long keel, measures 13.0 m LOA with a 4.2 m beam and 1.8 m draft, and displaces 14288 kg. The model was also available as a Cutter variant. Aboard *Life is Like Sailing*, Alfy and Devlin cruise the British Columbia coast, navigating areas like Princess Louisa Inlet, Pender Harbour, and the Gulf Islands.0:12 They time transits through rapids and passages, such as the Malibu Rapids and Gabriola Passage, to coincide with slack water.8:17 The crew anchors in various locations, noting bottom conditions and protection from winds, and uses stern ties in popular anchorages like Smuggler's Cove.11:27 They undertake maintenance tasks, including servicing Barlow winches, and provision at local stores in towns like Ganges.1:45 The boat has sailed single-handed for 17.1 nautical miles, maintaining speeds between 5.7 and 7.4 knots through the water.18:42

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

The channels sailing this model, and where they were last seen.

Life is Like SailingAlfy and Devlin document their experiences living aboard and cruising a 1979 Hans Christian 43 ketch throughout the coastal waters of British Columbia.

Seen 17 times across 2 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Hans Christian 43 on video

Life is Like Sailing - Summer Cruising 2025 - Ep 15Alfy and Devlin navigate inflow winds and crowded stern-tie conditions while cruising through Smuggler's Cove.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Summer Cruising 2025 - Ep 14The unmaintained trappers cabin trail above Princess Louisa Inlet gains 550 meters in 3 kilometers, requiring ropes on dry rock faces.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Summer Cruising 2025 - Ep 13Alfy and Devlin navigate the Malibu Rapids at high-water slack while sailing toward Princess Louisa Inlet.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Summer Cruising 2025 - Ep 12Alfy and Devlin navigate Gabriola Passage and transit to Pender Harbor during a summer Gulf Islands cruise.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Winter Cruising 2025 - Ep 11Servicing Barlow winches involves cleaning gummed-up pawls and applying light machine oil to ensure proper ratcheting.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Winter Cruising 2025 - Ep 10Alfy uses a Raymarine Axiom Pro to mirror navigation data to an iPad while cruising near Wallace Island.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Winter Cruising 2025 - Ep 09Alfy sails 17.1 nautical miles from James Bay to Genoa Bay while dodging heavy ferry traffic.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Winter Cruising 2025 - Ep 08Alfy anchors in a secluded Southern Gulf Islands inlet to escape 25-knot southeast winds in mid-March.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Winter Cruising 2025 - Ep 07Alfy sails Northern Dancer from Silva Bay to Ganges Harbour during a day of gusty, squall-prone conditions.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Winter Cruising 2025 - Ep 06A Pfaff 545 walking-foot machine enables precise stitching of heavy marine canvas and Sunbrella fabric projects.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Winter Cruising 2025 - Ep 05A 55,000-pound wooden sailboat undergoes a comprehensive systems refit and transmission repair in Silva Bay, British Columbia.Life is Like SailingLife is Like Sailing - Desolation Sound 2023 - Ep 04Alfy and Devlin navigate Desolation Sound, managing tidal rapids and shallow entrances while hiking near Squirrel Cove.Life is Like Sailing

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Hans Christian 43 may be fitted out entirely differently.

Who's been looking

Market signal

Crews the fleet has filmed weighing this model up — no sale seen, and no asking price.

1channel weighed buying one

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
39.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Staysail Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.4
Displacement / length
281.5
Comfort ratio
38.2
Capsize screening
1.76
Hull speed
8.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1820
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1974–1992
Units built
130
Designer
Harwood Ives, George H. Stadel Jr
Builder
Hans Christian

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.

Island Packet 43914.33 mSame hull family1.3 m longerA modern 2021-launched cutter with a heavy-displacement hull and a 1.52-meter draft for stable, deep-water cruising
This Sailboat Said NO to Corporate Takeovers! Island Packet 439from Practical Sailor
Cape George 3811.58 mSame hull family1.4 m shorterA 1985 cutter with a 1.58-metre draft and high comfort ratio, designed by Atkin and Lange for steady offshore work
The Next Magic Carpet Project (bonus ep)0:53from Sailing Magic Carpet
Baba 4012.14 mSame hull family0.9 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
Explorer 45 (Huntingford)13.79 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA long-keeled staysail ketch designed by Stan Huntingford for stable, comfortable blue-water passage making
Marquesan Tattoos and German Chocolate | Ep 109from Cruising Meraki • Sailing Family
Morgan Yachts Out Island 4112.57 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA prolific long-keeled masthead sloop designed by Charles Morgan Jr. that became a staple of the global charter trade
Sailing KYAN II Episode 1from Sailing KYAN II a Morgan Out Island 41 Ketch
Dolphin 47 (Alden)14.30 mSame hull family1.3 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

The family

Boats like this

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

Hans Christian 45A staysail ketch with a long keel and high comfort ratio, configured for steady, traditional offshore passage-makingHans Christian Christina 43A Scott Sprague-designed cutter with a high comfort ratio and skeg-mounted rudder, built for heavy-weather cruisingHans Christian Christina 40A Scott Sprague-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for steady, comfortable blue-water passagesHans Christian 48A 14.5-metre cutter with a long keel and high comfort ratio, later produced as the Traditional 48 in ThailandHans Christian 41A heavy-displacement cutter designed by Scott Sprague, later produced as the Traditional 41 in ThailandHans Christian 39 PilothouseA Harwood Ives-designed cutter with a long keel and pilothouse, sharing the proven hull of the HC 38 MKII

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The fleet has more to say

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