BoatsIrwin Yachts 43-CC MKIII

Irwin Yachts 43-CC MKIII

Cutter · Wing Keel · First built 1986

A Ted Irwin-designed cutter with a shallow-draft wing keel, built for comfortable cruising since 1986

Designed by Ted Irwin.

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

See her sail

The Irwin Yachts 43-CC MKIII, on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Into the Mystic

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 32 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 32
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.84
LightHeavy

259 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 259
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 17.7
TenderStiff

27% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 27%

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

  • Heavier than ~77% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~95% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2267 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Irwin Yachts 43-CC MKIII, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Irwin Yachts 43-CC MKIII is a cutter-rigged, wing-keel sailboat designed by Ted Irwin and built by Irwin Yachts from 1986 to the present. It has an LOA of 13.9 m, a beam of 4.1 m, a draft of 1.5 m, and a displacement of 11793 kg. Aboard Sailing Into the Mystic, a crew transitioned from a 34-foot Islander sloop to a 1988 Irwin MK3 43-foot center-cockpit model, seeking a boat ready for immediate cruising.3:50 They negotiated a $14,000 price reduction due to an engine oil leak.12:38 During their pre-purchase inspection, they used a multimeter, thermal camera, and probe camera to assess the engine.11:29 After purchase, they conducted a sea trial and moved the vessel from Coronado Cays, navigating a shallow channel and coordinating with marina staff.22:16

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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
26.9%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
17.7
Displacement / length
259.4
Comfort ratio
32.4
Capsize screening
1.84
Hull speed
8.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1723
Hull
Hull type
Wing Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1986
Designer
Ted Irwin
Builder
Irwin Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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Amel Maramu 4613.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 13.8-metre ketch produced throughout the 1980s, balancing a moderate displacement with a stable, sea-kindly motion
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Catalina Yachts Morgan 4513.79 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1991 Nelson Marek design distinct from the 1966 original, featuring a partial skeg rudder and a deep keel option
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Liberty 45813.96 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn extended iteration of the Peterson 44 hull featuring a unique deck and coach roof configuration on a cutter rig
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Catalina Yachts Morgan 44014.00 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 14-metre masthead sloop with a 1.5-metre wing keel, produced from 2004 to 2012 and later rebranded as the Catalina 440
The Bargain Bluewater Sailboat - Catalina Morgan 44from Practical Sailor

The family

Boats like this

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

Irwin Yachts 43-CC MKIA Ted Irwin-designed centre cockpit cutter featuring a shallow 1.5-metre draft and a skeg-mounted rudder for cruisingIrwin Yachts 43-CC MKIIA Ted Irwin-designed center cockpit cutter built for comfortable cruising with a shallow draft and skeg-mounted rudderIrwin Yachts 37-3A Ted Irwin-designed cutter with a shoal-draft fin keel, built for comfortable cruising in shallow coastal watersIrwin Yacht 43 (1971)A 13.26-metre masthead sloop with a deep 2.44-metre draft and keel-centreboard configuration for offshore stabilityIrwin Yachts 33 MKIIA Ted Irwin-designed masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder that saw competition at the IOR 3/4 ton level

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The fleet has more to say

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