BoatsMason 43

Mason 43

Cutter · Fin Keel · 1978–1985

An Al Mason-designed cutter or ketch with a fin keel, built for offshore stability and comfort

Designed by Al Mason & Alvin Mason, built by TA Shing Yacht Building (Taiwan).

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

See her sail

The Mason 43, 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 39 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 39
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

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

Displacement / length 366
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.8
TenderStiff

34% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 34%

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

Compared with 2456 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Mason 43, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Mason 43 is a 13.4-meter cutter-rigged sailboat designed by Al Mason and built by Ta Shing Yacht Building in Taiwan from 1978 to 1985. It features a fin keel, a solid fiberglass hull, balsa-cored decks, and mahogany plywood bulkheads, with a displacement of 11,339 kg.4:20 The Mason 43, also available as a ketch, is considered a capable offshore cruiser, known for its heavy-displacement construction and integrated chain plates.5:48 Aboard *Lady K Sailing*, the Mason 43 is described as having high-quality joinery and a sea-kindly motion in heavy weather, though it is tender in light air and heels quickly due to its large mainsail and low ballast-to-weight ratio.6:29 Common owner-reported issues include leaky teak hatches, marginal icebox insulation, and difficult engine access for its Perkins 4108 or Yanmar engines.8:02

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Mason 43 on video

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model for sale, and the asking prices that came with it.

1seen for sale
US$65,000Median asking

  • 1980 Mason 43 listed for $65,000 in Mexico, with a $30,000 price drop, making it half its usual price

    from Be The Captainseen April 2025watch

  • Listed for sale at 105 grand, noted as a good example of a classic boat

    from Be The Captainseen June 2025watch

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
33.6%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.8
Displacement / length
365.7
Comfort ratio
39.2
Capsize screening
1.68
Hull speed
7.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1368
Hull
Hull type
Fin Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1978–1985
Units built
180
Designer
Al Mason, Alvin Mason
Builder
Ta Shing Yacht Building (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.

Pacific Seacraft 4413.44 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA William Crealock-designed cutter with a 40% ballast ratio and a fin keel, built for offshore stability and performance
EP51 - Sailing 854nm of EAST COAST from FLORIDA to VIRGINIA1:46from Sailing Solé
Swan 44 (S&S)13.41 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens design also sold as the PJ-44, this masthead sloop features a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff hull
[OFF MARKET] Nautor Swan 44 (ASTRID) - Yacht for Sale - Berthon Internationalfrom Berthon International
Moody 44-113.41 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1973-1975 masthead sloop with a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, built for offshore stability
Episode #82 Sea Trial Preparations!2:52from Sailing Nervous- Starting Over!
Navy 44 (M&R)13.41 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1985 McCurdy & Rhodes masthead sloop built for the Naval Academy to replace their earlier Luders-designed yawls
On The Wind #412 - Jade & Ben // Sailing the Northwest Passage7:13from 59° North Sailing
Swan 44 MK II (Frers)13.44 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 13.44-metre cruiser featuring a bulb-fin keel and spade rudder, produced by Swan from 1996 to 2002
Nautor Swan 44 MkII “THEA” Yacht for Sale | Pinnacle of Performance | Tour with Sophie Kempfrom Berthon International
Westerly Marine Ltd. Ocean 4313.26 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Ron Holland-designed masthead sloop built for offshore comfort with a stable, skeg-mounted rudder configuration
World Cruising Boat14:43from Sailing Gently

The family

Boats like this

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

Mason 44An updated long-keeled evolution of the Mason 43, offered as a masthead ketch or cutter for stable blue-water cruisingMason 53A versatile cutter with a fin keel and shoal draft option, designed for high-comfort offshore passagesMason 33A heavy-displacement long-keel masthead sloop designed by Al Mason for stable, comfortable offshore cruisingMorgan Yachts 43A 13-metre masthead sloop with a skeg-mounted rudder and a 1.83-metre draft, designed for offshore stabilityTartan Marine 43A Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop featuring a traditional counter stern built from the tooling for the Tartan 41

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Mason 43, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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