BoatsMason 44

Mason 44

Masthead Ketch · Long Keel · First built 1985

An updated long-keeled evolution of the Mason 43, offered as a masthead ketch or cutter for stable blue-water cruising

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

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

See her sail

The Mason 44, on the water

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

Footage from Lady K 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 narrow beam gives 43 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 43
CoastalBluewater

At 1.63 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.63
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 382
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 13.6
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 ~75% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~92% of boats her size on file

Compared with 306 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Mason 44, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Mason 44 is a 13.4-meter masthead ketch, designed by Al Mason, Jeff Leishman, and Alvin Mason, and built by Ta Shing Yacht Building in Taiwan from 1985 to the present. It is an updated version of the Mason 43, available with either a cutter or ketch rig, and features a long keel and solid fiberglass hull.4:20 The Mason 44 has a displacement of 12,428 kg and a draft of 1.9 meters.5:12 Design improvements over the Mason 43 include a relocated aft companionway, lowered cockpit seating, and increased ballast.7:27 Aboard *Lady K Sailing*, the Mason 44 is noted for its high-quality joinery and sea-kindly motion in heavy weather, though its large mainsail makes it tender in light air and requires early reefing.9:58 Common owner-reported issues include leaky teak hatches, marginal icebox insulation, and difficult engine access for its Perkins 4108 or Yanmar powerplants.8:02 The boat's narrow beam and low ballast-to-weight ratio cause it to heel quickly before stiffening up.6:29 Owners consider the Mason 44 a capable ocean crosser and a "forever boat," despite the maintenance demands of older, complex systems.11:53

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 2 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Mason 44 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
1channel weighed buying one
US$142,500Median asking

  • A 1990 Mason 44 for sale in Maryland for $140,000, recommended for viewing at the Annapolis boat show

    from Lady K Sailingseen October 20221:43

  • A specific Mason 44 listed for sale by East Coast Yacht Sails, which the creator is reviewing and considering for purchase

    from Lady K Sailingseen August 202412:26

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
34.3%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.6
Displacement / length
382.2
Comfort ratio
42.5
Capsize screening
1.63
Hull speed
7.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1390
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1985
Designer
Al Mason, Jeff Leishman, 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.

Cabo Rico 42 Pilot14.17 mSame hull family0.8 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!
Westsail 4313.08 mSame hull family0.3 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 family0.3 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
Morgan Yachts 4513.92 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA long-keeled masthead sloop with a high comfort ratio, built by Charles Morgan Jr. between 1966 and 1970
Travelling the Intracoastal Waterway0:05from Maryland School of Sailing
Explorer 45 (Huntingford)13.79 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA long-keeled staysail ketch designed by Stan Huntingford for stable, comfortable blue-water passage making
We SAILED to Tahiti! | French Polynesia | Ep 1155:57from Cruising Meraki • Sailing Family
Morgan Yachts Out Island 4112.57 mSame hull family0.8 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.

Mason 43An Al Mason-designed cutter or ketch with a fin keel, built for offshore stability and comfortMason 33A heavy-displacement long-keel masthead sloop designed by Al Mason for stable, comfortable offshore cruisingMason 53A versatile cutter with a fin keel and shoal draft option, designed for high-comfort offshore passagesSailmaster 45A Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop designed as a 13.7-metre fin-keel cruiser, known as design #1618.2Morgan Yachts 43A 13-metre masthead sloop with a skeg-mounted rudder and a 1.83-metre draft, designed for offshore stability

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Mason 44, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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