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 sailboat, built by Ta Shing Yacht Building in Taiwan from 1985 to the present, and designed by Al Mason, Jeff Leishman, and Alvin Mason. It is an updated version of the Mason 43, available with either a cutter or ketch rig. With a long keel, 1.9-meter draft, and 12428 kg displacement, the Mason 44 is designed for offshore capability and heavy-weather stability. Aboard *Lady K Sailing*, a 1990 Mason 44 was reviewed as representing a traditional bluewater philosophy, prioritizing structural integrity over interior volume, in contrast to modern production cruisers like a Beneteau Blue 41.0:52

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

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$140,000Median 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

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.

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
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
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
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
Baba 4012.14 mSame hull family1.3 m shorterA 13-ton cutter with a 41.5 comfort ratio, built between 1980 and 1982 for steady, long-distance passage making
Dolphin 47 (Alden)14.30 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA heavy-displacement staysail ketch from the board of John G. Alden, built for comfortable, stable blue-water cruising

The family

Boats like this

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

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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