BoatsNauticat 43

Nauticat 43

Staysail Ketch · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1983–1999

A Sparkman & Stephens designed staysail ketch built for long-range comfort and based on the earlier Nautor 43

Designed by Sparkman & Stephens, built by Siltala Yachts.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Nauticat 43, on the water

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

Footage from Fish Under Sail

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 44 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 44
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.72
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 418
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 17.1
TenderStiff

28% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 28%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Heavier than ~94% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~82% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2593 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Nauticat 43, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Nauticat 43 is a 13.0-meter staysail ketch designed by Sparkman & Stephens, built by Siltala Yachts from 1983 to 1999, and based on the earlier Nautor 43. With a fin keel and rudder on skeg, it displaces 15,013 kg. Aboard *Fish Under Sail*, a Nauticat 43 named *Sand Dollar* underwent extensive upgrades for off-grid cruising and circumnavigation preparations, including a custom stainless steel solar arch and dinghy davits, which necessitated raising the main and mizzen booms by 15 inches and three feet, respectively.1:29 The crew also replaced a cracked fuel pickup tube and installed a used Spectra watermaker.12:30 They upgraded the electronics with a full B&G package, including an NMEA 2000 backbone, and replaced a failed refrigerator with a new cold plate system.12:57 The vessel navigated the California coast in heavy fog, 30-knot winds, and 8-to-10-foot seas, relying on radar and a custom autopilot.13:13 Docking in Monterey proved challenging due to high winds and the absence of a bow thruster.1:11 The crew replaced a thin headsail furling line with a 10mm line and added a second bifacial solar panel to address power deficits.8:46 Portholes, pilothouse windows, and hatches required resealing, involving the removal of over 500 corroded stainless steel screws and the application of Tef-Gel to prevent galvanic corrosion.0:54 In Chiapas, Mexico, the crew performed structural and cosmetic repairs, including grinding out and filling hull blisters, simplifying engine wiring, and replacing hatches.0:51 Another Nauticat 43 was salvaged for parts in Chiapas, with its engine, windlass, and deck hardware stripped from the derelict hull.0:31

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

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

Fish Under SailNatasha and Kyle document the ongoing mechanical refits and structural repairs required to maintain their Nauticat 43, Sand Dollar, for long-term coastal cruising.

Seen 28 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Nauticat 43 on video

8 Months of Hell — Splashing Sand Dollar at LastThe crew of *Sand Dollar* repairs engine oil lines and rudder components before relaunching after eight months.Fish Under SailRepairing a Crack in the Keel — This Had to WorkThe crew repairs a structural keel crack and installs the final pilot house window in Tapachula.Fish Under SailWill the Engine Start? First Test after Hydrolock RebuildThe crew successfully restarts a marine diesel engine following a complete rebuild after a hydrolock failure.Fish Under SailWhat is Leaking from our Keel??Refurbishing 40-year-old deck hatches and pilothouse windows requires extensive cleaning, corrosion removal, and custom sealant application.Fish Under SailCan You Really Reseal 43-Year-Old Marine Windows? (Fixing Decades of Leaks)Refurbishing 43-year-old marine windows requires butyl tape, Tef-Gel, and salvaged parts to overcome severe frame corrosion.Fish Under SailThe Most Feared Boat Job Begins - Resealing the Entire BoatNatasha and Kyle repair hull blisters and replace leaking hatches and companionway hardware in Chiapas, Mexico.Fish Under SailThe Reality of Rebuilding an Old Boat in Remote Mexico - Video 20Refitting *Sand Dollar* in Mexico requires mechanical engine upgrades, fiberglass blister repair, and custom epoxy tank fixes.Fish Under Sail30 Days in Hell: Salvaging a Rotten Nauticat 43 in Mexico!A couple salvages parts from a derelict Nauticat 43 in Chiapas, Mexico, to repair their own boat.Fish Under SailWe Almost Lost Our Engine in Mexico! - Hydrolocked! Sailing 18A mud dauber nest in the exhaust telltale caused saltwater backflow and engine hydrolock on a 30,000-pound sailboat.Fish Under SailAre we crazy?! Purposely de-masting ourselves followed by endless boat work!The crew converts their ketch to a cutter rig by removing the mizzenmast to improve cockpit space.Fish Under SailPoop Explosion, Flooding, and Leaks… Life on Our Sailboat Right Now - Sailing 16The crew replaces a failing marine head with a composting toilet after a sewage line rupture.Fish Under SailWe Sailed 2,800 Miles Down Mexico… where we end up stuck - Lapaz to Chiapas- Sailing 15 A cruising couple navigates the Pacific coast of Mexico while staging for a Gulf of Tehuantepec crossing.Fish Under Sail

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.

  • FailedStarlink

    The internet service was lost when the boat moved further offshore.

    aboard Fish Under Sailseen April 202612:06

  • InstalledSikaflex

    The speaker used SikaFlex sealant for the inner seals of the pilot house windows.

    aboard Fish Under Sailseen July 20261:28

  • InstalledVictron

    The electrical system is managed by various Victron components.

    aboard Fish Under Sailseen March 20266:14

  • InstalledSpectra

    A Spectra 200T watermaker was installed to produce fresh water.

    aboard Fish Under Sailseen March 20268:16

  • InstalledSimrad

    The speaker chose Simrad for the autopilot, despite using B&G for other electronics.

    aboard Fish Under Sailseen October 20246:09

  • BoughtHighfield

    The crew purchased a Highfield CL310 dinghy, describing its features and suitability for fishing and diving.

    aboard Fish Under Sailseen February 20256:58

  • WorkingB&G

    The custom autopilot system, integrating new and original boat components, is functioning well.

    aboard Fish Under Sailseen February 20255:40

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

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale
1seen sold
1channel weighed buying one

For sale

  • Abandoned by its owner due to problems and taken over by the marina; creators are negotiating to buy parts from it

    from Fish Under Sailseen April 20264:02

Sold

  • Purchased for salvage rights after renegotiating the deal due to worse-than-expected condition

    from Fish Under Sailseen June 2026watch

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
28.4%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Staysail Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
17.1
Displacement / length
417.6
Comfort ratio
43.6
Capsize screening
1.72
Hull speed
7.7 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1613
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1983–1999
Designer
Sparkman, Stephens
Builder
Siltala Yachts, Nauticat - Siltala Yachts

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.

Henri Wauquiez Amphitrite 4313.03 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead ketch also marketed as the Palmer Johnson 43CR, offering a stable fin keel and skeg-hung rudder configuration
Is This The End? - The Brutal Reality of Sailing Solo Around The World0:06from Jakob Lang Sailing
Grand Soleil 40 (Polli)12.90 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Matteo Polli-designed fractional sloop optimized for ORC competition with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio
Sailing Alone in Fog Without Losing Your Cool11:09from The Mariner
Swan 43 (S&S)13.04 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthDrawn for the RORC rule, this masthead sloop features a high ballast-to-displacement ratio for a stiff, stable ride
113. Pedro Millet, the silver medal that changed everything.4:07from A Son de Mar
Hunter Marine 42 Passage CC12.95 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.95-metre centre-cockpit cruiser with a wing keel and a 1.5-metre draft, built for stable, easy-handling cruising
The INSANE Aft Cabin Center Cockpit Hunter Passage 4203:13from Lady K Sailing
Hallberg-Rassy 40C13.06 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed center cockpit cruiser featuring a modern fractional rig and dual rudders for stable performance
Testing the Hallberg Rassy 40c0:04from SEILmagasinet
Baltic Yachts 4212.93 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1970s masthead sloop featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, sharing its hull design with the C&C 42 Custom
GGR 2026 — The race — 2026-10-06 06:00-12:002:09:10from Golden Globe Race Official

The family

Boats like this

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

Nautor 43A 13-metre masthead ketch whose hull molds were later adapted to create the Nauticat 43Nauticat 40A Sparkman & Stephens staysail ketch designed for heavy-displacement comfort and stable, long-range cruisingNauticat 44A 13.31-metre masthead ketch with a long keel, built since 1974 to provide a stable, high-comfort platform for blue-water passagesNauticat 42A 16-tonne masthead sloop with a 1.95m draft, built for heavy-displacement stability and long-range cruisingNauticat 52A Sparkman & Stephens masthead ketch built from Nautor moulds, offering a heavy-displacement platform for blue-water cruising

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Nauticat 43

The newsletter

New boats, new stories. Every week, everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analysed. No noise.

Report an issue