YachtDatabase.com

Review of Luffe 44


Luffe 44
Luffe 44.


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Luffe 44 is a large sailboat designed by the Danish maritime architect Bent Juul Andersen together with Oluf Jørgensen also from Denmark in the early eighties. The Luffe 44 is built by the Danish yard Oluf Jørgensens Bådebyggeri A/S.

Looking for a new boat? Find a Luffe 44 or similar boat for sale

Hull

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
The hull is a double hull which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.


Interior

The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany. Mahogany belongs to the hardwood species, known for being water-repellent and resistant to decay. It has an attractive wood grain and holds wood polish and varnish well.
The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 10 berths, a galley, 200.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.


Rig

The Luffe 44 is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.


Keel
Keel
Keel of Luffe 44 anno 1985.

Fin keel

The Luffe 44 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.10 - 2.20 meter (6.89 - 7.19 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

Luffe 44 may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta engine at 18 hp (13 kW). The speed is 8.5 knots.

The transmission is a saildrive.

The fuel tank, which is made of stainless steel, has a capacity of 55.0 liters (14 US gallons, 12 imperial gallons).


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Luffe 44 is 1.85, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.


Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.2 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Luffe 44 is about 254 kg/cm, alternatively 1423 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 254 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1423 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Luffe 44 is 20.8.

Low High 10% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 10% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly below average.


L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Luffe 44 is 4.05.

Wide Slim 98% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 98% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more speedy hull design. This type of design is also referred to as 'needle'.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Luffe 44 is 39%.

Low High 58% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 58% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just above average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Luffe 44 is 106 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

Heavy Light 95% 0 50 100
95% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Luffe 44 is 92

Slow Fast 92% 0 50 100
The relative speed performance is 92 which means that a it is faster than 92% of all similar sailboat designs.


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 47m2 (505 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.


Rig

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Jib sheet 13.4 m(43.9 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Genoa sheet13.4 m(43.9 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Mainsheet 33.4 m(109.7 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet29.4 m(96.5 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Luffe 44 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.



References