Review of Cal 44
Basic specs.
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The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
The Cal 44 has been built with different keel alternatives.
Fin keel
One option is 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 boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.65 - 1.75 meter (5.41 - 5.71 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Fin keel
Another option is 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 1.98 - 2.08 meter (6.50 - 6.80 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Cal 44 may be equipped with an inboard Westerbeke W58 diesel engine at 58 hp (43 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.8 knots
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.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for Cal 44 is 1.84, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.
What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?
The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.1 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.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level.
The immersion rate for Cal 44 is about 304 kg/cm, alternatively 1703 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 304 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 1703 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.
What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?
The Motion Comfort Ratio for Cal 44 is 31.2.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Cal 44 is 3.23.
The ballast ratio for Cal 44 is 40%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for Cal 44 is 234 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for Cal 44 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.1, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 19.1.
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 48m2 (516 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.
Dimensions of sail.
Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale
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.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Mainsail halyard | 37.9 m | (124.3 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 37.9 m | (124.3 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 37.9 m | (124.3 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 13.3 m | (43.5 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 13.3 m | (43.5 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 33.1 m | (108.8 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 29.2 m | (95.7 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Cunningham | 5.2 m | (17.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 10.4 m | (34.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 10.4 m | (34.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.
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