Review of F&C 44
Basic specs.
Looking for a new boat? Find a F&C 44 or similar boat for sale
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 boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 6-9 berths, 644.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.
The F&C 44 is equipped with a ketch rig. A ketch rig is generally considered easier to handle, because the sails are smaller, and because it can sail on most points to the wind with one sail completely taken down for repair or while reefing. The sail configuration of a ketch allows for better comfort and stability when sailing downwind or on a broad reach.
The F&C 44 has been built with different keel alternatives.
Fin keel
One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.
The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.03 - 2.13 meter (6.66 - 6.96 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
CentreBoard
Another option is a centreboard keel. A centreboard keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.
F&C 44 can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.55 - 1.65 meter (5.09 - 5.39 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
The F&C 44 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.
Alternative 1:
The boat may be equipped with an inboard Perkins diesel engine at 50 hp (37 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.5 knots
Alternative 2:
The boat may be equipped with an inboard diesel engine
The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.
The fuel tank has a capacity of 90.0 liters (23 US gallons, 19 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.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for F&C 44 is 1.80, 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 7.7 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 F&C 44 is about 254 kg/cm, alternatively 1426 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 254 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 1426 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 F&C 44 is 31.4.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for F&C 44 is 3.52.
The ballast ratio for F&C 44 is 42%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for F&C 44 is 271 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for F&C 44 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 13.6, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 16.3.
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 44m2 (473 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 for ketch rig.
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 | 33.8 m | (111.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 33.8 m | (111.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 33.8 m | (111.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 13.4 m | (44.0 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 13.4 m | (44.0 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 33.5 m | (110.0 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 29.5 m | (96.8 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Cunningham | 4.0 m | (13.1 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 8.0 m | (26.2 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 8.0 m | (26.2 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.
Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.
We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for F&C 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.