YachtCodex
Spirit Yachts

Spirit C44

In production
Spirit C44 — photo 1

1 / 8

4-SPIRIT-44E-LANGDON-57-1920x1080-LR — Spirit Yachts

Summary

44 ftLOA7.5 ftDRAFT10.8 ftBEAM
Sailing MonohullSailCE A
Length overall
44 ft
Beam
10.8 ft
Draft
7.5 ft
Displacement
16,535 lb
Sail area (upwind)
975 ft²
Cabins
2

* A standard reference image, not the actual boat — shown to help visualise this model's published dimensions.

Best Suited For

Tags are derived from certified class, length, sail area, accommodation and tankage using the criteria described on the Sources page; an editor may add or remove one.

Sailing Ratios

Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from the builder's published figures, each shown against the bands designers read it by.

Sail area / displacement

How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.

ModestCruiserPerformanceRacing162024Spirit C44: 24.0
  • 24.0· Racing
How it is worked out

sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔

published upwind sail area

Displacement / length

How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.

UltralightLightModerateHeavyVery heavy100180270350Spirit C44: 268
  • 268· Moderate
How it is worked out

displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³

Ballast ratio

The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.

LowModerateHigh3040
  • not published: ballast
How it is worked out

ballast ÷ displacement × 100

Comfort ratio

Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.

LightCoastalModerate offshoreHeavy offshoreVery heavy20304050Spirit C44: 31.0
  • 31.0· Moderate offshore
How it is worked out

displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft

Capsize screening

A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.

Below 22 and above2Spirit C44: 1.70
  • 1.70· Below 2
How it is worked out

beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓

Hull speed

Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.

  • 7.4 kn
How it is worked out

1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots

Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.

Design Category

Certified CE design category A (Ocean): the wind and waves the EU Recreational Craft Directive says this boat is designed to take.

  1. D

    Sheltered waters

    Wind
    up to Beaufort 4
    Waves
    up to 0.3 m
  2. C

    Inshore

    Wind
    up to Beaufort 6
    Waves
    up to 2 m
  3. B

    Offshore

    Wind
    up to Beaufort 8
    Waves
    up to 4 m
  4. AThis boat

    Ocean

    Wind
    above Beaufort 8
    Waves
    above 4 m

Design limits set by the EU Recreational Craft Directive (2013/53/EU), in significant wave height. A category covers the conditions of those below it. It is the limit the boat was designed to, not a promise that it is safe in any conditions within it — that judgement stays with the skipper.

Dimensions

LOA
44 ft (13.4 m)
Hull length
—
LWL
30.2 ft (9.2 m)
Beam
10.8 ft (3.3 m)
Draft (min)
—
Draft (max)
7.5 ft (2.3 m)
Air draft
—
Displacement
16,535 lb (7,500 kg)
Ballast
—
Cabins
2
Heads
—
Berths
—

Sail Plan

Main sail
—
Jib
—
Genoa
—
Sail area
975 ft² (90.6 m²)
Downwind sail area
—
Rig type
Fractional Bermudian Sloop

Engine and Tanks

Engine
—
Engine count
—
Engine manufacturer
—
Propulsion type
electric or diesel shaft drive
Fuel capacity
—
Fresh water capacity
—
Black water capacity
—

Construction

Mast material
—
Hull material
wood/epoxy (laminated ring frames, timber planking, double-diagonal veneers, epoxy glass sheath)
Deck material
—
Keel type
iron blade with lead bulb
Rudder type
—
Steering wheels
—

Builder's Own Figures

Guests and cabins
4 guests, 2 cabins (the site's yacht cards)
RCD max persons
6 (certified persons, not guests)
Keel
Iron Blade 830kg – Lead Bulb 2455kg
Rig
Fractional Bermudian Sloop
Propulsion
Electric or Diesel Shaft Drive
RCD category
A (F8 winds 4m waves)
Displacement basis
no load stated, as printed (7.5 tonnes)

Figures read fromspirityachts.com/yacht/spirit-c44/· Specification & Featuresread 10/17/2026

Layouts & Drawings

1 drawing from the builder's page: general arrangement, sail plan, profile.

About Spirit Yachts

Custom

British custom builder of modern-classic wooden sail and motor yachts, founded in 1993 by designer Sean McMillan and Mick Newman at Ipswich, Suffolk — 13 designs from the 9.2-metre R30 day sailer to the 22.8-metre R74, each built to order in wood/epoxy.

Spirit Yachts was founded in 1993 by Sean McMillan, a lifelong sailor and yacht designer, in partnership with his friend Mick Newman. After thousands of sea miles delivering boats around the globe, the yard says, the two had a clear vision: to build the most beautiful yachts that perform on the water. Sean McMillan built the company into what it calls a worldwide success, raced his own Spirit 52 on the classic circuit and today consults on projects from his design studio in the Suffolk countryside. In 2006 a Spirit 54 was chosen for the Bond film Casino Royale; handbuilt in Suffolk, she was shipped to the Bahamas, sailed through Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands for filming and then to Venice, where, the yard says, she became the first sailing yacht to go up the Grand Canal in 300 years. In 2021 a Spirit 46, one of the original Spirit designs, appeared in No Time To Die. Today the company, led by managing director Karen Underwood with lead designer Tom Smith, designs and builds custom wooden sail and motor yachts at waterside premises in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Visit brand page

The Spirit Yachts Range

Every model Spirit Yachts publishes, by length — where this one sits in the range.

  1. Spirit R7474.8 ft
  2. Spirit C7272.5 ft
  3. Spirit C6565 ft
  4. Spirit R5252.2 ft
  5. Spirit C5049 ft
  6. Spirit R4646.6 ft
  7. Spirit C44· this model44 ft
  8. Spirit R3030.2 ft

Similar Yachts