Lafitte 44
Description
The Lafitte 44 (also stylized as LaFitte 44) is a classic American bluewater cruiser designed by renowned naval architect Robert H. Perry and built by Chung Hwa Boatworks in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from 1980 to 1989 (56 hulls total, commissioned by Mike Lewis of Pacific Far East Industries, California, with early boats finished in the US). It's celebrated for honest offshore performance (e.g., consistent 160-mile days), comfortable motion in heavy seas, exceptional liveaboard load-carrying capacity, and a "built like a tank" reputation—often called a peerless passagemaker with a long fin keel and skeg-hung rudder for tracking and protection. The design prioritizes seaworthiness over speed (heavy displacement, canoe stern, moderate beam), with a cutter rig for versatile heavy-weather handling and a spacious, well-thought-out interior (multiple cabins, large saloon/galley, nav station, and storage for extended voyages). It's a Perry favorite among owners for quality and reliability, though rare today
Construction Details
| Designer | Robert Perry |
|---|---|
| Builder | Chung Hwa Boatworks (Taiwan) |
| Length | 44.330 ft |
| LOA | 44.330 ft |
| LWL | 35.500 ft |
| Beam | 12.670 ft |
| Displacement | 28000 lb |
| Ballast | 11310 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.330 ft |
| Year Built | 1980 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 53.25 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 19 ft |
| p | 47 ft |
| e | 15.75 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53.25 ft | 19 ft | 47 ft | 15.75 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Lafitte 44 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 47 ft - (14326 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 15.75 ft - (4801 mm) |
| Leech | * 48.77 ft - (14865 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 49.04 ft - (14947 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 380.19 ft² |
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Lafitte 44 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 45.23 ft - (13786 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 25.66 ft - (7821 mm) |
| Leech | * 38.56 ft - (11753 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.85 ft - (6660 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.99 ° |
| Area | * 494.1 ft² |
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Lafitte 44 - GENOA
| Luff | * 53.71 ft - (16371 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 31.11 ft - (9482 mm) |
| Leech | * 50.13 ft - (15280 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 28.5 ft - (8687 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.99 ° |
| Area | * 765.4 ft² |
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Lafitte 44 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 53.71 ft - (16371 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 31.35 ft - (9555 mm) |
| Leech | * 49.41 ft - (15060 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1263 ft² |
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Lafitte 44 - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 31.1 ft - (9479 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 14.59 ft - (4447 mm) |
| Leech | * 24.77 ft - (7550 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 11.4 ft - (3475 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 18.99 ° |
| Area | * 177.24 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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