Lafitte 66 Ketch
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 | 12.667 ft |
| Displacement | 28000 lb |
| Ballast | 11310 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.330 ft |
| Year Built | 1980 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 67 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 23 ft |
| p | 59.70 ft |
| e | 20.50 ft |
| p2 | 40 ft |
| e2 | 12 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 ft | 23 ft | 59.70 ft | 20.50 ft | 40 ft | 12 ft | - | - |
Sails
Lafitte 66 Ketch - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 59.7 ft - (18197 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.5 ft - (6248 mm) |
| Leech | * 62.16 ft - (18946 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 62.44 ft - (19032 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 624.45 ft² |
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Lafitte 66 Ketch - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 56.67 ft - (17273 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 30.84 ft - (9400 mm) |
| Leech | * 48.63 ft - (14822 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 26.45 ft - (8062 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | * 749.42 ft² |
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Lafitte 66 Ketch - GENOA
| Luff | * 67.3 ft - (20513 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 37.46 ft - (11418 mm) |
| Leech | * 62.99 ft - (19199 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 34.5 ft - (10516 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.99 ° |
| Area | * 1160.89 ft² |
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Lafitte 66 Ketch - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 67.3 ft - (20513 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 37.95 ft - (11567 mm) |
| Leech | * 61.92 ft - (18873 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1916 ft² |
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Lafitte 66 Ketch - MIZZEN
| Luff | * 40 ft - (12192 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 12 ft - (3658 mm) |
| Leech-AftHdBd | * 40.99 ft - (12494 mm) |
| Tack Ang | * 88.01 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | * 41.36 ft - (12607 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 5.25 in - (133 mm) |
| Area (no Roach) | * 244.67 ft² |
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Lafitte 66 Ketch - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 38.96 ft - (11875 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 17.5 ft - (5334 mm) |
| Leech | * 31.39 ft - (9568 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 13.8 ft - (4206 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19.02 ° |
| Area | * 268.77 ft² |
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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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