Brewer 44 vs Mason 44

[LakeSuperior]

Having worked on boats for too many years I found the Mason 44 a joy to maintain. Just lay on your stomach and reach down. All is within easy reach except the starter. I am glad we didn't have to mess with it as it would be a major challenge to remove.

The Mason 44 is like any boat design, a series of compromises and trades. That said it is superb to cruise and liveaboard. We crossed the Atlantic twice and it was rock solid and predictable. The hull is solid glass, no core, therefore no issues. Good luck!!

[hard-a-ground]

About the engine down low... if you start taking on water, does this make running the engine difficult?

[konakoma]

We looked at 6 Brewer 44s, a Mason 44 and 5 Morgan 44s from Maine to Florida and chose the Morgan 44. The Swabbie liked the spacious center cockpit, large aft cabin with queen centerline berth and aft head with tub for rinsing the scuba gear. She also liked the mast stay placement compared with the Brewer, which she had to climb around and it made her feel awkward moving forward/aft on deck. The Morgan sailed easier in light air, but the Brewer was stiffer, and it's heavier at about 28,000+-it's built like a tank. The Brewer is shallow at 4.5' with centerboard up, but Ted Brewer told me they sail fine even if the centerboard is lost, as happened to a sailor in the Indian Ocean. The engine room is huge in the Morgan, with lots of room for our Northern Lights genset, and we lucked out finding the only boat at the time with the Yanmar 66 hp turbo, an upgrade, which is the proper power for a boat that size.
We're very happy with the Morgan, and glad we chose it for our winter cruises.