Hughes 40 a bluewater boat?

[Cfitz]

What constitutes a bluewater boat? Is a Hughes 40 center cockpit ketch considered bluewater?

LOA: 43 ft 6 in
Beam: 13 ft 4 in
Maximum Draft: 4 ft 9 in
Dry Weight: 29300 lbs

[boatman61]

Yes.. a Sparkman and Stephens design.. as good as anything else out there of that era.. pre Euro Trash..

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Yes.. a Sparkman and Stephens design.. as good as anything else out there of that era.. pre Euro Trash..

[like-a-child]

I have a '76 Northstar 40 Hull #42 that was nicely converted from ketch to sloop and would definitely call her a blue water boat. And she is a joy to sail.
S&S design is excellent but maintenance and outfitting are part of being a blue-water boat as well.
She stays upright even in heavy winds and the center cockpit is both convenient and feels very safe.
I just hauled here and painted hull and re-did some seacocks and a new depth transducer where I found the hull to be 1-3/8" solid glass.
re-did deck waste fitting and deck was 1/2" solid glass.
I also love the Ford Lehman 80hp and the parts/knowledge from Brian at American Diesel.
Let me know if have any questions.

Like-a-child on S.V. Heart of Oak