Kelly-Peterson 44

[a64pilot]

Whatcha think? For initial coastal cruising, but maybe eventual blue water work when the crew is ready? Old boats, but must admit I like their lines, Which thing specifically should I look for? Weak links?
Opinions?

[skipmac]

Great boat and certainly suitable for ocean sailing.

[Jim Cate]

Lots of Peterson 44s out cruising in the Pacific. Getting old now, all the usual caveats apply. Main thing I've heard is tanks going bad and being very hard to access and replace. They are not fast, but do sail better than many of their center cockpit contemporaries, and are certainly better looking than many.

Finding one that has had the tanks replaced, the chainplates renewed, repowered and some recent sails bought would result in a good cruising machine... good luck!

Jim

[robert sailor]

I'm bias as I think these were some of the nicest looking of the CC's however as others have said they are getting long in the tooth. Many have had deck problems and they are cored with small blocks of plywood. Tanks, water and fuel have had issues and I would not buy one with original tanks. As Jim mentioned the SS was not the highest quality and chain plates should be very carefully checked. There is an active owners group, you'll have to search around for it. If the boat has been rebuilt and was well looked after there is a following and they are not hard to sell but a fixer upper can break the bank so shop carefully.

[a64pilot]

Yeah, I'm not looking for a project boat, and the age of these scares me. I've found the owners group on line. Gut tells me they are just too old, as most were built when I was in High School, and I'm going to retire in five years
But, what I don't know about sailboats is astonishing

[robert sailor]

A64 how much are you wanting to spend on a boat and where do you want to sail??

[a64pilot]

Try to stay around 100K, but if I find something that I'm really smitten by and is a really good deal I could go a little higher, but not much without borrowing money, trying not to borrow though. It would have to be a seaworthy vessel fit for coastal cruising. I have the next five years to re-fit for real cruising if I decide to go that way, but I do not want a project boat.
I'd like to have a boat by spring, but time isn't the issue here, I can wait for however long it takes. To come up with 100K cask I'll have to sell an airplane and my little boat. Airplane should sell well, little boat probably not until spring, when people want to buy little boats.
Really in the looking mode now, trying to decide what I really want.
On edit: For the next five years I will be working still, so sailing will be Gulf Coast of Fl., with a two week trip to the Bahamas being the most I'd likely be able to do, other wise weekend and day sailing.

[gjordan]

a64pilot, there have been several threads about the Petersons. You might try the search feature. I owned one for about 8 years and truly loved it, but everything said about poor quality SS is true. The same basic design was built by at least 2, and maybe 3 different builders and sold under several names. Most should have had their chainplates replaced by now. That is not really too hard of a job. Tanks are a different story. My boat didnt come with teak decks(thank heavens) so I had no soft deck problems. If I had the finances, I would be looking for another one, but I am limited to a much smaller boat at this stage of my life. Curiosity!! what type of plane are you selling? My house and my light plane are both going for sale in the spring, so that I can cruise again. Good Luck _______Grant.

[a64pilot]

gjordan,
Thanks, my airplane is an M6 Maule. A little unusual as it's really a STOL airplane more likely found in the Alaskan bush. 40 yr old boats worry me more than a little, first boat will probably be a 10 yr old or less production boat that most here love to hate as the wife like those, and engine and systems access is really good

[Kevin84]

A64, there is a beautiful KP44 for sale in NC for around 90k. Just refited. Might be worth your time. It's on Yachtworld.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[robert sailor]

Its funny what sailors have in common. We have a hangar full of motor bikes, cars and a light aircraft and we are gone for at least 5 years. Should think about returning soon and selling the lot of them but we made our decision to go cruising again at the last minute so had no time to do it. What engine is in the Maule 6 ? We have a Pacer which the Maule was patterned after.

[gjordan]

a64pilot, keep the wife happy, even if you have to sail a less than popular boat. Boats are cheep to replace, compared to wives. You might want to take her to look at the Peterson that Kevin mentioned. Just for comparison, of course. I believe that I sent Kevin quite a bit of info on my Peterson about a year ago, or so. I see that he is still checking them out. As a side note , I am going to sell my 1947 Bellanca Cruisair to help my cruising kitty. _____Grant.

[robert sailor]

Grant those old Bellanca's are wonderful, such a lovely wing. I owned a Super Viking years ago and flew that thing from one end of the country to the other, different days back then. Did yours have the hand crank gear?

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by gjordan

a64pilot, keep the wife happy, even if you have to sail a less than popular boat. Boats are cheep to replace, compared to wives. You might want to take her to look at the Peterson that Kevin mentioned. Just for comparison, of course. I believe that I sent Kevin quite a bit of info on my Peterson about a year ago, or so. I see that he is still checking them out. As a side note , I am going to sell my 1947 Bellanca Cruisair to help my cruising kitty. _____Grant.

Yup I am. Though I may end up with a Tayana 37. Financing is a beeotch on an older boat. Though if I could get the financing, I'd be all over the 44 in NC. It's a beautiful boat.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Celestialsailor]

I've done some work on one. The bolts that go through the rudder gudgeon's have a tendency to corrode to almost nothing. Occasional blisters. The Iron tanks are a nightmare. And the seals on the ports go bad after time and lift the veneer on the insides of the cabin.
I disagree with Jim on the speed of them. They are a 44' boat with a healthy 38' waterline. The one I worked on did the milk run with ease.