Moody 44 (70s) Sailing characteristics

[Peter Hansell]

Does anyone have personal experience sailing a Moody 44-1? Online comments are all over the place. Is it a sailing dog? Or, would it be fairly enjoyable during passages?

 

[Peter Wright]

Hi Peter,

I've never been on board let alone sailed one of these, but Laurent Giles was a well repected naval architect who designed some good boats. However I would expect her to be a fairly typical cruising yacht of the early 1970's and so under canvassed by todays standards. If she's the more common ketch version she won't be very close winded, but could be fun on a broad reach with a mizzen staysail set. To windward she will be disappointing to those brought up on boats of this millenium.

Peter.

 

[Peter Hansell]

Hi Peter,
Thanks for the reply.
The Moody 44 in question is a sloop. (Well, currently sitting on the hard, it only has one stick.)
I will read more about Giles and his designs.
Peter

 

[Peter Hansell]

Hi Peter,

I've never been on board let alone sailed one of these, but Laurent Giles was a well repected naval architect who designed some good boats. However I would expect her to be a fairly typical cruising yacht of the early 1970's and so under canvassed by todays standards. If she's the more common ketch version she won't be very close winded, but could be fun on a broad reach with a mizzen staysail set. To windward she will be disappointing to those brought up on boats of this millenium.

Peter.

Hi Peter,
Researching the Moody 44 on Laurent Giles Archives, found one note stating the following: "Later a ‘Racing’ version of the sloop was fitted to hull No. 9 Downley."

Further in the article, hull #9 is #534, which happens to be the hull number on the boat I have visited.

Question then becomes, what would a race rigging mean in mid-1970's? How much better performance would be expected.

For this topic, I need to find a discussion site where Bob Perry chimes in with his views. He is old enough to be familiar with this period of sailboat designs.

I shall continue to dig....
Peter

 

[Peter Wright]

Hi Peter,

The sloops will certainly be closer winded than the more common ketches, but still not likely to get as close to the wind as a modern fractional rig with swept back spreaders. A cutter arrangement in the fore friangle is also likely to be less close winded than a single genoa. However, a racing rig then and now, normally entails a taller mast giving more sail area and a higher aspect ratio, both features making a yacht faster, especially in light airs.

I've never met Bob Perry but seem to recall he was the architect behind the successful Cheoy Lee cruising yachts and a quick internet check puts him at 5 years older than me. Despite my youth, I was crewing on racing yachts in the 1960's, mostly rather smaller than the Moody 44 but I did a few trips on a 46 ft. Rebel , so I remember yachts of 1970's vintage very well - it's the more modern ones that mystify me!

Peter