1968 Custom Built 43 For Sale

This vessel truly is a piece of sailing history. Custom built in 1968 from a design by George Cuthbertson, partner with George Cassian in Cuthbertson and Cassian, LTD, soon to be C&C Yachts in 1969. This vessel can be seen as the prototype for boats to come soon after.

She was built for a Canadian sailing club. Under the IRC racing rules to which she was designed, a boat could only have a 30ft waterline, which she just fits into allowing her to race against smaller boats. However, when heeled over under full sail, this speedster dips almost all of her 43ft of length into the water, giving her a much longer waterline and a hull speed of 7-8kts. The generous aft cutaway not only kept her legal, but also made her a jewel in following seas, allowing her to surf down the front side of waves and achieve even greater speed without getting swamped from behind.

Control for this vessel comes through a large wheel at the aft of the cockpit. Navigation is via a Raymarine GPS/Plotter. The mount and wiring for a radar dome are attached to the mast but that dome developed a crack and leak and has not been replaced. Course holding is provided by a Hydrovane system.

The keel design of this boat is fairly unique. If you could flip her upside down she'd almost look like a dolphin. The keel is of a full design that ends just past midship where the reversing prop exits in front of a large rudder. The seller has the original drawings and sail plan.

The cockpit of this vessel provides room for the skipper and several guests, complete with a dinette table for serving cocktails or lunch topside. Down below is a huge galley, saloon with two couches which convert to mid-berths, one L-shaped, and a fold-away dinette. Forward of the saloon is the head and the master stateroom. The head features a propane-fueled on-demand water heater for the shower, a sink, and a manual flush toilet. A quarter berth is at the aft of the cabin opposite the galley and behind the nav station. The flooring throughout the cabin is varnished full thickness teak and holly (not veneer) over aluminum floor supports. The floors are in amazing condition and the seller keeps them that way by keeping them covered with vinyl flooring material. There is a watermaker installed in the vessel.

The construction of this vessel is 100% welded aluminum, approximately 1/4" thick for the hull, with aluminum stringers throughout. The entire deck is aluminum with all standing rigging hardware welded to the deck. The hull is coated with a faring coating to protect it from corrosion. The full bottom paint is approximately 2 years old with white topside paint and cream colored non-skid paint.

The engine in this boat is a 45 horsepower Perkins 4.108. This engine recently replaced the original and came out of a British tank where it was used as a starting motor. As a result, while the hours are unknown, they are low.

This vessel survived Hurricane Ian unscathed. She's at the dock ready to sail.

Tender included.

This vessel is in good condition for its age. As would be expected for such a yacht, there are always little projects to be done, but all of the big stuff is in good shape. The age of the sails is unknown but a local sailmaker inspected them recently and gave them a clean bill of health. The standing rigging is also of unknown age but is tight and shows no signs of deterioration or corrosion. Running rigging is of mixed age and has been replaced as necessary.