The Cal 39 is an American sailboat that was designed by C. William Lapworth as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1970. The boat was introduced just before the adoption of the International Offshore Rule (IOR) for racing and, as a consequence of not meeting that rule, saw low sales numbers. It was not in production long and was replaced by the Cal 39 Mark II.[1][2][3][4]
Production of the design was cut short when first year sales did not match expectations, due to the boat not fitting the newly adopted IOR racing rules. It was replaced in the product line by the newly designed Cal 39 Mark II in 1978. The Mark II was later supplanted by the Cal 39 Mark III in 1983 and then the Cal 39 (Hunt/O'Day) in 1988. All four designs were sold as "Cal 39s".[1][4][6][7]
Design
The Cal 39 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a raked stem, a slightly raised counter reverse transom, a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a wheel and a fixed fin keel. It displaces 14,600 lb (6,622 kg) and carries 6,600 lb (2,994 kg) of lead ballast. A tall rig was available, with a mast about 4 ft (1.2 m) higher.[1]
The boat has a draft of 6.00 ft (1.83 m) with the standard keel and 6.50 ft (1.98 m) with the optional deep draft keel.[1]
The boat is fitted with a British Perkins Engines 4108 diesel engine for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds 35 U.S. gallons (130 L; 29 imp gal) and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 64 U.S. gallons (240 L; 53 imp gal).[1]
