Cal 39 MK I Tall Rig
Description
The Cal 39 MK I Tall Rig is a classic American racer-cruiser sailboat designed by C. William Lapworth. Built by Jensen Marine (Cal Yachts) from 1970 to 1971, the MK I tall rig variant represents a limited subset of the overall ~180 Cal 39 hulls produced through 1978, with ~29 for the MK I overall. It features a fin keel with skeg-hung rudder for responsive handling and tracking, solid hand-laid fiberglass construction for durability, and a taller masthead sloop rig optimized for better light-air performance and upwind pointing compared to the standard rig. Renowned for its balance of speed and comfort, it's suited to coastal racing, family overnights, or short passages, with a reputation for seaworthiness in 15–25 knots.
Construction Details
| Designer | C. William Lapworth |
|---|---|
| Builder | Jensen Marine (USA) |
| Length | 38.670 ft |
| LOA | 38.670 ft |
| LWL | 31.250 ft |
| Beam | 11.670 ft |
| Displacement | 15000 lb |
| Ballast | 5000 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.500 ft |
| Year Built | 197 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 54 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 17 ft |
| p | 45.75 ft |
| e | 15 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 ft | 17 ft | 45.75 ft | 15 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Cal 39 MK I Tall Rig - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 45.75 ft - (13945 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Leech | * 47.38 ft - (14441 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 47.65 ft - (14524 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 352.92 ft² |
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Cal 39 MK I Tall Rig - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 48 ft - (14630 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 21.42 ft - (6529 mm) |
| Leech | 42 ft - (12802 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 110.12 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 18.72 ft - (5706 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.59 ° |
| Area | * 449.36 ft² |
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Cal 39 MK I Tall Rig - GENOA
| Luff | * 53.78 ft - (16392 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 27.4 ft - (8352 mm) |
| Leech | * 50.64 ft - (15435 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 25.5 ft - (7772 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.99 ° |
| Area | * 685.67 ft² |
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Cal 39 MK I Tall Rig - GENOA
| Luff | 52.5 ft - (16002 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 24.75 ft - (7544 mm) |
| Leech | 49.25 ft - (15011 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 135.65 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 23.06 ft - (7029 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.81 ° |
| Area | * 605.38 ft² |
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Cal 39 MK I Tall Rig - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 55 ft - (16764 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 29 ft - (8839 mm) |
| Leech | 52 ft - (15850 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1196 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.