Dix 43
Description
The Dix 43 (also known as the Dix 43 Pilot) is a robust, blue water cruising sailboat designed by South African naval architect Dudley Dix in the early 1990s, optimized for long-range passages in diverse conditions, from high latitudes (e.g., Arctic/Antarctic expeditions) to tropical waters. It's a pilothouse cutter-rigged design emphasizing safety, comfort, and short-handed handling for liveaboard couples or small families (2-4 people), with a focus on seaworthiness over outright speed. The moderate hull form balances performance and stability, making it suitable for coastal cruising, extended offshore voyages, or circumnavigations. Available in steel or aluminum construction for amateur or professional builders, it offers low maintenance and customization potential, with a proven track record—several examples have completed polar expeditions and global cruises. As of October 2025, used boats are available (e.g., a 2004 aluminum model listed at $339,000 USD in Seattle), and plans remain popular for DIY projects, often praised as a "sensible, balanced" cruiser compared to production boats like the Amel 50.
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 54.79 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 18.13 ft |
| p | 49.67 ft |
| e | 15.58 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54.79 ft | 18.13 ft | 49.67 ft | 15.58 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 49.67 ft - (15139 mm) |
| Foot | * 15.58 ft - (4749 mm) |
| Leech | * 51.26 ft - (15624 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 51.53 ft - (15706 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 397.5 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 51 ft - (15545 mm) |
| Foot | 26.25 ft - (8001 mm) |
| Leech | 36 ft - (10973 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.52 ft - (5340 mm) |
| Area | * 446.7 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 54.82 ft - (16709 mm) |
| Foot | * 29.39 ft - (8958 mm) |
| Leech | * 51.44 ft - (15679 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150.01 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 27.19 ft - (8288 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | * 745.31 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 57 ft - (17374 mm) |
| Foot | 33 ft - (10058 mm) |
| Leech | 53 ft - (16154 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1411 ft² |
| Sail Type | YANKEE |
|---|---|
| Luff | 52 ft - (15850 mm) |
| Foot | 25.5 ft - (7772 mm) |
| Leech | 37.25 ft - (11354 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 94.39 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.11 ft - (5215 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 29.56 ° |
| Area | * 444.78 ft² |
| Sail Type | STAYSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 36.5 ft - (11125 mm) |
| Foot | 12 ft - (3658 mm) |
| Leech | 32.67 ft - (9958 mm) |
| Area | * 193.67 ft² |
| Sail Type | STORMJIB |
|---|---|
| Luff | 28 ft - (8534 mm) |
| Foot | 13.83 ft - (4215 mm) |
| Leech | 22 ft - (6706 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 57.78 % |
| Length Perp | * 10.69 ft - (3258 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 20.46 ° |
| Area | * 149.68 ft² |
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.