Downeaster 45 Schooner
Description
The Downeaster 45 Schooner is a rare variant of the Downeaster 45, a heavy displacement blue water cruising sailboat designed by Bob Poole and built by Down East Yachts in Santa Ana, California, from 1976 to 1981. While the standard Downeaster 45 was primarily offered as a ketch or cutter, the schooner rig was a custom option, with fewer than 10 units (out of an estimated 50–90 total 45s) built, making it one of the rarest configurations in the Downeaster lineup. Inspired by classic Maine pinky schooners, it combines traditional Down East aesthetics—clipper bow, tumblehome aft, and full-keel stability—with a schooner’s distinctive two-mast rig for balanced sail handling and visual elegance.
Construction Details
| Designer | Bob Poole |
|---|---|
| Builder | Down East Yachts |
| Length | 45.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 38 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 18.80 ft |
| p | 45 ft |
| e | 16 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 ft | 18.80 ft | 45 ft | 16 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 45 ft - (13716 mm) |
| Foot | * 16 ft - (4877 mm) |
| Leech | * 47.06 ft - (14344 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 47.23 ft - (14396 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 359.62 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 33.92 ft - (10339 mm) |
| Foot | * 27.56 ft - (8400 mm) |
| Leech | * 27.4 ft - (8352 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.62 ft - (6590 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 366.7 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 40.28 ft - (12277 mm) |
| Foot | * 32.67 ft - (9958 mm) |
| Leech | * 36.89 ft - (11244 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 28.2 ft - (8595 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 567.94 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 40.28 ft - (12277 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 33.84 ft - (10314 mm) |
| Foot | * 33.84 ft - (10314 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 1158.61 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.