Explorer 45 MKII
Description
The Explorer 45 Cutter (most commonly known as the C&L Explorer 45 or Explorer 45 (Huntingford)) is a classic bluewater cruising sailboat designed by Stan Huntingford (a Canadian naval architect known for robust, seaworthy designs from the 1970s–1980s). It was built by C&L Marine Corp. in Taiwan from around 1977–1982, with only about 22 hulls produced—making it relatively rare and sought-after among offshore enthusiasts for its heavy-duty construction, comfort, and proven ocean-crossing capability. This is a center-cockpit yacht often rigged as a cutter (with inner forestay for staysail) or staysail ketch (mizzen mast aft with boomed staysail on mainmast), emphasizing balance, short-handed handling, and protection in heavy weather. It's a heavy-displacement, long-keel cruiser (encapsulated ballast) with teak interiors, spacious accommodations (fore cabin, saloon, large aft cabin), and excellent storage/tankage for extended voyages or liveaboard use. Owners praise its solid build (heavily laid-up fiberglass), comfortable motion in big seas, and value as a "budget bluewater" boat—though it's not fast (more displacement than performance-oriented).
Construction Details
| Designer | Stan Huntingford |
|---|---|
| Builder | C&L Marine Corp. (Taiwan) |
| Length | 45.250 ft |
| LOA | 45.250 ft |
| LWL | 34.000 ft |
| Beam | 13.170 ft |
| Displacement | 30000 lb |
| Ballast | 10430 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.670 ft |
| Year Built | 1979 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 52 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 18 ft |
| p | 44 ft |
| e | 14 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 ft | 18 ft | 44 ft | 14 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Explorer 45 MKII - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 44 ft - (13411 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 14 ft - (4267 mm) |
| Leech | * 45.56 ft - (13887 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.02 ° |
| Diagonal | * 45.71 ft - (13932 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 307.68 ft² |
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Explorer 45 MKII - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 44.02 ft - (13417 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 24.17 ft - (7367 mm) |
| Leech | * 37.72 ft - (11497 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 20.7 ft - (6309 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 455.52 ft² |
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Explorer 45 MKII - GENOA
| Luff | * 52.28 ft - (15935 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 29.35 ft - (8946 mm) |
| Leech | * 48.9 ft - (14905 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 705.76 ft² |
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Explorer 45 MKII - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 52.28 ft - (15935 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 32.4 ft - (9876 mm) |
| Foot | * 32.4 ft - (9876 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 1439.79 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.
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