Kelley Peterson 44
Description
The Peterson 44, more commonly known as the Kelly-Peterson 44 (KP44), is a legendary bluewater cruising sailboat designed by renowned naval architect Doug Peterson in 1976. Conceived by yacht broker Jack Kelly to bridge the gap between performance racing and serious offshore voyaging, it was built by Yu Ching Marine (under Jack Kelly Yachts) in Taiwan from 1976 to 1983, with approximately 200 hulls produced—making it one of Peterson's most enduring designs. The standard configuration is a center-cockpit cutter rig, prized for its balanced sail plan, heavy-displacement stability, and "quick and comfy" motion in heavy seas, as noted in Cruising World reviews. An optional ketch rig divides the sail area for easier short-handed handling and better balance under reduced canvas. At 44 feet, it's a go-anywhere cruiser for couples or small families, with a spacious teak-interior layout including a walkthrough aft cabin, U-galley, nav station, V-berth forward, and berths for 6–7. Proven in circumnavigations and Southern Ocean passages.
Construction Details
| Designer | Doug Peterson |
|---|---|
| Builder | Yu Ching Marine |
| Length | 43.833 ft |
| LOA | 43.833 ft |
| LWL | 38.667 ft |
| Beam | 12.917 ft |
| Displacement | 30000 lb |
| Ballast | 10000 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.330 ft |
| Year Built | 1976 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 52 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 17.50 ft |
| p | 46 ft |
| e | 13.50 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 ft | 17.50 ft | 46 ft | 13.50 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Kelley Peterson 44 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 46 ft - (14021 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
| Leech | * 47.35 ft - (14432 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.02 ° |
| Diagonal | * 47.49 ft - (14475 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 310.18 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Kelley Peterson 44 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 43.89 ft - (13378 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 23.38 ft - (7126 mm) |
| Leech | * 37.79 ft - (11518 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 20.13 ft - (6136 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 441.6 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Kelley Peterson 44 - GENOA
| Luff | * 52.12 ft - (15886 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 28.43 ft - (8665 mm) |
| Leech | * 48.85 ft - (14889 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 26.25 ft - (8001 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 684.04 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Kelley Peterson 44 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 52.12 ft - (15886 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 31.5 ft - (9601 mm) |
| Foot | * 31.5 ft - (9601 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 1395.51 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.