Sadler Barracuda 45
Description
The Sadler Barracuda 45 (also known as the Barracuda 45 or sometimes referenced as Barracuda 46 in early concepts) is an innovative, high-performance cruising/racing sailboat designed by Tony Castro and built by Sadler Yachts (UK) from 1986 to 1989; production was limited to approximately 19 units (some sources cite around 18–19 hulls, with one prototype and a small series run before Sadler went into receivership in 1988), making it a rare and collectible classic today. It gained fame as the boat featured in the British TV series Howards Way (as "Barracuda of Tarrant"), and its design emphasized speed, particularly off the wind, with features like a double-skinned foam-filled hull for claimed "unsinkability" (though real-world performance varied), a hydraulically operated lifting keel (on originals; many later converted to fixed wing or bulb keels), twin rudders for better control and shallow draft when lifted, fractional sloop rig, ultralight displacement for planing-like performance in strong winds, and a layout suited to short-handed sailing—praised for being lightning-fast downwind and responsive, but criticized by some for fragmented interior (due to the large keel box), potential weight overruns in production models, and mixed reliability in heavy weather or long-term use.
Construction Details
| Designer | Tony Castro |
|---|---|
| Builder | Sadler Yachts (UK) |
| Length | 45.000 ft |
| LOA | 45.000 ft |
| LWL | 2.000 ft |
| Beam | 12.500 ft |
| Displacement | 16000 lb |
| Ballast | 5000 lb |
| Max Draft | 8.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 3.500 ft |
| Year Built | 1986 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 46.49 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 15.26 ft |
| p | 48.69 ft |
| e | 19 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.49 ft | 15.26 ft | 48.69 ft | 19 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Sadler Barracuda 45 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 48.69 ft - (14841 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 19 ft - (5791 mm) |
| Leech | * 51.46 ft - (15685 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.99 ° |
| Diagonal | * 51.64 ft - (15740 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 462.08 ft² |
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Sadler Barracuda 45 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 39.14 ft - (11930 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.3 ft - (6187 mm) |
| Leech | * 33.84 ft - (10314 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.55 ft - (5349 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 343.42 ft² |
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Sadler Barracuda 45 - GENOA
| Luff | * 46.48 ft - (14167 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 24.72 ft - (7535 mm) |
| Leech | * 43.64 ft - (13301 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 22.89 ft - (6977 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 532.03 ft² |
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Sadler Barracuda 45 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 46.48 ft - (14167 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 27.47 ft - (8373 mm) |
| Foot | * 27.47 ft - (8373 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 1085.28 ft² |
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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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