Review of Cape North 43

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. A hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The boat is equipped with 2 cabins, a galley, 681 liters (179 US gallons, 149 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

The Cape North 43 is built with a ketch rig. A ketch rig is generally considered easier to handle, because the sails are smaller, and because it can sail on most points to the wind with one sail completely taken down for repair or while reefing. The sail configuration of a ketch allows for better comfort and stability when sailing downwind or on a broad reach.

Fin keel

The Cape North 43 is built with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.67 - 0.77 meter (2.20 - 2.50 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 341 liters (90 US gallons, 75 imperial gallons).

The Cape North 43 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

Cape North 43 may be equipped with an inboard Universal M50B diesel engine

Alternative 2:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Perkins M 4.10 diesel engine at 50 hp (37 kW). Calculated max speed is about 5.6 knots

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Cape North 43 is 1.59, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Cape North 43 is about 275 kg/cm, alternatively 1543 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 275 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1543 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Cape North 43 is 35.5 - 44.1.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 96% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly above average.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Cape North 43 is 3.34.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 50% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen an average hull design.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Cape North 43 is 45%.

This ballast ratio is higher than 82% of all similar sailboat designs. Since the ballast ratio and the righting moment (i.e. better ability to resist heeling) is strongly correlated, a ballast ratio significantly above average indicates a very high ability to resist heeling.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Cape North 43 is 284 which categorizes this boat among 'heavy cruisers'.

38% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A heavy displacement combined with smaller water plane area has lower acceleration and is more comfortable.

The Cape North 43 has more rig than 18% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly underrigged.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 46m² (495 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Dimensions of sail for ketch rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Cape North 43 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.