Cal 39

Cal 39

Class symbol
Development
Designer	C. William Lapworth
Location	United States
Year	1970
No. built	29
Builder(s)	Jensen Marine/Cal Yachts
Role	Racer-Cruiser
Name	Cal 39
Boat
Displacement	14,600 lb (6,622 kg)
Draft	6.00 ft (1.83 m)
Hull
Type	Monohull
Construction	Fiberglass
LOA	38.69 ft (11.79 m)
LWL	31.25 ft (9.53 m)
Beam	11.67 ft (3.56 m)
Engine type	Perkins Engines 4108 diesel engine
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	fin keel
Ballast	6,600 lb (2,994 kg)
Rudder(s)	skeg-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	50.00 ft (15.24 m)
J foretriangle base	17.00 ft (5.18 m)
P mainsail luff	41.75 ft (12.73 m)
E mainsail foot	15.00 ft (4.57 m)
Sails
Sailplan	Masthead sloop
Mainsail area	313.13 sq ft (29.091 m^2)
Jib/genoa area	425.00 sq ft (39.484 m^2)
Total sail area	738.13 sq ft (68.575 m^2)
Cal 39 Mark II →

The Cal 39 is an American sailboat that was designed by C. William Lapworth as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1970. The boat was introduced just before the adoption of the International Offshore Rule (IOR) for racing and, as a consequence of not meeting that rule, saw low sales numbers. It was not in production long and was replaced by the Cal 39 Mark II.^[1][2][3][4]

Production

The design was built by Jensen Marine/Cal Yachts (Bangor Punta) in the United States. The company built 29 examples of the type starting in 1970 and ending in 1971, but it is now out of production.^[1][5]

Production of the design was cut short when first year sales did not match expectations, due to the boat not fitting the newly adopted IOR racing rules. It was replaced in the product line by the newly designed Cal 39 Mark II in 1978. The Mark II was later supplanted by the Cal 39 Mark III in 1983 and then the Cal 39 (Hunt/O'Day) in 1988. All four designs were sold as "Cal 39s".^[1][4][6][7]

Design

The Cal 39 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a raked stem, a slightly raised counter reverse transom, a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a wheel and a fixed fin keel. It displaces 14,600 lb (6,622 kg) and carries 6,600 lb (2,994 kg) of lead ballast. A tall rig was available, with a mast about 4 ft (1.2 m) higher.^[1]

The boat has a draft of 6.00 ft (1.83 m) with the standard keel and 6.50 ft (1.98 m) with the optional deep draft keel.^[1]

The boat is fitted with a British Perkins Engines 4108 diesel engine for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds 35 U.S. gallons (130 L; 29 imp gal) and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 64 U.S. gallons (240 L; 53 imp gal).^[1]

See also

• List of sailing boat types

Similar sailboats

• Baltic 40
• Corbin 39
• Freedom 39
• Freedom 39 PH
• Islander 40
• Nautical 39
• Nordic 40

References

1. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cal 39 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
2. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "C. William Lapworth". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
3. Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 330-331. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN 0-395-65239-1
4. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cal 39 Mk II sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
5. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Jensen Marine/Cal Boats". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
6. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cal 39 Mk III sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
7. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cal 39 (Hunt/O'Day) sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.