The Cal 39 Mark II replaced the Cal 39 in the company product line and was in turn replaced by the derivative variant Cal 39 Mark III in 1983. The Mark III design was than replaced by the clean sheet Cal 39 (Hunt/O'Day) design in 1988.[1][3][5][6]
The design has sleeping accommodation for six people. There is a bow cabin with a double "V"-berth, an aft double cabin on the port side and two settee berths in the main cabin. The galley is located to the starboard side, at the foot of the companionway steps and includes a three-burner, alcohol-fired stove and an oven, as well as an 8 cu ft (0.23 m3) icebox. The main cabin has a folding dining table. There is a head on the port side, aft of the bow cabin and a second one was factory option, in place of the navigation table, aft on the port side. Pressurized hot and cold water is provided.[4]
Ventilation and light includes eight opening ports along with the four fixed ones, deadlights over the head and passageway and a dorade vent over the galley, plus two translucent hatches, over the bow cabin and the main cabin.[4]
This model was introduced in 1978 and produced until 1982. It has a cutter rig, a length overall of 39.00 ft (11.9 m), a waterline length of 32.08 ft (9.8 m), a beam of 12.00 ft (3.7 m), displaces 17,000 lb (7,711 kg) and carries 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) of lead ballast. The boat has a draft of 6.67 ft (2.03 m) with the standard keel and 5.50 ft (1.68 m) with the optional shoal draft keel. A tall rig was also available. The boat is fitted with a British Perkins Engines 4108 diesel engine of 50 hp (37 kW) or a Volkswagen Pathfinder diesel, for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds 50 U.S. gallons (190 L; 42 imp gal) and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 90 U.S. gallons (340 L; 75 imp gal). The boat has a PHRF racing average handicap of 114 with the standard rig, or 106 with the tall rig. The Portsmouth Yardstick racing average is 75.4 with the standard rig.[1][4]
Mark III
This improved model was introduced in 1983 and produced until 1986. It has a masthead sloop rig, a length overall of 39.00 ft (11.9 m), a waterline length of 32.08 ft (9.8 m), a beam of 12.00 ft (3.7 m), displaces 19,000 lb (8,618 kg) and carries 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) of lead ballast. The boat has a draft of 6.75 ft (2.06 m) with the standard keel and 5.50 ft (1.68 m) with the optional shoal draft keel. A tall rig was also available. The boat is fitted with a Universal or Pathfinder diesel engine of 44 hp (33 kW). The fuel tank holds 43 U.S. gallons (160 L; 36 imp gal) and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 125 U.S. gallons (470 L; 104 imp gal).[1]
Operational history
In a 1994 review of the Mark II, Richard Sherwood wrote, "a Lapworth design, this Cal has a long water line, aft-extending rudder, and a substantial sailplan. In addition to the two rigs offered, a shoal-draft keel is available. The fastest boat incorporates the tall rig and the deep keel, with a PHRF of about 106."[4]
A report in Boats.com from 2003 stated, "both the Cal 39, built by Jensen Marine of Costa Mesa, California, and the Cal 39 MK III, built by Bangor Punta in Fall River, Massachusetts, are jewels in the tradition of most Bill Lapworth designs. Built between 1978 and 1986, they are true racer/cruisers sailors' boats with high performance on all points of sail, but with cruising accommodations that make them ideal boats to retrofit for offshore passagemaking."[7]
A 2008 review by John Kretschmer in Sailing Magazine described the Mark II as, "an ideal boat to consider for long-range cruising". He wrote, "launched in 1978, the Cal 39 was built during the hectic period when Cal's manufacturing shifted to Tampa, Florida, and then up to Fall River, Massachusetts, as the company struggled to re-establish its identity. Still, when all the glass cures, it is really the design that carries the day, and in typical fashion Lapworth was ahead of the curve with the 39. It was a genuine performance cruiser before there really was such an animal, and as such, the design not only seems less dated than others from this period, it is still highly desirable as a capable and affordable cruiser."[9]
^McArthur, Bruce (2020). "C. William Lapworth". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
^ abMcArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cal 39 Mk III sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
^ abcdefghSherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 330-331. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN0-395-65239-1
^McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cal 39 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
