The Little Harbor 44 is an American

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by

Ted Hood Frederick Emmart Hood (May 5, 1927 — June 28, 2013) was an American yachtsman and naval architect. He founded the sailmaker Hood Sails in Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1952. Hood Sails operated until purchased by Quantum Sails in 2017. Hood fou ...

and first built in 1983.

Production

The Little Harbor 44 was produced from 1983-1987 by Little Harbor Custom Yachts in

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends ...

, United States. Little Harbor was owned by the boat's designer, Ted Hood. Fifteen Little Harbor 44s were built. The boats were built for Little Harbor by Alexander Marine Co., Ltd., in

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Design

Overview

The Little Harbor 44 was designed by Ted Hood for his Little Harbor line of yachts. It is a recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open wat ...

, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

, with

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

wood trim. It has a masthead

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

rig with

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

spars The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve, also known as the SPARS (SPARS was the acronym for "Semper Paratus—Always Ready"), was the women's branch of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. It was established by the United States ...

. It features a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a raised counter

reverse transom A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline. The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transvers ...

, a partial

skeg A skeg (or skegg or skag) is a sternward extension of the keel of boats and ships which have a rudder mounted on the centre line. The term also applies to the lowest point on an outboard motor or the outdrive of an inboard/outboard."A small fin f ...

-mounted

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

controlled by a

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...

and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

with retractable

centerboard A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a ''centreboard trunk'' (UK) or ''centerboard case'' (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised t ...

. It displaces and carries of lead

ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...

. The boat has a

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...

of with the centerboard retracted and with it extended.

Construction

The Little Harbor 44 was constructed of fiberglass with an Airex

foam Foams are materials formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or solid. A bath sponge and the head on a glass of beer are examples of foams. In most foams, the volume of gas is large, with thin films of liquid or solid separating the reg ...

core in the hull and Divinycell foam core in the decks. This construction was chosen for improved sound and thermal insulation, rather than reducing weight as is sometimes the justification for cored hulls.

Layout

Four choices of layout were available. However, the design was produced on a semi-custom basis. Of the first ten hulls, no two shared a layout. Aft cockpit models were available with two

heads A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may no ...

(Plan A) or one head (Plan B). Center cockpit models were available with a split aft berth offering a double and a single (Plan A) or a centerline queen berth (Plan B).

Racing

The design has a

PHRF Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...

racing average handicap of 110.

Equipment

Structural

The Little Harbor 44 features a molded one-piece fiberglass

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

and deck with a

gelcoat Gelcoat, also called Gel Coat, is a material used to provide a high-quality finish on the visible surface of a fibre-reinforced composite. The most common gelcoats are thermosetting polymers based on epoxy or unsaturated polyester resin chemistry. ...

finish. The

is two-part, molded with

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...

rudder stock and internal framework. The

is two part, with a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

shoe on the leading edge. The centerboard trunk was molded into the hull, below the cabin sole. Internal

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

ballast was cast in place and covered in fiberglass. Fuel and water tanks were molded in fiberglass integral to the hull. An overlapping deck to hull joint was bolted together and sealed with

epoxy Epoxy is the family of basic components or cured end products of epoxy resins. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. The epoxide functional group is also coll ...

. Stainless steel chain plates were bolted to built-in fiberglass

knees In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

. The mast step is also of stainless steel, and is adjustable. For all structural and divisional bulkheads, marine grade waterproof

plywood Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...

was used.

Mechanical

The engine is a Westerbeke

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

with electric stop and alarm system for engine temperature and oil pressure. There is a solid bronze

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

. Engine controls and instruments are mounted on a molded steering pedestal. The wet exhaust system has a lift to transom discharge. The centerboard hoist system is watertight and has a winch mounted on deck. A stainless steel 17 gallon water heater was equipped. An Edson Steering System with custom stainless steel radial drive steering quadrant was fitted.

Plumbing

All through-hull fittings are equipped with bronze seacocks. There are two manual

bilge pumps A bilge pump is a water pump used to remove bilge water. Since fuel can be present in the bilge, electric bilge pumps are designed to not cause sparks. Electric bilge pumps are often fitted with float switches which turn on the pump when the bilge ...

, as well as an automatic electric bilge pump. There are eight cockpit and deck

scuppers A scupper is an opening in the side walls of a vessel or an open-air structure, which allows water to drain instead of pooling within the bulwark or gunwales of a vessel, or within the curbing or walls of a building. There are two main kinds of s ...

. There is a pressurized water system and manual fresh and salt water pumps in the galley. The galley sink has a macerator pump which also serves the ice box drain. Automatic shower pumps are included, with a flexible shower unit and molded shower pan in each head. The sanitation system includes manual/electric

and a Lectra San Type III marine sanitation device (MSD). Total fuel capacity is approximately 100 gallons in two tanks and total water capacity is approximately 200 gallons in three tanks.

Electrical

The electrical panel is custom built with 12 and 120 volt

circuit breakers A circuit breaker is an electrical safety device designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by an overcurrent or short circuit. Its basic function is to interrupt current flow to protect equipment and to prevent the risk ...

. Two engine alternators provide charging capacity of over 100 amps. Four heavy duty marine batteries are equipped, with a 12 volt 40 amp battery charger. There is a 120 volt 50 amp shore power cable as well. Also fitted are an engine compartment blower; oscillating fans in all cabins; and navigation lights, night vision lights, overhead, and bulkhead lights. All electrical runs are accessible through removable teak panels.

Interior

Solid

joinery is throughout, and there are teak cabin doors and locker doors as well as a teak and holly cabin sole. Laminated teak overhead deck beams are offset by off-white

Formica ''Formica'' is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. ''Formica'' is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae. The type species of genus ''For ...

panels. In solid teak are grab rails, a chart table, the companionway ladder, and the hi-lo dinette table. Teak or Formica are the materials for all bulkheads and cabinetry. Both staterooms feature a double berth filler piece. Fine quality

leatherette Artificial leather, also called synthetic leather, is a material intended to substitute for leather in upholstery, clothing, footwear, and other uses where a leather-like finish is desired but the actual material is cost prohibitive or unsuitab ...

upholstery is throughout. All exposed surfaces have a teak hull liner. Hanging lockers are lined with

camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel ('' Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...

wood. Head compartments are lined with off-white Formica and solid teak trim. There is an insulated, removable engine cover for easy access in the main salon.

Galley

The galley features Formica cabinetry and countertops. There is a deluxe stainless steel three burner stove with oven, broiler, and safety solenoid switch. The stove compartment is lined with stainless steel. There is an insulated, divided ice box with

plexiglass Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) belongs to a group of materials called engineering plastics. It is a transparent thermoplastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and brands Crylux, Plexiglas, Acrylite, ...

shelves. Also fitted is a double stainless steel galley sink, utensil drawers, and a garbage bin. Storage includes three drawers and eleven separate lockers.

Deck

The following fittings are stainless steel: stemhead fitting with anchor roller and mooring

fairleads A fairlead is a device to guide a line, rope or cable around an object, out of the way or to stop it from moving laterally. Typically a fairlead will be a ring or hook. The fairlead may be a separate piece of hardware, or it could be a hole in ...

built in; stern and springline chocks;

stanchions A stanchion () is a sturdy upright fixture that provides support for some other object. It can be a permanent fixture. Types In architecture stanchions are the upright iron bars in windows that pass through the eyes of the saddle bars or horizo ...

and stern/bow pulpits with double

lifelines LifeLines is a Free software, free Open-source software, open-source genealogy software tool to assist family history research. LifeLines primary strengths are its powerful scripting language and the ability to easily import and export informat ...

and gates each side. There are 14 custom opening portholes with stainless steel frames, 7 aluminum deck hatches with tinted plexiglass, a teak-framed

companionway In the architecture of a ship, a companion or companionway is a raised and windowed hatchway in the ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins. A companionway may be secured by doors or, commonly in ...

hatch opening with solid teak drop slides, and a tinted plexiglass companionway hatch slide with a teak frame and bronze runners. A solid teak toe rail, handrails, drip rail, cockpit coaming cups, and seat fiddles are all fitted as well. There are 5 solid teak dorade boxes with plexiglass tops and stainless steel cowl vents. The

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

is a 6-inch Danforth Constellation in a stainless steel

binnacle A binnacle is a waist-high case or stand on the deck of a ship, generally mounted in front of the helmsman, in which navigational instruments are placed for easy and quick reference as well as to protect the delicate instruments. Its traditional p ...

. The reacher and

genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

tracks are stainless steel and include lead blocks.

Winches A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attach ...

are Barient, with Barient 32 self-tailing primary winches featuring stainless steel drums and a Barient 23 self-tailing

mainsheet In sailing, a sheet is a line (rope, Cable-laid, cable or chain) used to control the movable corner(s) (Sail components#Corners, clews) of a sail. Terminology In nautical usage the term "sheet" is applied to a line or chain attached to the low ...

winch, also with a stainless steel drum.

Spars and Rigging

The boat has a double spreader

rig with an

extruded Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex c ...

mast and

boom Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurfi ...

. The standing rigging is wire, and the running rigging includes internal main and genoa

halyards In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist a ladder, sail, flag or yard. The term ''halyard'' comes from the phrase "to haul yards". Halyards, like most other parts of the running rigging, were classically made of n ...

, two genoa

sheets A bed sheet is a rectangular piece of cloth used either singly or in a pair as bedding, which is larger in length and width than a mattress, and which is placed immediately above a mattress or bed, but below blankets and other bedding (such as ...

, a

, a boom

outhaul An outhaul is a control line found on a sailboat. It is an element of the running rigging, used to attach the mainsail Parts of a sail#Corners, clew to the boom (sailing), boom and tensions the Sail components#Edges, foot of the sail. It commonly ...

and topping lift, a four-part

boom vang A boom vang (US) or kicking strap (UK) (often shortened to "vang" or "kicker") is a line or piston system on a sailboat used to exert downward force on the boom and thus control the shape of the sail. The Collins English Dictionary defines it as ...

and preventer, and two flag and burgee halyards. There are also two

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot ...

and genoa halyard winches with cleats. A halyard

sheave A sheave () or pulley wheel is a grooved wheel often used for holding a belt, wire rope, or rope and incorporated into a pulley. The sheave spins on an axle or bearing inside the frame of the pulley. This allows the wire or rope to move fre ...

box is included for a staysail. There are boom vang bales on the mast and the boom. A masthead 360-degree white light is included for anchoring, as well as a combination steaming/flood light. There is a mast collar as well as a rubber mast boot. The mast and boom are painted with Imron.

Operational history

Hull number 1 of six center cockpit versions built was named Robin Too, and was designer and builder

’s personal boat. It is a center cockpit version with the “Plan A” layout.

References

{{Reflist Sailboat types built in Taiwan Keelboats 1980s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by Ted Hood