Peterson Cutters - Comparison and Love for All Types

Peterson vs Formosa Comparison

I've been following the older posts on the Peterson website where you'll find photos and additional information. It seems you're part of a debate that predates my involvement with the board.

I own an F46 and am pleased with it, having not found substantial quality issues with construction. The construction compares to other boats of the same vintage. Are the interiors as nice as, say, a Hans Christian 42? No. The 44/46 seems to be a nice compromise between a heavy, bulky cruiser and much lighter, faster but less comfortable boats. She points better than the Garden designs that were and are still popular for some.

I've seen other Formosas (though I'm no expert) and helped a friend redo his Formosa 35 Garden design. Those Formosa models (35, 41, 51) all seemed to have similar construction problems in oddly similar areas, suggesting some issues might be design problems combined with construction problems. Others suggest merely construction issues, and I have no definitive answer.

My boat had the teak decks removed, and the person who did it did a nice job with the decks afterward. I've seen similar problems on many "well-made" boats over 20 years old, so I'm not sure you can criticize the design or construction of the 44/46 for that reason.

Some have complained about weather helm on the boat, but having previously owned a Westsail 32, I haven't noticed it being much of a problem. There's a site about a boat called Redwings and their sail across the Atlantic with discussion of both the refit and sailing characteristics of the F46. Jeff on this board and others are good sources of information, more so than the Westsail group I belonged to years ago. One thing missing, however, is that the Westsail group has someone who worked on Westsails years ago in their yard and is a source of replacement parts and construction information.

What Attracted Me to These Boats

One positive that attracted me to these boats (besides several being in my price range when looking at smaller boats) was the comparison to my Westsail 32 experience. After sailing a Westsail 32 for years (which I liked but disliked its poor pointing ability), I noticed something interesting:

• The F46's boom was close to the length of the Westsail 32
• The mast is much taller
• With the Westsail, I often sailed with a large 155 genoa solo, and it was difficult to handle in stronger winds

Though the F46 has a much larger sail area, it's oddly easier to sail than my old Westsail. This is partly because the winches are properly sized for the rig, and one can position oneself to more easily winch in larger sails like the 150 Genoa I currently have. My wife couldn't handle many of the headsails on the Westsail nor roll in the headsail on the W32. She can handle the winch on the F46 and can roll in the headsail as well, despite her small stature.

Also, comparing boats of similar lengths, they tend to have wider beams, taller rigs (or some are cutter-ketches, which I prefer), higher freeboards—just larger than the F46. I tell people it's a "small big boat" if you get my meaning. Initially, I wasn't interested because I thought it too big to sail alone, which I often do. So far, I've had no problem sailing or docking the boat, though I haven't been in a 40-50 knot blow yet. The center cockpit is also nice as it gives the feeling of sailing a smaller boat since you're not looking at 46 feet of boat from an aft cockpit.

F46 vs Peterson 44 Comparisons

I'm told the F46 is a foot or so longer than the 44, though others disagree. The F46 has a pilot berth in the companionway going aft that could be the most comfortable sea berth on the boat, though with no standing headroom. The Peterson 44 has storage there, which I can't criticize as there's never enough storage on most boats for extended cruising.

I think these designs are an interesting compromise between:

• Fin keel types (that sail fast, point well, and are lighter)
• Heavy, beamy full-keel boats that don't point well but are very comfortable

They're all old boats and, like old houses, need work. Regarding which is better constructed, I can't say definitively, as I've read reports of similar construction and maintenance issues for both types. The general feeling is that the F46 is more poorly constructed, but I'm not certain about that. It appears that, as with many early boat productions, they worked out issues as they went along.

I like the F46 because of the option of using the pilot berth, as I find the main cabin on both boats a bit narrow since it's not on the widest part of the boat, unlike most center cockpit boats. That's one of the compromises. The starboard berth in the main cabin is narrow for anyone other than a smaller person, which I am not. The V-berth is very narrow (even the Westsail 32 had a much wider V-berth), but it's beautiful to see the fine entry of the bow when the boat is out of the water, explaining why she points and sails well. Coming from what some might call a "tub" to this boat was pleasant, and I think if you're used to sailing a lighter, faster boat, these might surprise you as they're rather nimble for their size and weight.

Construction Observations

Some negatives I noticed before getting the boat:

• Embedded chain plates (glassed in, thus no way to inspect and pain to replace)
• The 44 seems not to have an embedded aft chain plate

I didn't like the forestay connection to the hull on either design, though I haven't seen many reports of failures on either the Peterson 44 or F46. There are pictures and narratives of some issues. Most boats their size have massive chain plates bent around the bow top then down about 6-10 inches with heavy bolts through the chain plates to the hull. The 44 seems to have one long bolt aft of the furthest point on the bow that's glassed in (pictures on the site). It just didn't seem substantial enough to me.

The F46 has a massive deck plate with about 8 bolts through the deck with washers and nuts. There are port and starboard bolts through the gunnels with nuts and washers to fix them to the hull. This appears to ensure the deck plate is directly attached to the hull and not just the deck. Call me cautious, but that didn't work for me given the rig size and boat weight. My deck plate had NO BACKING PLATE under it, just washers and nuts pressed deeply into the glass below. It seemed the deck would take more load than the hull, where the load should be in my opinion.

So I had a stainless backing plate constructed underneath the deck plate with a pad eye. The deck plate then had a mirror backing plate below the decks for the first time. I also added an exterior bow plate that wrapped around the bow with a pad eye inboard, then used a turnbuckle and wire to tension the deck plate to the hull, directing energy to the exterior hull in addition to the existing attachments. May be overkill, but I think it was a good idea. I read one report of F46 deck/hull separation due to the design, but only one such story.

Some have reinforced the baby stay; I haven't. I don't believe additional support is needed there as I don't see that area taking as much energy. Mine seems fine with no issues. If a fix is needed, it's relatively simple.

This was longer than expected, but others on the board were very kind in answering my sometimes silly questions about the design before I got the F46 I now own. Now finding time to enjoy it more is the challenge.

Clarification on Boat Models

Hi all,

It seems this subject comes up on this group every few years—which boat is which. Here's the short version:

Jack Kelly hired Doug Peterson to design a vessel that fit certain parameters. This became the Peterson 44, and construction began in Taiwan in the mid-70s. They eventually built 200 boats, some of which went into the charter trade, while individuals purchased the rest for personal enjoyment.

Jack Kelly and Doug Peterson later decided to modernize the boat and created the Kelly-Peterson 46—essentially the same hull with some extension and tweaking and considerable interior redesign. During this period, their office was burglarized and line drawings disappeared. Later, another yard started making boats from a mold essentially identical to the Kelly-Peterson, but not of their creation. The plans for those vessels came from stolen material—certainly not a new occurrence in the region.

Jack Kelly (since passed away) and designer Doug Peterson publicly disputed any connection whatsoever to the Formosa 46 or the Spindrift 46. They even went so far as to burn molds in Taiwan to ensure their designs didn't go to others intending to make copies.

That said, disregarding the origin of the knock-offs, there are undoubtedly some well-made boats of this exceptional design that have served their owners well and will continue to do so. Most comparison comments have nothing to do with sailing ability or seaworthiness—they're more about quality control, pricing, and details.

We own the last P-44 built (#299) and love her; she takes super care of us. We still admire well-maintained Formosa and Spindrift 46's and, of course, the KP's. The devil is always in the details... they can all be super cruising boats.

Construction Quality Perspective

Hi Clifford,

I've been on quite a few KP44s and feel qualified to comment on construction. Basically, they have strongly built, solid fiberglass hulls. By today's standards, they're overbuilt—construction methods and materials have advanced in the 30+ years since my boat was new. How they've been maintained since then creates the differences we see today.

I bought a boat that had basically been left to rot—with no protective coatings on the bulkheads and after 25+ years in Hawaii, I could vacuum plywood veneers away from the bulkheads. There were many delaminated bulkhead-to-hull joints. I mention this because I sailed that boat, in that condition, from Hawaii to New Zealand—it stayed in one (leaking) piece because of the underlying construction strength. Other KP44s I've been on look as they did coming out of the factory and are a credit to the builders and subsequent owners.

I've only been on one F46, and it was a poor example, resembling my boat regarding lack of maintenance and overall condition. No doubt there are far better examples around.

I believe you won't find a "Peterson" owner (KP44, KP46, F46, Spindrift 46, etc.) who isn't impressed with the design. You will find boats across the maintenance spectrum. The trick is determining where you're comfortable along that range and then looking for boats that suit your plan.

This group is a hugely useful resource. Before buying my boat, I read all the old posts (2-300 per night—better than TV!), and once I'd done that, I felt I had a handle on all the relevant issues. Everyone has different opinions, but they're all worthwhile.