A CHEAP Bluewater Cruiser Built in Taiwan? Ep 289 - Lady K Sailing

A CHEAP Bluewater Cruiser Built in Taiwan? Ep 289 – Lady K Sailing

I was doing a scan of the boat market today like I do almost every day and something really jumped out at me. The demand for oceangoing vessels seems to be increasing, but with a market full of options, it can be hard to single out a boat to cross the ocean on. And then boom, the Mason 44 showed up.

If you want to cross an ocean but don’t have $300 Grand, your search for a boat will likely find you looking at Taiwan boats, Robert Perry designs with heavy Keels and super thick glass work and all that really awesome joinery inside that Taiwan’s famous for. And while they’ll certainly get the job done, you could get it done on something truly beautiful like a Hinkley for way less than Hinkley money.

A company called Pacific Asian Enterprises had the goal of getting some new boats built for American customers, taking advantage of Cheaper labor rates in Asia. Now I say cheaper labor, but that doesn’t mean worse. In the 60s and 70s, the world was a different place. Life in Taiwan was a lot cheaper, people didn’t make as much and stuff wasn’t very expensive. The workers did amazing Woodwork and made fiberglass hulls better than just about anywhere else in the world. It was just way cheaper if you could hire them to do the work for you and then ship the product back to America.

So, if you could figure out the shipping and the language barrier, a couple of Americans said, let’s get some boats made in Asia and sell them here. So they created the company called Pacific Asian Enterprises and called up Al Mason.

The Birth of the Al Mason Design

Al Mason was chosen as the naval architect of pae’s first project. Al was a natural choice for a lot of different reasons. First, his designs were famously beautiful. They were rugged and seaworthy, and several boats of his design had already been sold by pae through their brokerage. Furthermore, Al Mason had worked for John Alden and Carl alberg in his earlier years. There was a DNA connection in the design style and beauty to the lovely Malibar.

The first pae Mason design was a 43t sailboat that he had drawn with the completed design in hand. The search began for the right Taiwan builder.

Partnering with Tashing Yacht Building

Through introductions and some serendipity, some hard work by a young man at pae, he learned of Tashing yacht building. Tashing means big new in Chinese and was founded in 1976. The company was just completing their state-of-the-art Factory when the Mason 43 project was introduced to them.

Their founder and first president of Tashing, Mr CM Juan, had a simple mission statement: to be the best. No expense was spared on the new facility or equipment, nor the staff over in Taiwan.

SUCCESS OF MASON 43

But two things were missing. They needed a good design and an American partner to help sell the boats. Pae, with their Mason 43 project, came along at the perfect moment.

The Mason 43 was an immediate success followed by a 63, 53, and a 33. Pae’s last sailboat order included a Mason 44 taken in 1997, after which all the Mason molds were destroyed.

Of the hundreds of Masons sold, most of those are still being used by their faithful owners today, testifying to the Timeless ocean-crossing durability and class of Yachts that were manufactured by pae in Tashing.

Mason 44 Features

The 44 was just an extension of the 43 but had a few design enhancements. Changes included modifying the rudder, lowering the cabin two inches, increasing tank capacity, and more.

I found this Mason 44 for sale, which led me down this path, and it’s still for sale right now.

Mason 44 Construction Details

The Masons are heavily built with solid fiberglass Hsa cord decks. There are eight longitudinal foam fiberglass stringers for added stiffness. Bulkheads are 3/4-inch Mahogany plywood bonded to the hull with foam in between.

The deck joint on the older boat was originally through bolted and cocked, reinforced with stainless steel flat stock. Later, they dropped it, in part to save $600 lb of weight.

Fiberglass work is generally very good on these boats, with areas inside lockers and underneath things finished with a smooth clean surface.

Performance at Sea

Serious underway, the Mason 43 and 44 are exceptional seakindly. One owner recounted spending a night 60 miles offshore in the remnants of a hurricane with wave heights averaging 15 ft. They made progress at four to five knots under double-reefed main sail until he was too tired to stay on watch.

The Mason 44 is probably the prettiest boat that I’ve ever seen wrote one owner, she has sweet lines and a Perfect Shear.

Interior Comfort and Quality

The interiors of the Mason boats are exquisite, according to many owners. Some minor issues include leaky teak catches and a good sail locker on the 43 despite its voluminous stowage areas. A positive latch is recommended for securing cabin solar panels in the event of a knockdown.

Engine and Tank Locations

The Perkins 4108 or Yanmar engines are located under the cabin sole, with owners reporting high satisfaction. However, a surprise flooding or high-water event in the bilge could immerse the engine. A float switch for the bilge pump is now standard on the boats.

Fuel tanks are painted steel, and water tanks are stainless. On one 1988 Mason 44, the owner said her freshwater capacity of 205 gallons was more than enough.

Mason Boats for Sale

East Coast Yacht Sales has listed their one for $145,000, which is a bit steep for an older boat without a sugar scoop but already has crossed oceans safely and comfortably. So there’s that.

If you could get it for, say, 120 Grand, would she be worth it?

Conclusion

The mission here at Lady K Sailing is always been to get more people sailing more easily, and certainly couldn’t do it without you. A big shout out to the patrons making that possible.

Until next time, friends, keep the heavy side down but not too far down. We’ll see you.