formosa sailboat

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The Formosa 42 Sailboat (aka the Slocum 43) Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The Formosa 42 is a classic cruising sailboat that was designed by Stan Huntingford and built in Taiwan by Formosa Boat Building Co Ltd from 1981 to 1990. It is also known as the Slocum 43, after the famous circumnavigator Joshua Slocum. The Formosa 42 is an aft cockpit cutter with a fin keel and a skeg-hung rudder. It has a spacious interior with a traditional layout and plenty of teak woodwork. The Formosa 42 is a moderate-to-heavy displacement cruiser that can handle offshore passages and long-term living aboard.

Published Specification for the Formosa 42

Underwater Profile:  Fin keel & skeg-hung rudder

Hull Material:  GRP (Fibreglass)

Length Overall:  42'6"  ( 12.9m)

Waterline Length:  35'10"  ( 10.9m)

Beam:  12'11"  ( 3.9m)

Draft:  6'4"  ( 1.9m)

Rig Type:  Cutter

Displacement:  28,104lb (12,748kg)

Designer:  Stan Huntingford

Builder:  Formosa Boat Building Company Ltd.  (Taiwan)

Year First Built:  1981

Year Last Built:  1990

Number Built:  60

Published Design Ratios for the Formosa 42

1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio:  14.1

2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio:  32.0

3. Displacement/Length Ratio:  273

4. Comfort Ratio:  38.0

5. Capsize Screening Formula:   1.7

read more about these Key Performance Indicators...

Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the Formosa 42

1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of just 14.1 suggests that the Formosa 42 will need a stiff breeze to get her going. In light conditions, unless you've got plenty of time on your hands, motor-sailing may be the way to go.

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 32.0 means that a sailboat like the Formosa 42 (which doesn't have a stiffness-enhancing bulb keel), is likely to bene

fit from being reefed early to keep her sailing upright in a moderate breeze.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 273, tells us the Formosa 42 is a moderate-to-heavy displacement cruiser, which means she'll carry all your cruising gear without it having a dramatic effect on her performance. 

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 38.0 suggests that crew comfort of a Formosa 42 in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a moderate bluewater cruising boat - a predictable and acceptable motion for most seasoned sailors.

5. The Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.7 indicates that a Formosa 42 would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0. 

Any Questions?

Is the Formosa 42 still in production and, if not, when did production end and how many of these sailboats were built?

No, the Formosa 42 is not in production anymore. Production ended in 1990, after about 60 boats were built.

What is the history of the builders of the Formosa 42?

Formosa Boat Building Co. Ltd. was founded in 1965 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, by Y.C. Yang. The company specialized in building fiberglass sailboats based on designs by American naval architects such as William Garden, Doug Peterson, Robert Perry and Stan Huntingford. Some of their most popular models were the Formosa 41, Formosa 46, Formosa 51 and Formosa 68. The company also built boats under other names such as CT, Sea Tiger, Transworld and Island Trader. The company ceased operations in the early 1990s due to financial difficulties and competition from other Asian builders.

What keel options are available for the Formosa 42?

The Formosa 42 has a fin keel with a lead ballast of about 9,000 pounds. The draft is 6 feet 4 inches. Some boats may have a shoal draft version with a draft of 5 feet.

What is the Formosa 42 like to sail?

The Formosa 42 is a stable and comfortable sailboat that can handle various sea conditions. It is not very fast or agile, but it has good directional stability and balance. It performs well on a reach or a run, but it may struggle to point high or tack quickly in light winds. It has a moderate heel angle and a gentle motion at sea. It is easy to handle by a small crew or even single-handed, thanks to its cutter rig and self-tailing winches.

What is the average cost of a secondhand Formosa 42?

The average cost of a secondhand Formosa 42 depends on the condition, equipment and location of the boat. According to YachtWorld.com , as of July 2023, there are six Formosa 42s for sale worldwide, ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 USD. The price may vary depending on the age, maintenance, upgrades and modifications of the boat.

What other sailboats have been created by the designer of the Formosa 42?

The Formosa 42 was designed by Stan Huntingford, a Canadian naval architect who also designed other sailboats such as the Baba 35, the Baba 40, the Island Trader 37, the Island Trader 41, the Island Trader 46, the Slocum 43 and the Slocum 51. He was known for creating sturdy and seaworthy cruising boats with traditional lines and spacious interiors.

The above answers were drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; to the best of our knowledge,  we believe them to be accurate.

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68 Formosa 1984 Yacht for Sale

Asking price: $155,000.

• Yachts for sale
• 68' Formosa

Last updated Dec 7, 2023

68' Formosa 1984

An extensive cosmetic refit is about 80% completed -- this is a perfect time for buyer to get involved with the functional refit decisions needed.

The interior pictures show the original protective plastic on all-new overhead panels.  Much of the interior trim remains to be done to complete the cosmetic refit - inexpensive here in Rio Dulce.  This Formosa is priced at about half of what it will justify when returned to safe, reliable cruising condition -- the reason is simply the additional cost of a functional refit after purchase.  A buyer will likely have $200k-$300k into this boat before long, but then can enjoy a beautiful yacht with new equipment of their choosing.  The average price for this size/age/style sailboat is near $300k -- and that is for one with generally average equipment, not new equipment of choice.  This can be considered a project boat, but one with excellent potential to justify consideration.  Write for more information and I'll send a list of potential deficiencies to correct.  All work can be done in Rio Dulce by skilled tradesmen, or complete a Stage One here for cosmetics and to make seaworthy before a Stage Two Stateside for completion of desired equipment upgrades.

This Huge Formosa is already conveniently located in one of the finest cruising areas possible: the pristine Western Caribbean!  Now safely tucked up the beautiful Rio Dulce in Guatemala for hurricane season, same-day cruising from the Rio can have you snorkeling or diving the world’s 2nd largest barrier reef – Belize it!  Or, it’s just an overnighter away to experience the Bay Islands of Honduras (Utila, Roatan, Guanaja).  Farther voyages can have you enjoying Mexico, Jamaica, Caymans, and Panama before returning to the Rio sanctuary year after year, as countless cruisers do.  Great Yacht, Great Location… it’s time to have fun!!

Denison Yachting is pleased to assist you in the purchase of this vessel. This boat is centrally listed by SeaKist Yacht Sales.

Denison Yacht Sales offers the details of this yacht in good faith but can’t guarantee the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of this boat for sale. This yacht for sale is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal from that yacht market without notice. She is offered as a convenience by this yacht broker to its clients and is not intended to convey direct representation of a specific yacht for sale.

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68' Formosa HIGHLIGHTS

• Yacht Details: 68' Formosa 1984
• Location: Rio Dulce, Guatemala
• Engines: Yanmar
• Last Updated: Dec 7, 2023
• Asking Price: $155,000
• Max Draft: 11' 1''

68' Formosa additional information

• Beam: 17' 4''
• Hull Material: Fiberglass
• Displacement: 96,000 lb
• Fuel Tank: 1 x 645|gallon
• Fresh Water: 1 x 1200|gallon

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SIMILAR YACHTS FOR SALE View All

71' andrews 1993, honolulu, hi, us, 70' irwin 1984, anacortes, wa, us, 68' formosa 1984, rio dulce, guatemala, 66' custom 1994, annapolis, md, us, 64' frers 1982, stanley, falkland islands, 62' atlantic 1991, roma, it-rm, italy, el unicornio, 62' farr 1997, la tuque, qc, canada, other formosa yachts for sale view all, happy budhha, 51' formosa 1986, korcula, croatia, 44' formosa 1987, marathon, fl, us, price watch.

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• Sailboat Guide

Formosa 41 is a 40 ′ 10 ″ / 12.5 m monohull sailboat designed by William Garden and built by Ta Chiao and Formosa Boat Building Co. Ltd. starting in 1972.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Also known as the YANKEE CLIPPER 41. ATLANTIC CLIPPER. Similar to CT-41, SEA WOLF 40, SEA TIGER 41.

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The Formosa 51

A Traditional Ketch for over 50 years!

How did this all start? How did a traditional fifty foot ketch come to be made out of fiberglass?

These boats started as a dream by William Garden and Bill Hardin back in the 1950’s. As far as I can tell the hull lines of these boats are based upon a William Garden 1954 Wooden Shoal Draft Cutter Rigged Ketch. Why do I not have a definitive answer? We are reaching back in time almost 70 years! Some research points to the Sea Wolf (Bill Hardin) as the original design or maybe even the Porpoise or Atom (both William Garden designs). What happened next was dumb luck or perhaps the free market at its best. The fiberglass boat building revolution of the 1960’s and American Marine Architects all wanted to capitalize on a less expensive way to build better quality boats. Taiwanese traditional boat builders merged with American businessmen to pioneer the fiberglass boat building market. As early as 1963 the boat that was to be known at the Formosa 51 had blueprints (see above photo) and was being set up for production. Sister ships like the Mariner 40 (first built in 1965 in Japan) and the Sea Wolf 40 (built as early as 1960 by the Chen Family, latter to become Formosa Boat Works) had already begun the fiberglass revolution.

Traditional wooden sailboats all had full keels. The framing of a wooden boat prevented the development of a fin keel with a spade rudder large enough to control the hydrodynamics of a large sailing vessel. Naval Architects who experimented with fin keels 70 + years ago often used other materials. Even early fiberglass keelboats used a cut away with a skeg mounted rudder until they understood the strength of fiberglass. In my opinion the Formosa 51 is a piece of nautical history. This boat incorporated the best of William Garden’s wooden sailboat designs and preserved it forever in a fiberglass build. These boats have survived the test of time. Many of these boats have circumnavigated the globe. Almost every boat that ended up in America was sailed here via the Pacific or the long way via the Atlantic Ocean. They have undergone unfair reviews by Sailing Purists who tried to compare them to more modern designs being churned out in the early days of fiberglass. This 50′ 11″ Shoal Draft Cutter Rigged Ketch was built as a Traditional Sailing Vessel – not a high performance sailboat. It was revolutionary for the time because of its lower cost, fiberglass build, shallow draft, ICW mast height and room for a family of four with space for additional crew if desired. All this and the original owner got to design the interior before purchasing the boat.

The hull proved to be so popular it was copied and duplicated by many different yards in Taiwan. The Formosa 51, Hudson Force 50, Mikelson 5o, and the Goldcoast Offshore 50 just to name a few. 

Cruising World Magazine September 1979

Our Formosa 51 being built in Keelung, Taiwan, in 1979