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blame for this situation. Firstly, as a result ofthe animosity and, indeed, declared stateof war between the R.O.C. and mainlandRed China, yachting was not and is not per-mitted around the shores of Thiwan. There-fore, little understanding of the requirementsfor a sound seagoing yacht exists. The Tai-wanese could not have been exDected to haveassimilated. almost overnight. technicalskills which the early entrepreneur did nothimself know well enough to teach hisworkforce.

Although much has changed in the last 20years, it is only during the '70s and '80s thatserious effort has been made by a dedicatedfew to help the Chinese modernize and up-grade their production. In this exercise,given the right guidance, they are provinghighly successful. That there is sti l l noyachting as such on the island continues toinhibit the growth of an indigenous designgroup, and while technical engineeringtraining in modern marine plastics construc-tion is missing from naval engineering andarchitectural courses at the universities inTaiwan, there is no doubt that considerableaptitude exists for the technical skil lsinvolved. Within the labor force there isample evidence of natural bent for the con-struction work involved, particularly in thewoodworking trades, at which Chineseworkers excel.

Fortunately the new generation of Westernowners and managers has come to recognizethe truth of the old adage that "you only getout what you put in." These men, of whomGeorge Olivit of LaFitte is one, and otherswhom we shall introduce in subsequent sur-veys, are the very antithesis of the earlyopportunists; they are experienced seamenand skilled fiberglass construction engi-neers, and they possess an equal drive toimpart their knowledge to others and theability to supervise a workforce.

A second point involved in the turnaroundof Thiwanese yachtbuilding practice is therecognition of the importance that "face"plays in Eastem social arrangements. In onerespect we are all subject to this, and shouldappreciate that a Chinese in his own landquite naturally prefers to be directed byanother Chinese. Genuine workforce lovaltvand dedication is an extremely impoitantfactor in the equation. While it would befoolish to suggest that a worker in a Taiwanyachtbuilding yard is any less interested infinancial reward than his Western brother, hispride in workmanship and sensitivity topraise and/or crit icism is undoubtedlyhigher. To overcome the administrativeproblem, therefore, it is necessary that avery close personal relationship be devel-oped between the owner or representative ofthe primary exporting company and the Chinese factory manager and product inspectorwho must work closely with the exporter to

LaFitte 44 is a blue-water cruising cutterwhose deep, sharplyveed forefoot fairsinto a substantial l inkeel and a ruddermounted on a largeskeg. Displacementis 28,000 pounds,and the keel incorpo-rates 11,300 poundsof external leadballast.

insure that wwith design:control stantnese, to rnaland to learn Iare essential rof a Thiua*made it partall three.

In 1976 hyoung meD xreally superiyacht in Thirchallenge, arBob Perry antions. In his"Each t imethrough a nurtion to the nelike it. Then Ihappy to saytliking the de100 I have lidesign No. ll

Armedwitassociates rlsuitable builcto contract IKaohsiung. ,met and madChuck Chen,was well edulong had becrSince then, Iemployed bresponsible ii

He and Gqand firm friering of the 4,Chung Hwa 5new yard, wlcontrolled ex1Lin Kao SuqLaFitte sfurce

On the suldelighted to rager in the IMesa, Califimanagestbeain Thiwan, is lUffaFox. SheOld Man" dwas wortingFat, who has Iing world faasset.

Onecurioeible yacht inrrcseems that" dpany, the dirtable celebr-ttheir numbertles of Chiteathe quality dunanimously'would aspire

n. Firstly, as a result ofindeed, declared stateR.O.C. and mainlandu/as not and is not per-mes of Thiwan. There-ing of the requirementsyacht exists. The Tai-

'been expected to have

overnight, technicalf entrepreneur did notenough to teach his

t changed in the last 20gthe'70s and'80s thatn made by a dedicatedtse modemize and up-ion. In this exercise,nce, they are provingfhat there is still nohe island continues to'an indigenous designrhnical engineeringrine plastics construc-naval engineering and; at the universities inbubt that considerablethe technical skil lse labor force there isOral bent for the con-ed, particularly in thes, at which Chinese

rgeneration of Westernhas come to recognizehge that "you only get'These men, of whomitte is one, and othershce in subsequent sur-ntithesis of the earlye experienced seamen$ construction engi-ess an equal drive toilge to others and theworkforce.rlved in the turnaroundrilding practice is theryortance that "face"larrangements. Inonepct to this, and shouldinese in his own landBf,s to be directed bynine workforce loyaltyextremely important

n. While it would bet a worker in a Thiwanany less interested inris Western brother. hisip and sensitivity to;ism is undoubtedlye the administrativeit is necessary that arclationship be devel-rer or representative ofcompany and the Chi-and product inspectorly with the exporter to

esignedby Bob Perry, theLaFitte 44 is a blue-water cruising cutterwhose deep, sharplyveed forefoot fairsinto a substantial f inkeel and a ruddermounted on a largeskeg. Displacementis 28,000 pounds,and the keel incorpo-rates 11,300 poundsof external leadballast.

,---->-''-\ / /

- - - l - - - - - - - . /

insure that work is performed in accordancewith design specifications and high quality-control standards. To understand the Chi-nese, to make an effort with the language,and to learn to live comfortably among themare essential attributes for good managementof a Thiwanese venture. George Olivit hasmade it part of his business to succeed inall three.

ln 1976 he was contacted by a group ofyoung men who had the dream of building areally superior high-performance cruisingyacht in Thiwan. He accepted this excitingchallenge, and went north to sit down withBob Perry and work out the design specifica-tions. In his own words Perry comments,"Each t ime I design a new yacht, I gothrough a number of phases in my acclima-tion to the new design. I like it, then I don'tlike it. Then I like it again, then I don't. I amhappy to say that, in the end, I usually end upliking the design. In the case of design No.100 I have liked it from the start." Perry'sdesign No. 100 was the LaFitte 44.

Armed with these designs, George and hisassociates went to Taiwan and researchedsuitable builders. The decision was reachedto contract with the Chung Hwa yard inKaohsiung. Almost at the beginning theymet and made friends with a young Chinese,Chuck Chen, who spoke excellent English,was well educated and ambitious, and beforelong had become George's Chinese mentor.Since then, Chuck has been continuouslyemployed by LaFitte in Taiwan and isresponsible for quality control.

He and George are good business partnersand firm friends. In the past year, the build-ing of the 44s has been shifted from theChung Hwa yard to a separate facility. Thisnew yard, which lies within a government-controlled export processing zone, is run byLin Kao Suey, who has been involved withLaFitte since production began.

On the subject of personnel, we weredelighted to discover that the Office Man-ager in the LaFitte Yachts office in CostaMesa, Cali fornia, from whence Georgemanages the affairs of the company when notin Thiwan, is Pat Sachs, a daughter-in-law ofUffa Fox. She lived for some time with "TheOld Man" while her husband, his stepson,was working with him in the design office.ht, who has been associated with the yacht-ing world for many years, is thus a valuableasset.

One curiosity in the history of this admira-ble yacht involves its name. Why LaFitte? Itseems that, during the early days of the com-pany, the directors were sitting around atable celebrating the birth of a son to one oftheir number. On the table were several bot-tles ofChdteau LaFite, and in recognition ofthe quality of this fine wine its name wasunanimously voted suitable for a vessel thatwould aspire to equal excellence. The trou-

ble was that the amount of wine imbibedmust have been responsible for doublevision; when the narne appeared in print ithad been endowed with two "t's!"

Before getting down to serious analysis ofthe LaFitte 44, a thumbnail sketch of thecompany history is in order. Since its launch-ing in 1976 as a product ofa company namedPacific Far East Industries, the LaFitte 44 haschanged little from the original Peny design.It has been the only boat built (the firstLaFitte 66 is nearing completion), beinggradually modified and upgraded over theyears. And it has been rather a success; hullNo. 5l is now in the mold. Michael Lewis,the original President, now builds airplanes.In 1980 the company was sold to FlemingIndustries, a lumber consortium. The namewas changed to LaFitte Yachts, Inc. As is sooften the case in the yachting industry,owners fall in love with their products and,Mr. Fleming, no exception, decided to takeoffround the world in one ofhis 44s. Coinci-dental ly, cruising sai lor and old Dragonskipper from the Great Lakes, Bernie Wahl,along with his wife Glenn, were negotiatingfor the first LaFitte 66, which was then on thedrawing boards. They had sai led in andmuch admired the 44. In February of 1983they bought the company. They are an enthu-siastic yachting couple of long experience,both involved personally and determined toprove that a really flrst-class yacht can bebuilt in Thiwan. Unlike some of their pre-decessors, their objective is not to build ayacht that is cheaper than its American orEuropean counterpart, but to build one ofequivalent price which is better. Theirapproach is to put into the vessel, from sav-ings in labor costs, the best equipment to befound.

With the continuity and quality of produc-tion already established by George Olivit,Chuck Chen and Lin Kao Suey, (and theadvantages of operating out of an ExportControl Zone, which reduces administrativecosts as well as simplifying the red tape con-

Th* huli is "&ir*x-*or*d, ar:en nei{herw*igl"!t silvin;;; {xsr skifi'}ping ial th* trarninatc

coffi s;doratiern in {he e*nskuction.1S

stituting for hollYused is kiln dried,meter tests shour€dthan the naturallYother factories. Ashigh anyway in thprising.

The finish of tunusual; varnishepoxy sealer is aPlsanded to about 6sealer is then paingloss is finallY r,hiing. A German heishing. The effectsolid timber and ijoinery, which is emaster carPentel ]nificent set oftradibe found in the WiHis is the most cwe have seen an)nsolid, and mortiseA helper armedwishop clean!

Our next pleasaelectrical circuitryEast construction,seen. It is run in Pthe vessel at deckand numbered jurproportion togethon the back panel

George is a praHis approach to thowner-maintainerThis is borne onwhich accompanion all installed snance, rigging invaluable to an oll!

Still on electrlSSB grounding qlaminate. Al l elfrigeration are owmust be made inments and wiring

nected with importing a variety of equipmentfrom other nations) we see no reason whythis route should not be successful.

What niche does the LaFitte 44 fill?George answered this question as follows:"Basically designed for long-distance cruis-ing with an after cabin but no center cockpit;stifl with good sailing ability, and a goodseaboat; a strong boat wi th bui l t - inallowance for high bottom pressures, bolt-onexternal ballast and a low center of gravity. "To meet these specif icat ions Perry hasdesigned a flush-deck, after-cockpit cutterwith two companionways. In his own wordsagain, "The forefoot is deep and sharplyveed. This fairs into a large fin keel whosearea is more than is necessary for windwardability; but I feel there is still some value inthis extra area in regard to directional sta-bility and ease ofhaul-out. The rudder is seton a very generous skeg."

At 28,000 pounds, this is not a light-dis-placement boat, and examination of the con-struction bore this out. The hull is Airex-cored, and neither weight saving nor skimp-ing in the laminate is a consideration in theconstruction.

The skeg has a healthy stainless-steel rein-forcement and the rudder assembly was seento be wel l -conceived. The blade's fourstainless webs, welded to the stock and sur-rounded by l2-pound density foam whichresists water absorption, is solidly glassed.The 2" Aquamat stock has a heavy heel bear-ing. The skeg height, well above keel base toobviate danger from grounding, carries aheavy bronze heel fitting.

The hull remains in the mold some 28days unti l bulkhead instal lat ion is com-pleted; there is thus little likelihood ofunder-cure or distortion.

Isopthalic resins are used in the outer lam-inates and, despite the fact that the moldingshop is open to the atmosphere, year-roundtemperatures in this Iatitude are such thatcuring is unlikely to be affected.

The split mold, which is eight years old,was in excellent condition and'carefully pro-tected. A wax releasing agent is used. Allthese factors reduce the l ikel ihood ofosmotic blistering or laminate deteriorationover time.

Topside gelcoat finish was excellent. The11,300-pound external lead ballast is held by13 stainless-steel bolts, each3/c" thick withstainless backing plates, and is bedded into3M's 5200 compound.

The balsa-cored decks are planked withteak. heformed teak units are constructedon a dummy deck mold; planks are matchedand epoxy glued to form a solid piece, thecaulking only going halfway through theplank thickness. The whole is then trans-ferred to the deck molding where it is beddedin an Epiglass deck sealant manufactured inAustral ia. Fastenings are stainless steel.Side deck planking is "sprung" into place,similarly treated and then caulked. The hull/deck joint utilizes a T:section aluminumalloy toerail of similar design to that used inthe C & C custom shop, and is bedded in 3M5200 with %o" stainless bolts at 2Vz" centers.

Timbeir used for decks and interiors is teakand Philippine mahogany, with inoke sub-

he LaFitte

-LOA:44'4-1t2"LWL:35'5-3/4"Beam:12'8"Dralt: 6'4"Shoal Dralt:5'4"Sail area:927 sq.ftBallast: 11,300 pounds ofexternal leadDisplacement: 28,000pounds

44's arrangementplan shows overnlghtcabins fore and aft,the after cabin with i tsOWn COmOaniOnWaV, F.usl: '30 gallons

"".r ^.".i^, " "r.,, ' Water:'60 gallons

SPaCe amlOSnlPS, d eselwith galley and spars: AtJTi.umnavlgator 'S CeSK Hul l : ha'd layJo l iberglassad iacent to the wnh 3,4" Airer co'emdin-cabin Deslgner: Roberl Perry^^-^^^i^^.^,^. , ^^A Bui lder: LaFi l te Yachls Inc. ,uvtI tu4t i lut twdY, dr ru

*iir, i'pi" se6ii.s- 3?::"J;i::fi'r'lfr, "".arOUnO a laDle WlIn B7B W 18th Sr, Cosla N,4esatwo dropleaves . eAs2627.

104

shou,ed

er and irich is epenter l: oftradirtheWimost cen an)nmortisemedwiL!

t pleasaircuitryrrction,run inP

s borne ouaccompaniinstalled srigging in

le to an o.st. on electrlrounding qate. All elLtion are owre made inand wirin6

Asrh

s aplrut 6patflrr,hirn he

reo J|ntogeth

Pmrrh

I of wine imbibedrsible for doubleppeared in print itwo " t 's !"rserious analysis ofnail sketch of theer. Since its launch-Ia company named;, the LaFitte 44 hasginal Perry design.rat built (the firstompletion), beingupgraded over thelher a success; hullH. Michael Lewis,ry builds airplanes.rs sold to Flemingsortium. The namehchts, Inc. As is sorachting industry,treir products and,on, decided to take:ofhis 44s. Coinci-r and old Dragonakes, Bernie Wahl,n. were negotiatingrich was then on thehad sai led in andl February of 1983. They are an enthu-f long experience,and determined to

class yacht can besome of their pre-e is not to build am its American orut to build one ofh is better. Theire vessel, from sav-est equipment to be

dquality ofproduc-by George Olivit,.ao Suey, (and the

; out of an Exportuces administrativeng the red tape con-

T?':* *:uiiL is Air*x-e*r*d, am*-l n*itla*rw*lght srcvklgl ffio;: $k!tyip?:rlg i;t {}:* {an"li*n[c

r{"}sris;d*r;*i*n i* tfu* **nstrueti*n "1S

stituting for holly in cabin soles. The woodused is kiln dried, and Rovanex H, moisturemeter tests showed it to be considerably drierthan the naturally seasoned timber found inother factories. As the humidity tends to behigh anyway in these areas, this was not sur-prising.

The f inish of the interior joinery wasunusual; varnish is not used. A two-partepoxy sealer is applied and the wood is thensanded to about 600-grit; a Rattan two-partsealer is then painted on and a finish of highgloss is finally achieved by waxing and sand-ing. A German herbal oil is chosen for pol-ishing. The effect is very pleasing. A mix ofsolid timber and laminates is found in thejoinery, which is executed by Mr. Fu Chen,master carpenter. He performs with a mag-nificent set of traditional tools such as mightbe found in the Williamsburg craft museum.His is the most consummate workmanshipwe have seen anywhere. Teak gratings weresolid, and mortise joints virtually invisible.A helper armed with a feather duster kept theshop clean!

Our next pleasant surprise was to find theelectrical circuitry, usually a weakness in FarEast construction, amongst the best we haveseen. It is run in PVC conduits the length ofthe vessel at deck level, with a color-codedand numbered junction box of magnificentproportion together with a circuit diagramon the back panel identifying every circuit.

George is a practical sailor and engineer.His approach to the problems which beset anowner-maintainer are therefore very sound.This is borne out by the service manualwhich accompanies every LaFitte 44. Detailon all installed systems, general mainte-nance, rigging instruction, etc., are all in-valuable to an owner or a service yard.

Still on electrics and electronics, a heavySSB grounding system is built into the hulllaminate. Al l e lectronics including re-frigeration are owner's choice, but decisionsmust be made in time to include alrange-ments and wiring in primary construction.

nected with importing a variety of equipmentfrom other nations) we see no reason whythis route should not be successful.

What niche does the LaFitte 44 fill?George answered this question as follows:"Basically designed for long-distance cruis-ing with an after cabin but no center cockpit;stiff, with good sailing ability, and a goodseaboat; a strong boat wi th bui l t - inallowance for high bottom pressures, bolt-onexternal ballast and a low center of gravity. "To meet these specif icat ions Perry hasdesigned a flush-deck, after-cockpit cutterwith two companionways. In his own wordsagain, "The forefoot is deep and sharplyveed. This fairs into a large fin keel whosearea is more than is necessary for windwardability; but I feel there is still some value inthis extra area in regard to directional sta-bility and ease of haul-out. The rudder is seton a very generous skeg."

At 28,000 pounds, this is not a light-dis-placement boat, and examination of the con-struction bore this out. The hull is Airex-cored, and neither weight saving nor skimp-ing in the laminate is a consideration in theconstruction.

The skeg has a healthy stainless-steel rein-forcement and the rudder assembly was seento be wel l -conceived. The blade's fourstainless webs, welded to the stock and sur-rounded by l2-pound density foam whichresists water absorption, is solidly glassed.The 2" Aquamat stock has a heavy heel bear-ing. The skeg height, well above keel base toobviate danger from grounding, carries aheavy bronze heel fitting.

The hull remains in the mold some 28days unti l bulkhead instal lat ion is com-pleted; there is thus little likelihood ofunder-cure or distortion.

Isopthalic resins are used in the outer lam-inates and, despite the fact that the moldingshop is open to the atmosphere, year-roundtemperatures in this latitude are such thatcuring is unlikely to be affected.

The split mold, which is eight years old,was in excellent condition and'carefully pro-tected. A wax releasing agent is used. Allthese factors reduce the l ikel ihood ofosmotic blistering or laminate deteriorationover time.

Topside gelcoat finish was excellent. The11,300-pound extemal lead ballast is held by13 stainless-steel bolts, each3/q" thick withstainless backing plates, and is bedded into3M's 5200 compound.

The balsa-cored decks are planked withteak. Preformed teak units are constructedon a dummy deck mold; planks are matchedand epoxy glued to form a solid piece, thecaulking only going halfway through theplank thickness. The whole is then ffans-ferred to the deck molding where it is beddedin an Epiglass deck sealant manufactured inAustral ia. Fastenings are stainless steel.Side deck planking is "sprung" into place,similarly treated and then caulked. The hull/deck joint utilizes a T:section aluminumalloy toerail of similar design to that used inthe C & C custom shop, and is bedded in 3M5200 with %0" stainless bolts at2Vz" centers.

Timber used for decks and interiors is teakand Philippine mahogany, with inoke sub-

-l t 44'4 112"tL:35'5-3/4"Fm:12'8"Eft: 6'4"bal Dratt: 5'4"Jl area:927 sq.f t .l last: 1l 300 pounds ofilernal eadbplacement: 28,000L'O S

El: 130 gal onslbr: 160 gallonsiler: 62-hp Perkins 4-154esetars: Aluminumdl:Hand layup tiberglasslh 3 4" Airex corersigner: Robert Perryilder: LaFitte Yachts IncL.rie l, Box 536 AA,tasonvll le, f lD 21638 and18 w 18th st, costa l\.4esa,492627

104

-rerrecrjoinerwork in teakPhil ippine lahograno tnoKe rs Inevidence in gal lerycabinets and oth€joinerwork andpaneling aboarc

The cold box insulation was, again, amongstthe best we have seen, and the top openingboasted a double layer seal for its 5"-thickinsulation.

Engineering was entirely satisfactory withthe exception that, in our opinion, mountinga generator athwartships in the lazarette is amistake. Machinery and sails, cordage, etc.,are not good bedfellows. Operation is lim-ited to 15'of heel owing to oil level, and wefeel that an engine-driven generator is pre-ferable in a vessel of this size if 110 power isregarded by an owner as a "must" at sea. Wefreely admit that we are old-fashionedenough to consider that those who cannot dowithout the comforts of a condominiumshould stay ashore!

Notwithstanding this comment, it was ourobservation that the construction and fittins-out of this yacht was indeed well above ave-r-age. The Perkins 4-154, a 62-hp diesel, hasrecently been substituted for the Peugeotoriginally used in the 44s, not necessarilybecause it is considered a better engine, butmainly due to something Mr. Fleming dis-covered during his circumnavigation: mech-anics worldwide know this engine, andspares are available almost everywhere.Bearing in mind the distance-cruising rolefor which this boat is desiened and fur-nished. we concur with this r:easoning.

As concerns the variety ofinstalled equip-

ment, since the company puts out a verydetailed specification list, we will not wastevaluable space on it except to corffnent thatevery item is chosen primarily for its excep-tional quality.

Before going on to the sea trial, whichtook place out of Newport Beach, Califomia(enroute to Taiwain), a word or two on theinterior. While we agree with the buildersthat it is indeed a good layout for oceancruising, we feel it reflects traditional idealsof the agile who have not yet had to considerthe limitations of stiffening "moving parts. "The features of double entry and flush deckresult in two steep and deep ladders whichare not easily negotiated. This is especiallytrue forward, where the ladder brings you uponto the coachroof under the boom. Thedeck handrails here are low so that one steDsout in an off-balance crouch which is nbtgood posture in a seaway. We recommendraising these rails to about 27" hetght.

Privacy in the after cabin is limited, and itsspace is broken up by the ladder. For ourtaste we would also like to find a potlightincorporated over the bunk for a greater feelof "lebensraum. "Forward. the V-berth is toohigh for ease of access, and we found bothforward and after heads "tight, " particularlyfor showering.

The after engine access through the baseof the hanging locker is also a bit dicey since

shoes and dresses, etc. , must f i rst beremoved, possibly with oi ly f ingers! Inshort, one senses in this otherwise excellentvessel a tendency to put a quart into a pintpot. We must emphasize, however, that thisis very much a pcrsonal opinion, and there isample opportunity for owners to adjust thesematters to individual preference.

We do not seem te have much luck withcontriving exacting weather conditions so asto put boats through their paces. After amagnificent achievement by the Costa Mesastaff in re-rigging the trial boat, which hadjust been trucked in from its final boat show,we motored out into a mild and wonderfullysunny hcific aftemoon-in December, yet.Seals basked on the bell buoy and the windwas out of the west at about 8 to 10 knots,conditions that made it difficult to find faultwith any yacht that one was fortunate enoughto be aboard. We will try to be objective.Under power the boat moves very well ,quick on the helm, tracks well and literallyspins in her own length. With control asterneffective, tums can be made and directionmaintained. Engine vibration was excessive,but she was found to have a shaft alignmentproblem as a result oftranscontinental truck-ing previously mentioned. A very effective,and award-winning, Baryfol acoustic shield-ing material is used. We liked the pedestal-mounted single lever Morse control. Vis-

ibility was excelposition. The "T

going design. Umain, well-cut crWarren, R.1.. satefficient. \4'e *arrangements forsheets that end u1conditions experidinghy, l ight asplenty of feel andSet her up. lockWhile we did ntheavy weather xthead westward atime dictated thiwould be b1' atr.

LaFitte has fa-iWest Coast of ttrtof them would becharacteristics tfuwhich the readeraspects of high quwe found. She rewhat good perotence, ski l l and pfrom Chinese u'orf irst-class desigequipment list fillequipment supplamong the best don the market.

105

dulpen.asandocklnr: \rtdathi

ur-fa-i

ics tlu:aderigh quihe repeI50land pie $'0t

desigist fillsupplbest d

-

I

-erreclioinerwork in teak,Phi ippine mahoganyano tnoKe ls tnevidence in gal ieycabinets and otherjoinerwork andpaneling aboard

the LaFitte 44.The stove is a four-burner lvlariner wlthoven/broiler, andrefr iqeration isGruiert equipment,both goodexamples of qual i tyWestern systemsano macnrneryin.^r^^rataal, '

'vv ' Pvr q!vv

into a Far Easternyacht,

n was, agarn, amongstr, and the top openingr seal for its S"-thick

tirely satisfactory withour opinion, mountingips in the lazarette is and sails, cordage, etc.,nrs. Operation is lim-ng to oil level, and weiven generator is pre-his size if ll0 power isas a "must" at sea. Wee are old-fashionedil those who cannot dos of a condominium

is comment, it was ourrnstruction and fitting-ndeed well above aver-t4, a62-hp diesel, has[rted for the Peugeot:44s, not necessarilyd a better engine, butring Mr. Fleming dis-cumnavigation: mech-ow this engine, andalmost everywhere.distance-cruising roleis designed and fur-lh this reasoning.iety of installed equip-

ment, since the company puts out a verydetailed specification list, we will not wastevaluable space on it except to comment thatevery item is chosen primarily for its excep-tional quality.

Before going on to the sea trial, whichtook place out of Newport Beach, California(enroute to Thiwain), a word or two on theinterior. While we agree with the buildersthat it is indeed a good layout for oceancruising, we feel it reflects traditional idealsof the agile who have not yet had to considerthe limitations of stiffening "moving parts. "The features of double entry and flush deckresult in two steep and deep ladders whichare not easily negotiated. This is especiallytrue forward, where the ladder brings you uponto the coachroof under the boom. Thedeck handrails here are low, so that one stepsout in an off-balance crouch which is notgood posture in a seaway. We recommendraising these rails to about 27" height.

Privacy in the after cabin is limited, and itsspace is broken up by the ladder. For ourtaste we would also like to find a portlightincorporated over the bunk for a greater feelof "lebensraum. "Forward. the V-berth is toohigh for ease of access, and we found bothforward and after heads "tight, " particularlyfor showering.

The after engine access through the baseof the hanging locker is also a bit dicey since

shoes and dresses, etc. , must f i rst beremoved, possibly with oi ly f ingers! Inshort, one senses in this otherwise excellentvessel a tendency to put a quart into a pintpot. We must emphasize, however, that thisis very much a personal opinion, and there isample opportunity for owners to adjust thesematters to individual preference.

We do not seem to have much luck withcontriving exacting weather conditions so asto put boats through their paces. After amagnificent achievement by the Costa Mesastaff in re-rigging the trial boat, which hadjust been trucked in from its final boat show,we motored out into a mild and wonderfullysunny Paciflc aftemoon-in December, yet.Seals basked on the bell buoy and the windwas out of the west at about 8 to l0 knots,conditions that made it difficult to find faultwith any yacht that one was fortunate enoughto be aboard. We will try to be objective.Under power the boat moves very well ,quick on the helm, tracks well and literallyspins in her own length. With control asterneffective, turns can be made and directionmaintained. Engine vibrat ion was excessive.but she was found to have a shaft alignmentproblem as a result of transcontinental truck-ing previously mentioned. A very effective,and award-winning, Baryfol acoustic shield-ing material is used. We liked the pedestal-mounted single lever Morse control. Vis-

ibility was excellent from the helmsman'sposition. The "T" cockpit was of sound sea-going design. Under Yankee, staysail andmain, well-cut cruising sails by Thurston ofWarren, R.I., sail handling was simple andeff icient, We would l ike to see stowagearrangements for the inevitable spaghetti ofsheets that end up in the cockpit. Under theconditions experienced, she handled like adinghy, l ight as a feather on the wheel,plenty of feel and good directional stability.Set her up, lock the wheel and relish it.While we did not have the experience ofheavy weather we did have that urgent tug tohead westward and just go. Unfortunately,time dictated that our passage to Thiwanwould be by air.

LaFitte has facilities on the East Coast andWest Coast of the United States. Either oneof them would be pleased to demonstrate thecharacteristics that make the 44 a vessel inwhich the reader would find for himself theaspects of high quality and performance thatwe found. She represents a fine example ofwhat good personnel relationships, experi-ence, skill and patient training can evokefrom Chinese workmanship. This, joined tof irst-class design by Bob Perry, and anequipment list filled by ranking internationalequipment suppliers, puts the LaFitte 44among the best distance-cruising machineson the market.

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