The Bowman 45, an aft-cockpit cutter, was designed by Chuck Paine and built in the UK by Rustler Yachts Ltd.
Underwater Profile: Fin keel & skeg-hung rudder
Hull Material: GRP (Fibreglass)
Length Overall: 45'2" (13.8m)
Waterline Length: 36'6" (11.1m)
Beam: 13'0" (4.0m)
Draft: 5'9" (1.8m)
Rig Type: Cutter
Displacement: 24,500lb (11,113kg)
Designer: Chuck Paine Ltd
Builder: Rustler Yachts Ltd (UK)
1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 17.6
2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 44.0
3. Displacement/Length Ratio: 225
4. Comfort Ratio: 31.8
5. Capsize Screening Formula: 1.8
1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 17.6 suggests that the Bowman 45 will, in the right conditions, approach her maximum hull speed readily and satisfy the sailing performance expectations of most cruising sailors.
2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 44 means that the Bowman 45 will stand up well to her canvas in a blow, helping her to power through the waves.
3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 225, tells us the Bowman 45 is a moderate displacement cruiser, which means she'll carry all your cruising gear without it having a dramatic effect on her performance. Most of today's sailboats intended for offshore cruising fall into this displacement category.
4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 31.8 suggests that crew comfort of a Bowman 45 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 1.8 indicates that a Bowman 45 would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0.
Accommodation
The Bowman 45 has a spacious and well-crafted interior that can accommodate up to six people in comfort. The layout varies depending on the owner's choice, but typically there are two or three sleeping cabins, a large saloon, a galley, a navigation station, and one or two heads. Some of the options include:
The interior is finished in teak or cherry woodwork, with white bulkheads and overheads. The upholstery is durable and comfortable, and the lighting is warm and cozy. The ventilation is excellent, with opening ports, hatches, and dorade vents. The headroom is generous throughout, ranging from 6'4" to 6'8".
Rigging and Sails
The Bowman 45 has a Bermudan cutter rig. The mast is aluminum, with two sets of spreaders and stainless-steel standing rigging. The boom is also aluminum, with slab reefing or in-mast or in-boom furling. The sail area is 1096 ft³, which gives the boat a sail area/displacement ratio of 17.6. This means that the boat has reasonably good performance under sail, especially in moderate to strong winds.
The cutter rig allows for various sail combinations, depending on the wind and sea conditions. The typical sail inventory includes:
The sails are controlled by winches and clutches on the mast and in the cockpit. The cockpit has two primary winches for the genoa sheets, two secondary winches for the staysail sheets, and two more winches for the main halyard, reefing lines, vang, outhaul, etc.
Hull and Deck
The Bowman 45 has a solid fiberglass hull with a fin keel and a skeg-hung rudder. The hull is heavily built and well ballasted, giving the boat a displacement of 24,500 lb and a ballast/displacement ratio of 44. This means that the boat is stiff and stable in rough seas, and can carry a lot of cruising gear without compromising its performance.
The deck is also fiberglass, with teak or synthetic teak overlay. The deck has wide side decks for easy movement forward and aft. The bow has a large anchor locker with space for two anchors and chain. The stern has a lazarette locker for storing fenders, lines, etc.
The cockpit is aft, with a pedestal-mounted wheel steering system. The cockpit has high coamings for protection from spray and waves. The cockpit seats are long enough to lie down on. There is also a folding cockpit table for dining al fresco.
The boat has various safety features, such as:
Performance and Handling
The Bowman 45 is designed for ocean cruising, and has proven itself in many long-distance voyages. The boat has a good seakeeping ability, with a comfortable and predictable motion in a seaway. The boat can handle heavy weather well, with its cutter rig and reefing system. The boat is also easy to handle by a small crew or even single-handed, with its self-tacking staysail and roller-furling genoa.
The boat's weak point is its windward performance, which is uninspiring. The boat has a relatively low aspect ratio keel, which reduces its pointing ability. The boat also has a lot of wetted surface, which increases its drag. The boat may need help from the engine in light winds or when tacking against the current.
The boat's engine is a 75 hp Yanmar diesel, which gives the boat a cruising speed of about 7 knots and a maximum speed of about 8 knots. The boat has a fuel tank capacity of 100 gallons, which gives the boat a range of about 700 nautical miles at cruising speed. The boat also has a water tank capacity of 150 gallons, which can be supplemented by a watermaker if needed.
Pros and Cons
The Bowman 45 is a classic ocean-cruising yacht that offers:
However, the Bowman 45 also has some drawbacks and limitations, such as:
The above text was drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; we believe it to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.
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