Feeling 44 Lift Keel

Construction

Built by Alliaura Marine, France 2007

Designed by Alan Mortain / Yiannis Mavrikios

GRP Hull, Deck & Structure

Full Teak decks & cockpit

 

Lifting Keel (Hydraulic)

Cast iron base plate

Folding steering wheel

Twin rudders

 

Hull - Coppercoat antifouling (last applied 2020)

It is three times more expensive than standard antifouling, but lasts for at least 10 years, not one, so it turns out to be better and cheaper.  

 

LOA:     45’1 (13.75m)

HL:        43’96 (13.40m)

LWL:     39’04 (11.90m)

Beam:     13’94 (4.25m)

Draft:       2’3-8’5 (0.7 – 2.6m)

Ballast Lift keel:      3,100 kg

Displacement:         10,090 kg (light)

Machinery

Engine compartment

Volvo D2 55hp diesel engine, with 3,000 engine hours.   

Serviced by the owner every year. 

Shaft drive

Volvo gearbox 

Folding propeller, 3 blades

Consumption: 4-6 litres of diesel per hour, depending on engine revs

Automatic fire extinguisher

 

Bowthruster – Sleopner, tunnel version with port & stbd props.

Eberspacher heating

Electrics

Adverc…what’s that?  The alternator on the engine charges the batteries, but, as on all yachts, it is a standard alternator, as used in cars/lorries/trucks, which charges batteries to 80% capacity.  This is not a problem on land-based vehicles, since the battery is only used to start the engine.  But on a yacht, the ‘domestic’ batteries are in constant use, and to only get to 80% charge means that, under engine power (as opposed to shore power) means you lose 20% of your battery capacity, which is huge.  What the Adverc does is to ‘fool’ or ‘brainwash’ the alternator by pretending that the batteries are only charged to 60% or so; the alternator therefore keeps charging the batteries up to 100%.  This is wonderful when on engine power.

 

4 batteries, all AGMs (Absorbed Glass Matrix):

Engine starter motor battery

Bowthruster battery

Two huge 240Amp/hour ‘domestic’ batteries

 

Small semi-flexible solar panel forward of the sprayhood. (700mm x 500mm) 260w/day

Swivelling rigid semi flexi solar panel between backstays arch. (1500mm x 680mm) 760 w/day

Duogen – wind & water generator

 

Switch panel

Alpine hi-fi with two interior speakers and two waterproof speakers in the cockpit

 

Mastervolt MICC = Mass Inverter Charger Control – used to monitor the charging state of the batteries and to switch the inverter on and off – the inverter turns 12 Volt DC power into 240 Volt AC power, used when not on shore power to charge laptops, the vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, electric toothbrushes etc.

 

Remote control handset – Used to control direction into the wind to make sure the mainsail is going up inside the stack pack lines and is not getting tangled; this is essential if there are only two people on board – one controlling the electric winch to raise the mainsail, the other using the remote control to adjust direction into the wind.

Tankage

Fuel:         1 tank 200 ltrs

Water:      2 tanks (300 ltrs/ 220 ltrs)

Holding:   1 tank

Water filter which purifies drinking water, so there is no need to buy bottled water.

Rig and Sails

Mainsail by Crusader Sails, new in 2021.  

5 full-length battens, a leech line which goes up the leech and down the luff to the boom, so it can be adjusted from the boom at any wind angle.  

Cunningham hole.  

Three reefing lines, all led back to the cockpit.

Boom with stackpack for the mainsail

On the boom, a Walder boom-brake, which is used to control the mainsail and boom during a gybe.  Instead of the boom crashing across, the Walder boom-brake slows the travel of the boom during a gybe – the boom travels slowly from one side to the other with a gentle whoosh!

 

Genoa – maximum size, by Crusader Sails, new in 2021.   

Foam luff insert, which means that it does not get baggy when partially furled for higher winds.  

Furling with the furling line led back to the cockpit.

 

Gennaker for downwind sailing. (18 yrs old) I do not use the mainsail, since it would chafe on the spreaders with the boom far out (launch the gennaker to windward, then bring out the genoa on the spinnaker pole)

 

Bowsprit for the gennaker, which is on its own furling drum.  The downhaul is led back to the cockpit.

 

Inner forestay, used for hanking on the storm jib, small and made of very strong cloth, but I have never used it!

 

Mast – at the top;

VHF and FM antennae, wind instruments and Sea Me active radar reflector, which amplifies received radar signals and beams them back, making the vessel appear much bigger than she is.  

Tri-lens passive radar reflector above the spreaders.   

Raymarine radome. 

Loud hailer/foghorn on the spreaders.  

On the mast is a spinnaker pole.  

6 retractable steps on the mast – useful for attaching the bonnet to the stackpack.

 

 

Standing rigging – all original 

(note: the advertised price has taken into account the cost for standing rigging to be replaced, should this be raised in survey it is not to be re-negotiated on)

 

Adjustable backstays to bend the mast to improve upwind performance

10 clutches/jammers to control, from port to starboard:

Gennaker halyard

Storm jib halyard, used for raising the dinghy as a windscoop, and for raising and lowering it into the sea

Reef line 2

Mainsail outhaul

Mainsail sheet

Port traveller adjuster

Starboard traveller adjuster

Vang control line

Reef line 3

Topping lift

Reef line 1

Mainsail halyard

 

Two 2-speed Harken 40 winches

Two 2-speed Harken 48 electric winches, as the primary winches, used to raise the mainsail with the main halyard and then to control the genoa sheets

Two Harken 44 ‘spinnaker’ winches, to control the gennaker sheets

Accommodation

Accom for 6 in 2 double aft cabins with double master cabin forward. (see layout attached)

Two heads / showers + single large holding tank.

Solid cherry wood joinered interior, beautifully shaped and varnished. 

Special unique central nav station.

Galley to stbd

 

Head linings covered in cream Bolon material.

All the hatches have folding blinds and mosquito nets.

 

Master cabin 

Double bed and storage underneath, plus bowthruster battery

3 reading lights

Vanity table and mirror

Wardrobe and shelving, with almost all the charts for the Med, sailing books and yacht maintenance books

Shelving along both sides, for books, charts, fishing rod…

 

Forward heads 

Toilet, sink, shower and mirrored cabinets.   Electric shaver socket.

 

Main saloon 

Gigantic double-folding table, which can seat 10 people!

Two bookcases

 

Central navigation station 

Most nav gear by Raymarine

Storage underneath and under the navigation seat.   

 

The nav station has:

E120 chartplotter

Graphic screen which can display anything; usually used to display magnetic wind direction

VHF radio and speaker.

DSM = Digital Sounder Module, or Fishfinder; it is also useful to detect what the seabed is.

Sea Me active radar detector switch

Life Tag switch; Suli has 6 Life Tags; these are small devices which you wear like a watch – if someone falls in the sea, an alarm

goes off and automatically switches the chartplotters into MOB (man overboard) mode, so the location of the victim is kept on 

the screens.

Two Raymarine portable VHF radios

EPIRB

Tool locker with every tool you will ever need

 

Galley:

Fridge with freezer compartment

Gimballed gas hob and oven

Gas kettle, electric kettle and induction hob

Saucepan storage compartment

Cupboards and shelving for food, crockery etc

3 drawers for cutlery, cooking utensils etc

Glasses for beer, wine and water, both glass and plastic

 

The main heads

Toilet, shower and basin and mirrored cabinets with shelving.  

The toilet is plumbed to a holding tank for sewage, with a valve for it under the basin.  

Electric shaver socket.

 

Two identical aft double cabins

Linen, mattress protectors, fitted sheets, pillows and duvets for all three cabins

Towels, tea towels etc

 

Ebersbacher ‘central heating’ in all cabins – not used for years, being in the Med!

6 scatter cushions for the main saloon and 5 for the cockpit

 

Deck

Sprayhood, new in 2019.  

Zipped opening panel at the front to let air through in light winds for ventilation and improved visibility.

Bimini - Above the bimini, between the two backstays, a large Solara solar panel which swivels – partly to catch the early or late sun, and partly to clean it.

 

Windlass – Lewmar V3, new in 2025.  Linked to a remote control used in the cockpit for stern-on mooring.

Anchor –   25kg Rocna anchor – the best make of anchor.

Anchor locker – with 70m of chain and 50m of warp, 2 snubbers and a hook to untangle the anchor chain of another yacht when we have crossed anchor chains – Storage for oil and anti-freeze for the engine.

 

Three cockpit lockers – one as the gas bottle locker

In the lockers:

Numerous ropes for different roles

Mooring warps

Mooring warps with stainless steel springs, to dampen the surge on the yacht in rough seas

Folding ladder

Two Mezzo D10 folding bikes

Sea brake

Bow fender

Hydrobubble stern anchor, with chain and warp

Small gas bottles for the gas barbecue

Various boat hooks

Buckets

Shore power cable and extension

Cable converters

Two water hoses

Two sets of masks, snorkels and fins

Dinghy pump

Flares

Electric jet washer

6 cylindrical fenders and one balloon stern fender

 

Binnacle with:

Folding steering wheel

Engine controls

Bowthruster controls

Navpod for the instruments, all Raymarine

Drinks and bottle holders

 

Fabulous huge cockpit with huge folding teak table, which can seat 8 people

Blue foam seating cushions

 

Swing-back step to go ashore and to step down to the sugar scoop stern to go swimming or to get in/out of the dinghy

Reel for anchoring then tying on ashore to a rock or a tree.

Passerelle – folding and aluminium

Swim steps

Swim shower

Magma gas barbecue

Fishing rod holder

Ensign

Navigation

Navpod for the instruments, all Raymarine:

E80 chartplotter

Tri-data, for depth, water speed and distance/log

Autopilot controls

Bowthruster controls

Switch for raising and lowering the hydraulic/electric lifting keel 

VHF radio and speaker

Compass

 

4 instruments above the companionway:

Depth

Water speed

Wind direction and strength

Autopilot controls

Tender

AB 9AL, a rib with an aluminium hull and Hypalon tubes new in 2021

Stored on deck, upside down.  

Davit for lowering and raising the outboard onto the dinghy

 

Outboard – Suzuki 4-stroke 6hp, new in 2025; it has done 2 hours, so is not even run in yet!

Safety

Viking 6 person liferaft

EPIRB

6 lifejackets, all new in 2024

Harnesses

Kim man overboard rescue sling

Horseshoe rescue buoy

Danbuoy

Flares

Manual & Electric bilge pumps

 

 

The condition or level of safety equipment on board is not to be negotiated on following survey. It is likely to be listed by most surveyors but is not structural or an integral working part of the vessel and is not to be used to further negotiate the price down after survey. We strongly suggest that for your own personal safety that when purchasing a yacht you provide new safety equipment rather than relying on second hand gear.

 

Should you become the new owner of this yacht then the responsibility to re-register or update official bodies for items such as EPIRB, VHF, MMSI or AIS becomes yours.

Comments

I bought Suli new in 2007.  I am an engineer and a perfectionist, so I chose the absolutely best specification, and added many new pieces of equipment.  Suli is probably the best-equipped Feeling 44 in the world.  Suli is perfectly set up for Mediterranean sailing.  The Feeling 44 is incredibly fast – I regularly sail her at 9-10 knots, and the maximum I have achieved is 14 knots!

 

I sailed Suli from the manufacturer’s location in Les Sables d’Olonne in France, back to the UK for two years, then all the way round the Atlantic coast of France, Spain and Portugal then into the Med and all the way to Greece.  I have sailed her every year from mid-May to the end of June and from September to mid-October.  I have loved Suli and looked after her and maintained her with my perfectionism.

 

The lifting keel means that Suli’s draught is 2.6m with it down, 0.7m with it up.  I regularly use the keel up if I want to go to shallow anchorages or get away from noisy yachts!

 

Unlike most modern yachts, the woodwork is not plywood or melamine or any other such ghastly stuff which doesn’t last - it is solid cherry wood, beautifully shaped and varnished  - the woodwork is fabulous.

Title Documents and Tax

Listed below are the documents/or copies of what we have seen on listing this yacht.

 

British Registered - Part 1 - Current

Copy - Brexit location evidence in Leros 31st Dec 2020

Copy - Bill of Sale to current owners 2007

Copy - VAT invoice (UK) on first supply 2007

Copy - Alliaura Marine Builders Certificate 2007

Copy – Declaration of Conformity 2007

Photos of HIN #, Photo Ce Plate in cockpit, Engine plate

 

Copy Evidence of TEPAI cruising tax paid 2025

Copy evidence yacht has not left the EU (Log) – Note the written Log is personal to the owner and will not be supplied with the vessel, sections if required can be copied.

Disclaimer and Travelling to Inspect

The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith. Whilst every care has been taken in their preparation, the correctness of these particulars is not guaranteed. The particulars are intended only as a guide and they do not constitute a term of any contract. A prospective buyer is strongly advised to check the particulars and where appropriate at his own expense to employ a qualified Marine Surveyor to carry out a survey and/or to have an engine trial conducted which if conducted by us shall not imply any liability for such engine on our part. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.

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