About the Boat

Maiatla II is a Voyager 44 designed by Hardin International and built by the Kaohsiung Shipyard of Taiwan in 1980. The boats were sold until 1982 through a U.S. Distributor, East-West Yachts of Marina Del Rey, California. The first production Hardin 45’s came with very large salon windows, which in hindsight proved to be a liability offshore in big seas. Redesigned, the boats transformed into the Hardin Voyager 44 which came with a slightly lower profile and much smaller windows, creating more pleasing lines and a fine, offshore cruiser— which Maiatla would prove herself to be.

Maiatla is 45 feet on the deck and 52 feet overall ( 54 by my harbour manager’s tape measure); she has a beam of 13 feet 4 inches and a water line of 32 feet 3 inches. She has a fully modified keel with a cutaway forefoot and a draft of 6 feet (or at least she had until we moved all of our worldly possessions aboard).Maiatla now she rides a full two inches lower in the water.

Maiatla was the two-cabin model with a large V-berth forward and a great master cabin with a queen size bed aft. The master cabin is accessible from both sides of the vessel: through the head on the starboard side or through the navigation station on the port.  The galley is amidships port, with a large salon table to starboard. The main salon is forward and sunken with a sofa on the starboard with a pilot berth above against the hull.  Opposite the sofa is the diesel heater flanked by a pair of upholstered armchairs and a second pilot berth above.

Shortly after taking possession of Maiatla, I began the first of a long list of modifications and upgrades. A chore that spanned many years as Maiatla evolved from a family cruising boat to one destined to be occupied by empty nesters. The port side cabin, formally Thomas’s room was reverted back to its original purpose as a Navigation station and office.

The galley boasts a top loading, 4 cubic foot fridge with a laminated oak butcher-block lid adjacent to the gimballed, three burner propane range.  On deck, Maiatla was equipped with a Furlex roller reefing system to manage the big headsail. On the foredeck, a 18 to 24-foot telescoping whisker pole is stored and ready for use to improve Maiatla’s stability on downwind runs when sailing wing and wing with the main sail.

And of course the item no sailor ever hopes to use; a Viking, six-man offshore life raft with a hydrostatic release was mounted just behind the cockpit over the aft cabin.  The boat came with a 45-pound CQR anchor along with 350 feet of 1/2-inch chain and a Lofrans power windlass. I purchased an additional 350 feet of one inch gold braid anchor rode and shackled it to 40 feet of 1/2-inch chain and swivel. I also purchased a 65 lbs. CQR to complete what I would call my “Hail Mary” rig, better known as my Hurricane ground tackle. Later, the 65lb CQR found its way onto my all chain rode and became part of our everyday tackle and we never had the misfortune to drag, even in the foulest of weather. For a kedging anchor, I have a 35-pound Danforth with 40 feet of chain attached to 200 feet of ½ inch, three strand nylon rode.

This anchor set up we have used as mainly for a stern anchor set up to keep the bow of the boat pointing into the waves while at anchor but the 35 Lbs Danforth was a bit too light for this tasks under anything but ideal conditions so I switched to a 45 LBS CQR.

Maiatla’s electronics consisted of a Raytheon Pathfinder 24-mile radar with the display in the cockpit next to the helm. Simrad apparent wind, speed and depth instruments. For long distance communication and for downloading weather faxes, satellite photos, and high-seas weather reports, there is a HAM/SSB high frequency radio; an ICOM 700 pro and a 130 automatic tuner, with fourteen meters of backstay for an antenna. A system which has given exceptional service over the years. In 2012, we installed a PACTOR 4 Modem to our HF radio and using Winlink, we are now able to send and receive e-mails and weather gribs over the radio just about anywhere we are. this systems  in conjunction to using a SMART PHONE with a local chip as a hotspot to access the Internet keeps us pretty well in touch with the world.

Interfaced with a Garmin 48 Global Positioning System,  my laptop computer is equipped with Nobeltec charting software, is our primary navigation system with electronic charts for over half the world. But in case of disaster, we carry a complete set of full size paper charts, most purchased form a Bellingham chart reproducer.

Our passive electrical system consists of a 100-watt Siemens solar panel mounted on the dinghy davits and a pair of 45 watt panels capable of swing outboard, hanging on the life lines, port and starboard aft of the cockpit. If all that solar energy is not enough the 400-watt Air Marine wind generator at the top of the mizzenmast nicely tops the system up the 750 amp hour battery bank.

Just to ensure we had ample power for all of our electrical devices whenever the sun did not shine or the wind would not blow, we carry a 1000 watt gas generator for good measure.  As it turned out, the generator came in very hand over the years.

Maiatla is equipped with hydraulic steering and a Raymarine Automatic Pilot. This has proven itself a dependable system. And the heart of Maiatla’s luxury systems is the Village Marine “Little Wonder.” A 200 US gallon-per-day water maker neatly installed in the engine room. The boat is equipped with a pressure water system with a Bosch, hot water on demand system. Maiatla has two, 75-gallon water tanks and as well as identical tanks for fuel.  With 150 gallons of onboard water and the watermaker to keep them topped up, water has never  been a problem. Maiatla’s power plant and propulsion system consists of a very fuel efficient, 68 horse power Perkins diesel engine.

With 150 gallons of diesel in the main tanks and a 30 gallon reserve tank primarily used for the diesel heater, we had almost 1300 miles of cruising range under power—as long as we kept her at six knots and didn’t use the cabin heater.   I the many years we have owned her, Maiatla has proven herself time after time, to be a capable offshore boat, equipped in a manner that not only provides us with a comfortable and safe home, but affords her crew the self-sufficiency that we cherish so much as we sail about the world.

Regards Andy .