The Shannon 43 is the perfect boat for a couple to sail and live aboard anywhere in the world, while maintaining a comfortable lifestyle. The 43 is manageable underway by one person, but can provide accommodations for as many as eight.

Over the last 15 years, fifty two Shannon 43's have been built and are sailing the world. The Shannon 43 combines excellent offshore sailing characteristics with good speed in even light air on all points of sail, and provides exceptional seaworthiness. Excellent forward visibility makes the 43 a pleasure to sail or dock.

The design intent of the Shannon 43 hull was to create a boat that would perform well in the wide range of wind and sea conditions experienced by the offshore cruising sailor. Any boat, regardless of size, represents a series of compromises, and each sailor must balance these trade-offs when making a selection. For instance, it is not difficult to design a sailboat that will just go fast in light winds. The designer draws a boat with very light displacement and a bolt-on fin keel. In order to be light, the boat must be built to minimal construction standards, and the water and fuel capacity, stowage, and machinery restricted to save weight. To complicate things further, a boat that is one knot faster at 5 knots of wind is not necessarily one knot faster in 15 knots of wind. Conversely, a very heavy boat can provide lavish accommodations and tankage, but it will pay a large penalty in light to moderate winds.