Fia is a 1978 Oyster 39 Heritage centre cockpit ketch, built for comfortable offshore cruising and well suited to extended time aboard. She has clearly benefited from careful ownership and ongoing investment, with recent upgrades focused on practical cruising comfort, onboard independence and reliability.

Her two-cabin, two-head layout works particularly well for couples, families or visiting guests, offering a spacious aft owner’s cabin, forward guest cabin and convertible saloon berth. The secure centre cockpit provides excellent visibility underway together with a sociable outdoor space for relaxing at anchor or in harbour.

The ketch rig gives flexible and manageable sail handling, especially useful for short-handed sailing and longer passages, while the removable inner forestay allows for an effective heavy weather sail setup when needed. Teak decks were replaced from original and remain in good serviceable condition.

Recent improvements include substantial solar capacity, Victron charging and inverter systems, water maker installation, upgraded sanitation systems and preventative hull epoxy works completed in 2025. Combined with her generous storage, practical cruising inventory and EU VAT paid status, Fia presents as a capable and well-equipped cruising yacht ready for further use with minimal preparation.

Highlights:

• EU VAT Paid
• Oyster 39 Heritage designed by Holman & Pye
• Ketch rig with removable inner forestay
• Standing rigging replaced (2005)
• 750W solar array (2023)
• Victron Multiplus charger/inverter system (2023)
• Schenker Zen water maker (2024)
• Preventative epoxy hull treatment completed (2025)
• Teak decks replaced from original
• Two cabin, two head layout
• Perkins 4.236 75hp diesel engine
• Highfield Ultralite tender with Tohatsu 9.8hp outboard
• Electric windlass with wireless remote
• Large refrigeration and freezer capacity
• New sail bags

CONSTRUCTION

• Oyster 39 Heritage
• Designed by Holman & Pye
• Built by Oyster Marine
• Built in 1978
• GRP hull construction
• GRP deck and superstructure
• Centre cockpit configuration
• Ketch rig
• Teak laid decks replaced from original
• Approximate teak thickness remaining 8mm in most areas
• Teak decks fastened primarily around hatch areas only
• Hull epoxy barrier coat removed and renewed with 5 new coats, 7 total coats applied (2025)
• Preventative osmosis protection treatment completed (2025)

DIMENSIONS

• LOA: Approx. 11.89m (39ft 0in)
• Beam: Approx. 3.66m (12ft 0in)
• Draft: Approx. 1.68m (5ft 6in)

MECHANICAL

• Perkins 4.236 marine diesel engine
• 75hp
• Shaft drive
• Sea water cooled
• Engine described as heavily built commercial-grade diesel design

PERFORMANCE

• Ketch rig offering flexible sail combinations
• Suitable for short-handed cruising
• Good downwind sailing inventory with twin poles

TANKAGE

• Black water holding tanks replaced/new plumbing (2023)

ELECTRICAL

• 24v onboard electrical system
• 750W solar array (2023)
• 450W wind turbine
• Victron Multiplus 2 charger/inverter 240v/24v-70-3000W (2023)
• 230Ah 24v sealed lead acid domestic battery bank (2023)
• Sealed lead acid engine start battery (2022)
• 24v to 12v 30A DC-DC converter
• USB charging points in cabins, saloon and cockpit
• Exterior cockpit lighting

RIGGING

• Ketch rig
• Standing rigging replaced (2005)
• Running rigging including blocks and tackle replaced/updated (2024)
• Removable inner forestay
• Rig configured for working jib and storm sail
• Twin whisker/spinnaker poles

SAILS

• 120% genoa in good condition
• Spare genoa onboard
• Mainsail serviceable condition
• Mizzen sail replaced (2025)
• Working jib
• Storm sail
• Sail bags for mainsail and mizzen
• New sail bags
• No spinnaker included

NAVIGATION

• Neco autopilot

DECK

• Teak laid decks replaced from original
• Dinghy davits
• Seawolf 1200W anchor windlass
• Wireless windlass remote
• 20kg Spade anchor
• 55m x 10mm anchor chain
• 40m 32mm 12-plait rode
• Blake’s bronze seacocks throughout
• Seacocks reported in good working condition
• Deck shower
• Deck seating included
• 50m stern lines on spools x2

SAFETY

• Liferaft (2023)
• Liferaft service and warranty valid until 2028
• Lifejackets x4
• Two lifejackets replaced (2024)
• Storm sail setup
• Inner forestay arrangement for heavy weather sailing

ACCOMMODATION

• Two cabin layout
• Two heads compartments
• Large aft owner’s cabin
• Forward guest cabin
• Convertible saloon berth
• Pilot berths converted to storage/workshop spaces
• Good standing headroom throughout for taller crew

LAYOUT:

Centre cockpit layout with private aft owner’s cabin and separate forward guest cabin arrangement. Spacious saloon with additional occasional berth conversion and practical storage solutions adapted for extended cruising use.

DOMESTIC:

Large refrigerator approximately 130L capacity with freezer box. Separate freezer compartment approximately 80L with independent compressor. Two electric macerator toilets with renewed plumbing (2023). Schenker Zen 50L/hr water maker (2024). Portable 4kg washing machine included onboard. Fans fitted in cabins and saloon.

CANVAS

• Sail bags for mainsail and mizzen
• New sail bags

TENDER

• Highfield 260 Ultralite tender (2023)
• Tohatsu 9.8hp two-stroke outboard (2023)
• Outboard weight approximately 26kg

MISCELLANEOUS

• Honda 1kW portable outboard generator
• Extensive liveaboard and cruising inventory
• EU VAT Paid

KNOWN DEFECTS

• None

HISTORY

Fia is a 1978 Oyster 39 purchased by her current owners in 2021 from what is understood to have been her second owners. During the current ownership period the yacht has benefitted from substantial investment focused on practical cruising capability, onboard independence and preventative maintenance.

Recent works include upgraded electrical systems with Victron charging and inverter equipment, substantial solar generation capacity, installation of a water maker, updated sanitation systems and preventative hull epoxy treatment completed in 2025.