BoatsBuzzards Bay 18

Buzzards Bay 18

Gaffhead Sloop · Keel/centreboard · 1903–1904

A short-lived 1903 day racer with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, known today only through plans and a replica

Designed by N Herreshoff & Nathanael G. Herreshoff, built by Herreshoff Manufacturing.

LOA
Beam
Displacement
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

Shoal draftDraws 0.91 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 20 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 20
CoastalBluewater

1.97 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.97
LightHeavy

339 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 339
EasygoingPowered-up

28.0 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 28.0

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Gaffhead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
28.0
Displacement / length
339.1
Comfort ratio
19.9
Capsize screening
1.97
Hull speed
5.7 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
520
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
1903–1904
Units built
5
Designer
N Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Herreshoff
Builder
Herreshoff Manufacturing

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Paceship Yachts Westwind 247.29 mSame hull family1.6 m shorterA Ted Hood-designed masthead sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration, built for versatility in shoal waters
Hunter Marine 226.78 mSame hull family2.1 m shorterA masthead-rigged trailerable cruiser with a keel-centerboard configuration for flexible draft and coastal access
O'day 23-26.93 mSame hull family1.9 m shorterA masthead keel-centerboard sloop produced in Brazil and the U.S. for over a decade as a popular coastal cruiser
Tartan Marine 34 C10.49 mSame hull family1.7 m longerA Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop featuring a keel-centerboard hull designed for shoal water and IOR competition
Pearson Yachts 3510.67 mSame hull family1.8 m longerBoasting the longest production run of any Pearson model, this keel/centerboard sloop remained largely unchanged for 14 years

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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