BoatsCompass 29

Compass 29

Masthead Sloop · Long Keel · 1974–1981

A long-keeled masthead sloop featuring increased freeboard and interior volume over its predecessor

Designed by Gunter Heuchmer & Don Lees.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 26 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 26
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.85
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 307
EasygoingPowered-up

12.3 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 12.3
TenderStiff

48% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 48%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
47.9%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
12.3
Displacement / length
306.7
Comfort ratio
25.9
Capsize screening
1.85
Hull speed
6.4 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
736
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1974–1981
Units built
375
Designer
Gunter Heuchmer, Don Lees
Builder
Compass Yachts Ltd, NZ)

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.

Pearson Yachts-USA Triton8.63 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Carl Alberg-designed long-keel fractional sloop that pioneered fiberglass cruising and saw international production.
Pacific Seacraft Dana 248.31 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA heavy-displacement W.I.B. Crealock cutter designed for offshore stability and serious coastal cruising
Vindo 328.95 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA classic Carl Andersson-designed masthead sloop featuring a long keel and traditional build for stable, comfortable cruising
Vancouver 278.23 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA Robert B. Harris-designed cutter with a long keel, built across two continents to provide a stiff, comfortable passage
Island Packet 278.08 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA Robert K. Johnson-designed cutter with a long keel, built for stability and comfort in a compact 8-meter package
Bayfield 30/329.75 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA rare 32C variant featuring a tall rig, built in a limited run of five hulls for increased sail area

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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