BoatsEtchells Class

Etchells Class

Fractional Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1966

A high-performance fractional one-design keelboat that became an international racing icon after the 1966 IYRU trials

Designed by E. W. Etchells, built by David Heritage Racing Yachts.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.13 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,508 kg of hull, so roughly 2,100 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a narrow beam gives 16 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 16
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.88
LightHeavy

139 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 139
EasygoingPowered-up

21.4 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 21.4
TenderStiff

65% of her weight is ballast — very stiff, carrying full sail in a blow.

Ballast 65%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Lighter than ~93% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~77% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~98% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2599 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
65.4%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
21.4
Displacement / length
139.4
Comfort ratio
15.7
Capsize screening
1.88
Hull speed
6.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
550
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1966
Designer
E. W. Etchells
Builder
David Heritage Racing Yachts

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.

Spirit Yachts 30 (McMILLAN)9.15 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA lightweight, narrow-beam fractional sloop from Sean McMillan, designed for modern performance and classic aesthetics
Beneteau First 3109.45 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 9.45-meter fractional sloop with a 1.8-meter fin keel, optimized for a light displacement of 3,199 kilograms
Beneteau First 3009.05 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA Groupe Finot-designed fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio built for spirited club racing
Spirit 329.48 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA Jacques De Ridder-designed IOR 23-footer built for nearly two decades as a stiff, masthead-rigged fin-keel sloop
X-Yachts X-959.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Niels Jeppesen-designed IOR half-tonner with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and an optional taller rig
Jeanneau Rush 319.13 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Ron Holland-designed IOR half-tonner that served as the official boat for the Tour de France à la Voile

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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