BoatsHerreshoff 15

Herreshoff 15

Gaffhead Sloop · Keel/centreboard · First built 1902

A classic gaff-rigged keel-centerboarder from 1902, later updated with a modernized rig by Sidney Herreshoff

Designed by Nathanael G. Herreshoff.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
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.

TrailerableBeam 2.03 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,270 kg of hull, so roughly 1,850 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draftDraws 0.71 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 19 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 19
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.90
LightHeavy

370 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 370
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 26.6
TenderStiff

36% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 36%

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

  • Narrower than ~96% of boats her size on file

Compared with 606 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
35.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Gaffhead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
26.6
Displacement / length
370.4
Comfort ratio
19.3
Capsize screening
1.90
Hull speed
5.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
357
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Wood
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1902
Designer
Nathanael G. Herreshoff
Builder
Herreshoff Mfg. Co

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.

Deltania Yachts 267.92 mSame hull family0.5 m longer
She Bought a Sailboat Instead of an Apartment to Live In | #SAL #3576:33from Hashtag Sal
Paceship Yachts Westwind 247.29 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Ted Hood-designed masthead sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration, built for versatility in shoal waters
Potential Sailboat Restoration: Bringing a Classic Back to Life?6:18from BoatworksToday
RS 216.40 mSame hull family1.1 m shorter
Training Sea Cadet Instructors | RS21 Keelboat Sailing – Welsh Harp1:37from City Sailing
Chrysler Marine 226.71 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA 6.7-metre masthead sloop produced as the C-22 and T-22 Sandpiper, featuring a swing keel for shallow-water access
Why Sailboats Don’t Tip Over (and Other Sailing Questions Answered!) - ep 344 - Lady K Sailingfrom Lady K Sailing
Cal Boats 247.43 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthThe inaugural Jensen Marine Cal model, this fractional keel-centerboard sloop was built for shoal-water versatility
Aladino Sails The Pacific Alone.2:08from Sailing Magic Carpet
O'day 23-26.93 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA masthead keel-centerboard sloop produced in Brazil and the U.S. for over a decade as a popular coastal cruiser
The Taxi Driver and the Pharmacist Who Decided to Live on a Sailboat | #SAL #1602:29from Hashtag Sal

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.

Buzzards Bay 15A 1899 gaff-rigged keel-centerboarder with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and a long, active production historyWatch Hill 15A fiberglass daysailer built to a 1922 Herreshoff design that remains an active one-design racerHerreshoff 12 1/2A legendary gaff-rigged daysailer designed by Nathanael Herreshoff, still actively raced in both wood and fiberglassHerreshoff Manufacturing Seawanhaka One-DesignA 1916 Nathanael Herreshoff design, this fractional sloop features a long keel and classic lines for one-design racingHerreshoff Manufacturing Co. S-ClassA durable one-design racer with over 70 hulls still active, built for the Seawanhaka Corinthian YC from 1919 to 1941

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

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

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Herreshoff 15

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