BoatsHughes 31

Hughes 31

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1979

A stretched and widened evolution of the North Star 1000, originally offered as a kit-built masthead sloop

Designed by Sparkman & Stephens.

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.

LivelySea-kindly

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

Comfort ratio 26
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.86
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 294
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.5
TenderStiff

37% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 37%

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
36.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.5
Displacement / length
293.9
Comfort ratio
26.2
Capsize screening
1.86
Hull speed
6.6 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
829
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1979
Designer
Sparkman, Stephens
Builder
Hughes Boat Works Ltd

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 329.48 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Jacques De Ridder-designed IOR 23-footer built for nearly two decades as a stiff, masthead-rigged fin-keel sloop
Cal Boats 309.14 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterOffered with an optional tall rig, this masthead sloop served as the predecessor to the 2-30 series
Contessa 329.75 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 1973 London Boat Show winner with a skeg-hung rudder and a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 47 percent
Catalina Yachts 309.12 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterOne of the most successful production yachts in history, with over 6,000 hulls built during a 32-year run
Maxi Yachts 959.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 9.5-metre masthead sloop produced for a decade, featuring a skeg-hung rudder for predictable coastal handling
Dufour Yachts 319.40 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1973 masthead sloop featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a comfortable, stable design for coastal cruising

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

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