BoatsHughes 36

Hughes 36

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1971

A William H. Tripp Jr. design built from Columbia 34 tooling, featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder

Designed by William H. Tripp Jr.

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 narrow beam gives 31 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 31
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.72
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 279
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.5
TenderStiff

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

Ballast 36%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
36.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.5
Displacement / length
279.1
Comfort ratio
31.0
Capsize screening
1.72
Hull speed
7.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
990
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1971
Designer
William H. Tripp Jr
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.

S2 Yachts 35C10.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-lived 1986-1987 masthead sloop with a shallow 1.3-meter draft and a balanced 43% ballast ratio
Hallberg-Rassy 35210.59 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA classic center-cockpit cruiser from Enderlein and Rassy, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff, stable hull
Hughes 3510.82 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop derived from design #2166, featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder
Herreshoff Manufacturing Newport 2910.84 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1914 Nathanael Herreshoff design featuring a fin keel and gaff-rigged sloop sail plan for classic performance
Contessa 3510.82 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Doug Peterson-designed IOR One Ton racer that claimed the 1974 International One Ton Cup with her prototype Gumboots
Westerly Yachts Ltd. Oceanquest 3510.81 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn Ed Dubois-designed cruiser sharing its proven hull with the Seahawk and Falcon, available in center or aft cockpit layouts

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.

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