Norfolk Oyster

BoatsNorfolk Oyster

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.89 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 599 kg of hull, so roughly 1,200 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 599 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draft shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draftDraws 0.25 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.

LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 11 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 11

CoastalBluewater

2.27 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.27

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 164

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 19.9

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

Narrower than ~84% of boats her size on file

Compared with 280 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

Rig & sail area

Rig

Gunter

Ratios

SA / displacement

19.9

Displacement / length

163.6

Comfort ratio

11.3

Capsize screening

2.27

Hull speed

5.3 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

340

Hull

Hull type

Cbrd w/outboard rudder

Construction

Wood

Production

Years built

First built 1989

Designer

John Leather

Builder

North Norfolk Boatbuilding, Neil Thompson Boats

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.

RS 216.40 mSame hull family1.3 m longer

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Dufour Yachts T66.15 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA lightweight 800kg fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance in light air

Who I am and why the sea is part of my life0:56 from NAUTICPIOLI

Microtonner 195.50 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Nestor Volker to the International Micro Class rule for competitive racing

I Met the Man Who Puts Sailboats Inside the São Francisco River | #SAL #4256:23 from Hashtag Sal

Marshall Marine Corporation Sanderling5.54 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA gaff-rigged catboat based on a 1941 design, featuring a shallow-draft keel-centerboard hull for versatile day sailing

The History of Beneteau Boats11:37 from Practical Sailor

RS Quest4.29 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA 140kg fractional sloop with a centerboard trunk designed for stable, versatile training and family sailing

Sea Cadet National Sailing and Windsurfing Regatta 20250:48 from City Sailing

Drascombe Dabber4.72 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA John Watkinson-designed sprit-rigged daysailer with a centerboard, built since 1970 for shallow-water versatility

Getting Underway - Portland to Boston23:16 from The Mariner

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 Norfolk Oyster

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