Pearson Yachts 303

BoatsPearson Yachts 303

See her sail

The Pearson Yachts 303, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Practical Sailor

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 beamy beam gives 24 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 24

CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 2.02

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 276

EasygoingPowered-up

15.8 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 15.8

TenderStiff

35% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 35%

A balanced, easily-driven cruiser — comfortable and forgiving for coastal work.

Draws less than ~79% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2560 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Pearson Yachts 303, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Pearson Yachts 303 is a 9.2-meter masthead sloop designed by William H. Shaw and built by Pearson Yachts from 1983 to 1986. It features a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg, a 3.3-meter beam, a 1.3-meter draft, and displaces 4581 kg. An updated version in 1984 moved the traveler to the cabin trunk and added a chart table, with displacement increasing to 10,400 lbs. Beginning in 1985, the Yanmar 2GM20F 16hp engine was installed. Early hulls had balsa core in the bottom and horizontal deck areas, later switching to solid layup.4:51 Aboard S/V Quetzal, a Pearson Yachts 303 experienced an in-boom furling drum issue and a propeller shaft coupling separation during a Chesapeake Bay cruise, requiring the crew to prioritize sailing for the return trip.12:19

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

34.6%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

15.8

Displacement / length

276.1

Comfort ratio

24.1

Capsize screening

2.02

Hull speed

6.8 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

990

Hull

Hull type

Fin with rudder on skeg

Construction

FRP w/balsa core bottom/solid topsides

Ballast type

Lead

Production

Years built

1983–1986

Designer

William H. Shaw

Builder

Pearson Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

Cal Boats 309.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthOffered with an optional tall rig, this masthead sloop served as the predecessor to the 2-30 series

Salt & Tar: Story of Us #1 Black Pearl and a Caribbean Island15:55 from Salt & Tar

Granada Yachts 309.18 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 30-foot fractional sloop with a 1.65-meter draft, designed for balanced, performance-oriented cruising

Capsized in 20-meter waves: Are Wiig on the drama in the Southern Ocean | Bearing on Sailing2:53 from SEILmagasinet

Islander Yachts Bahama 309.12 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1973-1985 production masthead sloop sharing its hull with the Islander 30 MKII and featuring a balanced fin keel

Diesel Overheating Dinghy Pump Hack3:07 from Practical Sailor

Seafarer Yachts 309.13 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead sloop available with a tall rig and keel centerboard, distinct from the earlier Tripp-designed model

Sailboats at Every Budget: What You Get for $10K, $100K, $500K & $1M3:57 from The Sailing Doodles Podcast

Nonsuch 309.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 30-foot cruiser with a 43% ballast ratio, offering a stable and stiff platform for coastal cruising

The Sailboat With No Wires Holding Up the Mast from Lady K Sailing

C&C Yachts 30-1 (1-506)9.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthWith a 12-year production run, this masthead sloop stands as the longest-built model in the C&C lineup.

Sailor of the Month - Randy Stafford3:50 from American Sailing

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.

Pearson Yachts 323A William Shaw-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability with a skeg-mounted rudder and shoal-draft keel Pearson Yachts 33-2A William Shaw-designed masthead sloop built for a decade, balancing a fin keel with spade rudder for responsive handling Pearson Yachts 300A William H. Shaw-designed pilothouse motorsailer sharing the long-keel hull of the Wanderer 30 Pearson Yachts 33A keel-centerboard masthead sloop with a 2.31-metre maximum draft, designed for versatile performance in varied depths Pearson Yachts 27A shallow-draft wing-keel masthead sloop designed by William Shaw for accessible cruising in shoal waters Pearson Yachts 36-2A 1980s production masthead sloop with a high-aspect fin keel and spade rudder, optimized for performance cruising

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