BoatsPearson Yachts 424 Ketch

Pearson Yachts 424 Ketch

Masthead Ketch · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1981–1985

A masthead ketch featuring an aft cockpit layout and a 1.6-metre draft for versatile coastal and offshore cruising

Designed by William H. Shaw.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Pearson Yachts 424 Ketch, 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.

LivelyComfort 29Sea-kindly
CoastalCapsize 1.89Bluewater
LightD/L 246Heavy
EasygoingSA/D 13.1Powered-up
TenderBallast 36%Stiff

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Draws less than ~86% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2628 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

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
36.4%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.1
Displacement / length
245.6
Comfort ratio
29.4
Capsize screening
1.89
Hull speed
7.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1564
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1981–1985
Units built
225
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.

Pearson Yachts 41912.73 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA short-lived 1970s production run designed for the charter trade, featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and shoal draft
We're Cutting Off our Keel (Part 2 of 4) | Step 4492:26from Sailing Uma
Moody 4212.74 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA masthead ketch offered with a center cockpit and an optional inside steering station for all-weather cruising
The refit continues [Ep. 136]0:36from Sailing Supernova
Grand Soleil 40 (Polli)12.90 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Matteo Polli-designed fractional sloop optimized for ORC competition with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio
Sailing Alone in Fog Without Losing Your Cool11:09from The Mariner
Catalina Yachts 4212.76 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-volume cruiser built on a Nelson/Marek racing hull, featuring a masthead rig and a 1.83-metre fin keel
Why the Catalina 42 Took Over the Caribbeanfrom Practical Sailor
Valiant Yachts 4212.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed offshore cutter featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a heavy displacement hull for blue-water stability
Matt Rutherford // Around the Arctic (in a Valiant This Time!)6:36from 59° North Sailing
Swan 43 (S&S)13.04 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthDrawn for the RORC rule, this masthead sloop features a high ballast-to-displacement ratio for a stiff, stable ride
113. Pedro Millet, the silver medal that changed everything.4:07from A Son de Mar

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 424 CutterA versatile cutter with a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, offering a stable 1.6-metre draft for blue water passagesPearson Yachts 422A center cockpit cruiser featuring a cutter rig and a skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stabilityPearson Yachts 419A short-lived 1970s production run designed for the charter trade, featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and shoal draftPearson Yachts 365 KetchA William Shaw-designed masthead ketch built for comfortable cruising with a shallow draft and a skeg-mounted rudderPearson Yachts 390A William Shaw-designed cutter built for the charter trade that served as the hull foundation for the 419, 424, and 422Pearson Yachts 323A William Shaw-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability with a skeg-mounted rudder and shoal-draft keel

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