Rawson 30

BoatsRawson 30

See her sail

The Rawson 30, on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Spy

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 40 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 40

CoastalBluewater

At 1.58 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.58

LightHeavy

503 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 503

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 13.0

TenderStiff

42% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 42%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Rawson 30, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Rawson 30 is a masthead sloop designed by William Garden and built by Ron Rawson, Inc. from 1958 to 1984, with a long keel, a 9.3 m LOA, a 2.7 m beam, a 1.5 m draft, and a displacement of 5443 kg. The model was offered in multiple configurations, including a tall-rig sloop, a yawl conversion with a bowsprit, and a small number of pilot house versions. Aboard *Sailing Spy*, the crew prepared their Rawson 30 for a four-month lay-up in Pinasco, Mexico, flushing the watermaker membrane with biocide, servicing the inboard and outboard engines, and replacing a broken nylon chaser on the solent stay halyard with Dyneema.2:43 They disassembled and greased the original 1979 Morocco-style bronze seacocks, wrapped deck gear for dust and UV protection, and removed side solar panels to reduce windage.16:39

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

The channels sailing this model, and where they were last seen.

Sailing SpyAaron, Allie, and their cat Eloise document their experiences cruising and maintaining their Rawson 30, Spy, along the coast of mainland Mexico.

Seen 2 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Rawson 30 on video

Boat Yard Chaos - Prepping Our Boat For The DesertA Rawson 30 is laid up for four months in the Sonoran Desert with full engine, watermaker, and rigging prep.Sailing Spy

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

41.7%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

13.0

Displacement / length

503.1

Comfort ratio

40.5

Capsize screening

1.58

Hull speed

6.3 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

707

Hull

Hull type

Long Keel

Construction

Fiberglass

Ballast type

Concrete

Production

Years built

1958–1984

Units built

252

Designer

William Garden

Builder

Ron Rawson, Inc.), Rawson (Ron Rawson

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.

Alden 32 Motor Sailer9.60 mSame hull family0.3 m longerOriginally known as the Winsome Class, this masthead sloop features a long keel and was available in both sloop and ketch

I SOLO SAILED to THE ISTHMUS18:45 from Sailing Solé

Allied Boat Co. Seawind9.30 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Thomas Gillmer-designed masthead ketch with a long keel, marking both the beginning and the end of the Allied Boat Co.

5 Overbuilt Hulls Proving You Don't Need a $500,000 Yacht0:45 from Knot Your Average Boat

Beneteau Evasion 329.70 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA long-keeled masthead ketch that launched the Evasion line and marked a new era for Beneteau

The Cheapest Sailboat That's Actually A Perfect Cruiser 👌0:05 from Reversing Entropy

Rustler 319.58 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a long keel, evolved from the North Sea 24 and sharing lineage with the Twister 31

Air Tools: The Secret to a Perfect Finish | Practical Boat Owner0:07 from practicalboatowner

Sea Sprite 309.20 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 9.2-metre cruiser with a 41% ballast ratio, delivering a stiff and steady motion for coastal passages

Trawler Breaks Free of Mooring. Docks Itself Perfectly Across the River. from Hold Fast!

Pacific Seacraft Orion 279.42 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement cutter designed by Henry Mohrschladt for offshore stability and traditional long-keel handling

Small Boat, Big Keel Why This 27 Footer Works3:15 from Practical Sailor

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.

Rawson 26A Ben Seaborn-designed masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, built for performance since 1960 Ranger Yachts 30A C. Raymond Hunt design featuring a taller rig and deeper keel than her sister-ship, the O'Day 30 Pearson Yachts 30A prolific Bill Shaw design with over 1,000 built, this masthead sloop features a fin keel and spade rudder Seafarer Yachts 30A masthead sloop available with a tall rig and keel centerboard, distinct from the earlier Tripp-designed model Alberg 30A 25-year production classic with a heavy displacement-to-length ratio that remains a capable choice for offshore passages Pearson Yachts Coaster 30A masthead sloop available with an optional yawl rig, featuring a fin keel and a rare, unbuilt daysailer variant

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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