BoatsRhodes Idler

Rhodes Idler

Fractional Sloop · Fin Keel · First built 1946

A 1946 fractional sloop with a fin keel, offering a classic, balanced design for coastal daysailing

Designed by Philip L. Rhodes, built by Kargard (USA) Estlander.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin Keel

Is it for you?

Character

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

Shoal draftDraws 1.17 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 27 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 27
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.76
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 335
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.4
TenderStiff

22% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 22%

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

  • Narrower than ~79% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1547 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
Ballast / displacement
21.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.4
Displacement / length
334.8
Comfort ratio
27.0
Capsize screening
1.76
Hull speed
6.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
572
Hull
Hull type
Fin Keel
Construction
Wood - planked mahogany
Production
Years built
First built 1946
Designer
Philip L. Rhodes
Builder
Kargard (USA) Estlander, Engine Co

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.

Ericson Yachts 278.15 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA Bruce King-designed masthead sloop with over 1,200 built, offering a stiff, stable platform for coastal cruising
Puma 268.00 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA masthead sloop derived from an IOR Half Ton prototype, designed by Holman and Pye for competitive performance
Catalina Yachts 278.18 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA masthead sloop with 6,662 hulls produced over two decades, serving as a staple of coastal cruising since 1971
Coronado Yachts 278.13 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA William Tripp Jr. design featuring a masthead sloop rig and fin keel, sharing a near-identical hull with the Columbia 27
Puma 277.95 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Ron Holland-designed masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, built for performance-oriented coastal cruising
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 267.47 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Philippe Briand-designed fractional sloop built for coastal cruising with a stiff, stable hull form

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.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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