BoatsSandpiper 15

Sandpiper 15

Gaff head Cat · Centerboard (Trunk) · First built 1972

A Breck Marshall-designed gaff-rigged catboat with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited light-air sailing

Designed by Breck Marshall, built by Marshall Marine Corporation.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Centerboard (Trunk)

See her sail

The Sandpiper 15, on the water

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

Footage from Atom Voyager

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.16 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 476 kg of hull, so roughly 1,100 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 476 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 0.41 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 8 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 8
CoastalBluewater

At 2.79 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.79
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 146
EasygoingPowered-up

25.8 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 25.8
TenderStiff

19% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 19%

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

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
19.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Gaff head Cat
Ratios
SA / displacement
25.8
Displacement / length
146.1
Comfort ratio
8.0
Capsize screening
2.79
Hull speed
5.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
373
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard (Trunk)
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1972
Designer
Breck Marshall
Builder
Marshall Marine Corporation

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.

Farr 50005.08 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA Bruce Farr-designed fractional sloop featuring a swing keel and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively performance
Microtonner 195.50 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Nestor Volker to the International Micro Class rule for competitive racing
RS Quest4.29 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA 140kg fractional sloop with a centerboard trunk designed for stable, versatile training and family sailing
Marshall Marine Corporation Sanderling5.54 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA gaff-rigged catboat based on a 1941 design, featuring a shallow-draft keel-centerboard hull for versatile day sailing
Drascombe Dabber4.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA John Watkinson-designed sprit-rigged daysailer with a centerboard, built since 1970 for shallow-water versatility
Open 5.005.00 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA high-performance sport boat from Jean Marie Finot featuring a rotating spar and an ultra-light displacement

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.

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