BoatsSea Sprite 27/28

Sea Sprite 27/28

Fractional Sloop · Long Keel · 1960–1985

A classic long-keeled fractional sloop designed by A.E. Luders, offering a stable and comfortable ride for coastal cruising

Designed by A. E. Luders & Alfred E. Luders, built by C. E. Ryder.

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

See her sail

The Sea Sprite 27/28, on the water

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

Footage from Hold Fast!

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 moderate beam gives 29 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 29
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.80
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 424
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.1
TenderStiff

39% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 39%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Sea Sprite 27/28, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Sea SPRITE 27/28 is a 8.5-meter fractional sloop designed by A. E. Luders and built by C. E. Ryder from 1960 to 1985. It features a long keel, a 2.7-meter beam, a 1.3-meter draft, and displaces 3447 kg. Aboard *Hold Fast!*, a crew member sailed a Sea SPRITE 27 solo in Manteo, North Carolina, practicing maneuvers like departing a slip, raising the mainsail, heaving to, and solo tacking in 15 to 19 knots of wind.8:17 The crew found that furling the headsail under load would benefit from additional self-tailing winches in the cockpit, and retrieving the anchor was physically demanding without a windlass.9:55 This solo outing focused on building confidence and practicing boat handling and reefing procedures after challenging offshore passages.

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
39.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.1
Displacement / length
424.1
Comfort ratio
28.8
Capsize screening
1.80
Hull speed
6.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
631
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1960–1985
Designer
A. E. Luders, Alfred E. Luders
Builder
C. E. Ryder

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.

Cape Dory 278.25 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hull
Cape Dory 27 Voyager Edition Refit Tourfrom Atom Voyager
Pacific Seacraft Dana 248.31 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA heavy-displacement W.I.B. Crealock cutter designed for offshore stability and serious coastal cruising
Diagnosis, Troubleshooting, and a mini shakedown in San Diego - Dana 24 - (Dec 2018)from keeldragger
Alberg 309.22 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA 25-year production classic with a heavy displacement-to-length ratio that remains a capable choice for offshore passages
Solo Ocean Sailing: Expert Tactics & Survival Tips for Sailing Alone at Sea4:42from Practical Sailor
Bristol Yachts 278.28 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Carl Alberg-designed masthead sloop with a long keel, built for over a decade as a stable, traditional cruiser
Marcelo the Sailor: "I am driven by challenges"4:34from Podcast Maré Sonora ®
Sea Sprite 309.20 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA 9.2-metre cruiser with a 41% ballast ratio, delivering a stiff and steady motion for coastal passages
S/V SeaSprite - Hailstorm in Blackbeard’s Lairfrom Hold Fast!
Pacific Seacraft Orion 279.42 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA heavy-displacement cutter designed by Henry Mohrschladt for offshore stability and traditional long-keel handling
Small Boat, Big Keel Why This 27 Footer Works3:15from 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.

Sea Sprite 30A 9.2-metre cruiser with a 41% ballast ratio, delivering a stiff and steady motion for coastal passagesSea Sprite 34A 10.3-metre fractional sloop with a long keel, also marketed as the Luders 34Sea Sprite 23 (Daysailer)A Carl Alberg-designed fractional sloop with a long keel, built for over two decades as a classic daysailerSea Sprite 23 (Weekender)A Carl Alberg-designed fractional sloop with a long keel, built since 1958 and also known as the Alberg 23Luders 21A slender fractional sloop from A.E. Luders, featuring a fin keel with bulb for light-displacement performance

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