BoatsSea Sprite 30

Sea Sprite 30

Fractional Sloop · Long Keel · First built 1982

A 9.2-metre cruiser with a 41% ballast ratio, delivering a stiff and steady motion for coastal passages

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 30, 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 32 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 32
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.77
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 419
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.7
TenderStiff

41% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 41%

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 30, 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 30 is a 9.2-meter fractional sloop designed by A. E. Luders and built by C. E. Ryder since 1982, featuring a long keel and displacing 4535 kg. Aboard *Hold Fast!*, the S/V SeaSprite transits the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in various conditions, navigating locks, bridges, and dense fog, which sometimes necessitates hand-steering due to autopilot failure. The crew uses the boom and a halyard to remove the original Universal M-18 diesel engine for a repower, planning to install a longer Beta 25 engine that requires custom mounts and joinery modifications.0:06 They practice docking and heaving-to in coastal waters and use FastSeas for passage planning, calculating routes to leverage the Gulf Stream and avoid standing waves.1:23 The boat maintains speeds of 6.5 to 7 knots in flat water on the Chesapeake Bay.1:53

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 26 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Sea Sprite 30 on video

S/V SeaSprite Refit Update 9 September 2026Two Epoch 300Ah batteries replace two Group 24 AGMs in the Sea Sprite 30 refit.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update 8 September 2026Sea SPRITE 30 refit begins at Phipps Boatworks after shrink wrap removal and interior clearing.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update - 4 Sep 2026The S/V SeaSprite has not moved from its current location in six years.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update - 19 August 2026Sea SPRITE 30 refit stalls at Harrington Harbor North awaiting Phipps Boatworks bay space.Hold Fast!The Wreck of the Schooner Mary LouisaA ballad recounts the nor'easter wreck of schooner Mary Louisa on the Ocracoke breakers.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update Late May 2026A Sea SPRITE 30 refit replaces DC breakers with digital switching and converts the icebox to a cold-plate refrigeration system.Hold Fast!Trawler Breaks Free of Mooring. Docks Itself Perfectly Across the River. A Grand Banks trawler breaks free at Sunset Bay Marina and drifts across the Indian River unassisted.Hold Fast!Fall Sailing on the Chesapeake BayThe crew maintains seven knots in flat water while sailing through the Chesapeake Bay.Hold Fast!We Owe You An ExplanationThe crew of the vessel Ketzel confirms communication protocols on VHF channel 27.Hold Fast!48 Hours in OmanThe video contains no substantive information regarding sailing or travel in Oman.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit - Soda Blast CompleteA 1984 Sea Sprite 30 undergoes hull fairing and drying after a complete soda blast.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit - Why?A 30-foot SeaSprite undergoes a winter refit while hauled out at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.Hold Fast!

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
41.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.7
Displacement / length
419.3
Comfort ratio
31.5
Capsize screening
1.77
Hull speed
6.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
747
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1982
Designer
A. E. Luders, Alfred E. Luders
Builder
C. E. Ryder

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Pacific Seacraft Orion 279.42 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA heavy-displacement cutter designed by Henry Mohrschladt for offshore stability and traditional long-keel handling
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Cape Dory 30C9.21 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA cutter-rigged cruiser with a full keel and a 1.27-metre draft, built for steady performance between 1976 and 1987
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Cape Dory 319.55 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed cutter with a long keel, built between 1983 and 1985 for traditional, steady offshore cruising
Cape Dory 31 Delivery0:01from Hold Fast!
Alberg 309.22 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 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
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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 27/28A classic long-keeled fractional sloop designed by A.E. Luders, offering a stable and comfortable ride for coastal cruisingSea 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 23

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