BoatsCape Cod Shipbuilding Shields

Cape Cod Shipbuilding Shields

Fractional Sloop · Fin Keel · First built 1962

A Sparkman & Stephens fractional sloop commissioned in 1962 as a fiberglass successor to the International One-Design

Designed by Sparkman & Stephens.

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

See her sail

The Cape Cod Shipbuilding Shields, on the water

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

Footage from SEILmagasinet

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 26 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 26
CoastalBluewater

At 1.55 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.55
LightHeavy

257 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 257
EasygoingPowered-up

21.0 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 21.0
TenderStiff

67% of her weight is ballast — very stiff, carrying full sail in a blow.

Ballast 67%

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

  • Lighter than ~82% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~99% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2551 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Cape Cod Shipbuilding Shields, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Cape Cod Shipbuilding Shields is a 9.2-meter fractional sloop with a fin keel, designed by Sparkman & Stephens and first built in 1962. Cornelius Shields commissioned the design as a fiberglass replacement for the International One-Design. The boat displaces 2086 kg, has a 2.0-meter beam, and draws 1.4 meters. Chris Craft was the first builder of the Shields.

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
67.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
21.0
Displacement / length
256.7
Comfort ratio
25.9
Capsize screening
1.55
Hull speed
6.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
459
Hull
Hull type
Fin Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1962
Units built
220
Designer
Sparkman, Stephens
Builder
Cape Cod Shipbuilding

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.

Brresen Badebyggeri Knarr9.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA classic Erling Kristoffersen design, this narrow-beamed fractional sloop has been a competitive one-design racer since 1946
Spirit 329.48 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Jacques De Ridder-designed IOR 23-footer built for nearly two decades as a stiff, masthead-rigged fin-keel sloop
Spirit Yachts 30 (McMILLAN)9.15 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA lightweight, narrow-beam fractional sloop from Sean McMillan, designed for modern performance and classic aesthetics
Maxi Yachts 959.50 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 9.5-metre masthead sloop produced for a decade, featuring a skeg-hung rudder for predictable coastal handling
Granada Yachts 309.18 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 30-foot fractional sloop with a 1.65-meter draft, designed for balanced, performance-oriented cruising
Hunter Marine 319.55 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Cortland Steck design featuring a B&R rig and a fin keel, built for coastal cruising between 1983 and 1987

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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The fleet has more to say

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