BoatsVictory 21

Victory 21

Masthead Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · 1959–1980

A high-performance one-design sloop with a 24.9 SA/D ratio, produced across four decades by builders including Catalina.

Designed by Ted Carpentier, built by Henry R. McCune.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

See her sail

The Victory 21, on the water

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

Footage from All About Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.91 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 612 kg of hull, so roughly 1,200 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draftDraws 0.91 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 narrow beam gives 11 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 11
CoastalBluewater

2.26 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.26
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 179
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 24.9
TenderStiff

37% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 37%

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

  • Lighter than ~92% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~78% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~96% of boats her size on file

Compared with 768 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Victory 21, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Victory 21 is a 6.4-meter masthead sloop designed by Ted Carpentier, built from 1959 to 1980, and originally conceived as a one-design class boat. It features a fin keel with a spade rudder, a 1.9-meter beam, a 0.9-meter draft, and displaces 612 kg. Henry R. McCune first built 126 units before selling the operation to Wesco Marine in 1964, which introduced a self-bailing cockpit and a sliding cabin hatch.1:24 Coronado Yachts produced the boat between 1969 and 1970, and later, Catalina Yachts resumed production, rebranding it as the Capri Victory.1:07 The Aurora 21 shares the same hull design but features a larger cabin.

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
37.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
24.9
Displacement / length
178.6
Comfort ratio
10.8
Capsize screening
2.26
Hull speed
5.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
335
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Iron
Production
Years built
1959–1980
Units built
690
Designer
Ted Carpentier
Builder
Henry R. McCune, Wesco Marine, Coronado Yachts

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.

Santana 206.16 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA high-performance fractional sloop with a 1996 deck redesign that added an open transom and a roomier cockpit
Episode 1 - The Beginning10:05from Vela Sin Rumbo
Bavaria Yachts 6066.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA lightweight 6.5-meter fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited coastal sailing
Captain's Log Day 3: Things That Go Bump in the Night (3/10)4:19from Be The Captain
Borge Bringsvaerd Bb116.18 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Norwegian-built classic with an active class association that has raced continuously since the 1960s
Join us inside the Dragon's Lair: 11 Dragons and a handful of fast cars13:53from SEILmagasinet
J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/226.86 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio designed for competitive one-design racing
Sailing a J22 in Newport Beach, CA (July 2022)0:30from keeldragger
J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/247.32 mSame hull family0.9 m longerThe world's most popular one-design keelboat, featuring a light 1406kg displacement for responsive, agile handling
Everything You Think About Sailing Is Wrong3:59from The Sailing Doodles Podcast
Jaguar 257.62 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA Frank Butler-designed masthead sloop with a deep fin keel, offering a similar layout to the popular Catalina 25
Log Books and Boats1:38from Sailing Gently

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.

Victory (Cowes)A long-keeled fractional sloop based on a 1904 design, maintaining an active one-design racing fleet at Cowes since 1934Victoire Yachts 22A 1961 masthead sloop with a shallow 0.95-metre draft and a 41% ballast ratio for stability in shoal watersVictoria 26 (Mcvay)A rare masthead sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration, with perhaps only three examples still sailing today

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