BoatsBuzzards Bay 15

Buzzards Bay 15

Gaffhead Sloop · Keel/centreboard · 1899–1928

A 1899 gaff-rigged keel-centerboarder with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and a long, active production history

Designed by Nathaniel Herreshoff & Nathanael G. Herreshoff, built by Herreshoff Mfg. Co.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.03 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,103 kg of hull, so roughly 1,700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 1,103 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draughtDraws 0.71 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 17 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 17
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.99
LightHeavy

322 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 322
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 29.4
TenderStiff

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

Ballast 41%

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

  • Narrower than ~96% of boats her size on file

Compared with 606 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
41.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Gaffhead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
29.4
Displacement / length
321.7
Comfort ratio
16.8
Capsize screening
1.99
Hull speed
5.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
357
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Wood
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1899–1928
Units built
92
Designer
Nathaniel Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Herreshoff
Builder
Herreshoff Mfg. Co

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

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.

RS 216.40 mSame hull family1.1 m shorter
Training Sea Cadet Instructors | RS21 Keelboat Sailing – Welsh Harp1:37from City Sailing
Deltania Yachts 267.92 mSame hull family0.5 m longer
She Bought a Sailboat Instead of an Apartment to Live In | #SAL #3576:33from Hashtag Sal
Paceship Yachts Westwind 247.29 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Ted Hood-designed masthead sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration, built for versatility in shoal waters
Fiberglass Over Old Thru-Hulls — Permanent Repair!!from BoatworksToday
Chrysler Marine 226.71 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA 6.7-metre masthead sloop produced as the C-22 and T-22 Sandpiper, featuring a swing keel for shallow-water access
No More Anchoring in Florida?! - Ep 329 - Lady K Sailingfrom Lady K Sailing
Catalina Yachts 227.26 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA prolific masthead sloop with 15,000 built, offering a versatile swing-keel design for trailerable coastal cruising
The ZERO KEEL and ALPHA RUDDER - Are Kraken Yachts Really THAT GOOD?9:27from Practical Sailor
O'day 23-26.93 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA masthead keel-centerboard sloop produced in Brazil and the U.S. for over a decade as a popular coastal cruiser
Juliano and the sailboat Tupã12:35from Podcast Maré Sonora ®

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Buzzards Bay 25A 1914 keel-centreboard gaff sloop with a 1.98-metre draft, originally commissioned for the Beverly Yacht ClubBuzzards Bay 18A short-lived 1903 day racer with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, known today only through plans and a replicaHerreshoff 15A classic gaff-rigged keel-centerboarder from 1902, later updated with a modernized rig by Sidney HerreshoffWatch Hill 15A fiberglass daysailer built to a 1922 Herreshoff design that remains an active one-design racer

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Buzzards Bay 15

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