BoatsElizabethan 31

Elizabethan 31

Masthead Sloop · Long Keel · First built 1968

A David Thomas-designed long-keeled masthead sloop with a 50% ballast ratio, built for stability and offshore comfort

Designed by David Thomas, built by Peter Webster Ltd.

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

See her sail

The Elizabethan 31, on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Gently

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 34 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 34
CoastalBluewater

At 1.67 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.67
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 354
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 12.5
TenderStiff

50% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 50%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Elizabethan 31, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Elizabethan 31 is a Masthead Sloop designed by David Thomas and built by Peter Webster Ltd. from 1968 until 1976, with additional hulls produced from the original molds thereafter. It features a long keel, measures 9.4 meters LOA with a 2.8-meter beam, a 1.4-meter draft, and displaces 5080 kg.26:20 The model was also available with a ketch rig. Aboard *Sailing Gently*, the Elizabethan 31 served as an offshore passage maker, following coastal sailing in smaller vessels like the Galion 22 and Jaguar 25.1:56 The crew of *Sailing Gently* navigated French canals in an Elizabethan 31, finding it suitable for routes from the English Channel to the Mediterranean Sea.0:55

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Elizabethan 31 on video

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen sold

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
50.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
12.5
Displacement / length
354.1
Comfort ratio
33.7
Capsize screening
1.67
Hull speed
6.6 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
806
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1968
Designer
David Thomas
Builder
Peter Webster Ltd

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.

Allied Boat Co. Seawind9.30 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Thomas Gillmer-designed masthead ketch with a long keel, marking both the beginning and the end of the Allied Boat Co.
Sailing Channel Theater: EP5 - Dancing With The Wind0:48from TheSailingChannel.TV
Cape Dory 30C9.21 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA cutter-rigged cruiser with a full keel and a 1.27-metre draft, built for steady performance between 1976 and 1987
Remove & Patch Unused Thru hulls with Epoxy & Fiberglass0:01from Atom Voyager
Bayfield 30/329.75 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA rare 32C variant featuring a tall rig, built in a limited run of five hulls for increased sail area
Bayfield 32 Boat Tour - The Canadian Cruiser That Crossed the Atlanticfrom Practical Sailor
Cape Dory 288.56 mSame hull family0.9 m shorterA classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruising
Delivering a 1983 Cape Dory 28 Sailboat from Oxnard To Dana Point, California3:28from Sailing Triteia
Pacific Seacraft Orion 279.42 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement cutter by Henry Mohrschladt, built for offshore stability with a long keel and conservative rig
Small Boat, Big Keel Why This 27 Footer Works3:15from Practical Sailor
Beneteau Evasion 329.70 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA long-keeled masthead ketch that launched the Evasion line and marked a new era for Beneteau
The Cheapest Sailboat That's Actually A Perfect Cruiser 👌0:05from Reversing Entropy

The family

Boats like this

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

Elizabethan 33A David Thomas-designed masthead sloop with a long keel, built for stability and comfortable cruising since 1973Elizabethan 31 KetchA David Thomas-designed ketch featuring a centre cockpit, higher deck moulding, and an aft cabin for increased headroomElizabethan 29A classic 1960 C.R. Holman design, this narrow-beamed masthead sloop features a heavy ballast ratio for offshore stabilityElizabethan 35A Holman and Pye designed masthead sloop from 1965, featuring a heavy displacement hull built for offshore comfortElizabethan 23A David Thomas-designed masthead sloop with a high ballast ratio, built for stability in a compact, shoal-draft packageElizabethan 30A David Thomas-designed masthead sloop originally conceived as a competitive Half Ton RORC racer

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Elizabethan 31, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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