BoatsHerreshoff America

Herreshoff America

Gaff head Cat · Centerboard (Trunk) · First built 1971

A gaff-rigged catboat with a centerboard, designed by Halsey Herreshoff for shallow-water stability and classic appeal

Designed by H. Herreshoff & Halsey C. Herreshoff, built by Nowak.

LOA
Beam
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Centerboard (Trunk)

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.44 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,134 kg of hull, so roughly 1,750 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 1,134 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 0.56 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a beamy beam gives 14 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 14
CoastalBluewater

At 2.36 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.36
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 200
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 22.6
TenderStiff

20% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 20%

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

  • Heavier than ~86% of boats her size on file

Compared with 398 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
20.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Gaff head Cat
Ratios
SA / displacement
22.6
Displacement / length
199.6
Comfort ratio
13.5
Capsize screening
2.36
Hull speed
5.7 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
507
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard (Trunk)
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1971
Designer
H. Herreshoff, Halsey C. Herreshoff
Builder
Nowak, Williams

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.

Chrysler Marine 226.71 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA 6.7-metre masthead sloop produced as the C-22 and T-22 Sandpiper, featuring a swing keel for shallow-water access
The Legend - S2 - Episode 151 - Lady K Sailingfrom Lady K Sailing
Marshall Marine Corporation Sanderling5.54 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA gaff-rigged catboat based on a 1941 design, featuring a shallow-draft keel-centerboard hull for versatile day sailing
EP#370 Buying and Selling Boats with Chelle25:14from Sailing Into Oblivion
O'day 226.61 mSame hull family1.1 m longerA prolific production success with over 3,000 hulls built, offering a nimble fractional rig for coastal daysailing
Why TODAY Is the Best Time to Buy a 22-Foot Sailboat2:24from Lady K Sailing
RS 216.40 mSame hull family0.9 m longer
Training Sea Cadet Instructors | RS21 Keelboat Sailing – Welsh Harp1:37from City Sailing
Dufour Yachts T66.15 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA lightweight 800kg fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance in light air
Who I am and why the sea is part of my life0:56from NAUTICPIOLI
RS Quest4.29 mSame hull family1.3 m shorterA 140kg fractional sloop with a centerboard trunk designed for stable, versatile training and family sailing
Sea Cadet National Sailing and Windsurfing Regatta 20250:48from City Sailing

The family

Boats like this

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

Herreshoff EagleA gaff-rigged daysailer featuring a clipper bow on the proven Herreshoff America hullHerreshoff ScoutAn open-cockpit cat ketch day sailer sharing the same hull tooling as the Herreshoff America for versatile shoal-water sailingAmerican 21 (AMI)An Arthur S. Henry-designed masthead sloop with a shallow 0.66m draft, built for shoal-water cruising since 1979Herreshoff 15A classic gaff-rigged keel-centerboarder from 1902, later updated with a modernized rig by Sidney Herreshoff

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 Herreshoff America

The newsletter

New boats, new stories. Every week, everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analysed. No noise.

Report an issue