BoatsPrecision 185

Precision 185

Fractional Sloop · Fin w/transom Hung Rudder · 2001–2019

A nimble 399kg fractional sloop with a high 26.84 SA/D ratio, built for spirited and responsive coastal daysailing

Designed by Jim Taylor.

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

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.23 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 399 kg of hull, so roughly 1,000 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draughtDraws 1.07 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 beamy beam gives 6 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 6
CoastalBluewater

At 3.06 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.06
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 85
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 26.8
TenderStiff

43% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 43%

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

  • Lighter than ~95% of boats her size on file

Compared with 344 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
42.6%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
26.8
Displacement / length
84.8
Comfort ratio
5.6
Capsize screening
3.06
Hull speed
5.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
437
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/transom hung rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
2001–2019
Designer
Jim Taylor
Builder
Precision Boat Works

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.

J Boats J/706.93 mSame hull family1.3 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Alan Johnstone, with over 1,100 units delivered for one-design racing
Anette Melsom Myhre successful in the shorthanded class.2:18from SEILmagasinet
Santana 206.16 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA 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
J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/226.86 mSame hull family1.3 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Rod Johnstone, built for competitive one-design racing and day sailing
Sailing a J22 in Newport Beach, CA (July 2022)0:30from keeldragger
Borge Bringsvaerd Bb116.18 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA 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
Bavaria Yachts 6066.50 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA lightweight 6.5-metre fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited coastal sailing
How He Survived a Tropical Storm at Sea14:25from Be The Captain
Halcyon 236.93 mSame hull family1.3 m longerA triple-keeled masthead sloop by Alan H. Buchanan, offering shallow-draft versatility based on the earlier Crystal 23
Free Boat Inspection - Deck Corefrom Practical Sailor

The family

Boats like this

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

Precision 21A keel-centerboard fractional sloop with a 20.25 SA/D ratio, built for over three decades as a versatile coastal cruiserPrecision 18A Jim Taylor-designed fractional sloop with a centerboard and a 35-year production run for versatile coastal sailingPrecision 15 KA Jim Taylor-designed fractional sloop with a 26.39 SA/D ratio, built for over two decades as a stable, fin-keeled daysailerPrecision 23A trailerable keel-centerboard sloop with a 33-year production run, balanced for versatile coastal cruising

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 Precision 185

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