BoatsSea Sprite 30

Sea Sprite 30

Fractional Sloop · Long Keel · First built 1982

A 9.2-metre cruiser with a 41% ballast ratio, delivering a stiff and steady motion for coastal passages

Designed by A. E. Luders & Alfred E. Luders, built by C. E. Ryder.

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

See her sail

The Sea Sprite 30, on the water

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

Footage from Hold Fast!

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 32 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 32
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.77
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 419
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.7
TenderStiff

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

Ballast 41%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

What the fleet has seen

The Sea Sprite 30, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Sea SPRITE 30 is a long-keeled fractional sloop designed by A. E. Luders and built by C. E. Ryder from 1982 to the present. It measures 9.2 meters LOA, with a 2.9-meter beam, 1.4-meter draft, and 4535 kg displacement. Aboard *Hold Fast!*, the S/V SeaSprite underwent a repower, replacing its Universal M-18 diesel engine with a longer Beta 25, which required fabricating custom mounts and modifying the engine compartment's forward joinery.6:51 The crew also considered galley upgrades, weighing Corian against stainless steel for countertops and contemplating replacing the existing range with a gimbaled cooktop and a pull-out fridge-freezer.0:16 The S/V SeaSprite transited the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in North Carolina and Virginia, navigating locks and bridges, and sailed across Currituck Sound.2:37 During a passage from Charleston to North Carolina, the S/V SeaSprite experienced dense fog and an autopilot failure due to broken gear teeth, necessitating hand-steering and a diversion to Bald Head Island for fuel.4:03

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 37 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Sea Sprite 30 on video

S/V SeaSprite Refit Update 18-20 Sep 2026Sea SPRITE 30 toerail stripped and midship cleats planned for scarfing into the rail at Phipps Footworks.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update 9 September 2026Two Epoch 300Ah batteries replace two Group 24 AGMs in the Sea Sprite 30 refit.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update 8 September 2026Sea SPRITE 30 refit begins at Phipps Boatworks after shrink wrap removal and interior clearing.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update - 4 Sep 2026The S/V SeaSprite has not moved from its current location in six years.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update - 19 August 2026Sea SPRITE 30 refit stalls at Harrington Harbor North awaiting Phipps Boatworks bay space.Hold Fast!The Wreck of the Schooner Mary LouisaA ballad recounts the nor'easter wreck of schooner Mary Louisa on the Ocracoke breakers.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update Late May 2026A Sea SPRITE 30 refit replaces DC breakers with digital switching and converts the icebox to a cold-plate refrigeration system.Hold Fast!Trawler Breaks Free of Mooring. Docks Itself Perfectly Across the River. A Grand Banks trawler breaks free at Sunset Bay Marina and drifts across the Indian River unassisted.Hold Fast!Fall Sailing on the Chesapeake BayThe crew maintains seven knots in flat water while sailing through the Chesapeake Bay.Hold Fast!We Owe You An ExplanationThe crew of the vessel Ketzel confirms communication protocols on VHF channel 27.Hold Fast!48 Hours in OmanThe video contains no substantive information regarding sailing or travel in Oman.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit - Removing 40 Year Old Bronze Thru-Hulls & SeacocksThe crew replaces three 40-year-old bronze thru-hulls and degraded wood backing plates on the S/V SeaSprite.Hold Fast!

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
41.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.7
Displacement / length
419.3
Comfort ratio
31.5
Capsize screening
1.77
Hull speed
6.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
747
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1982
Designer
A. E. Luders, Alfred E. Luders
Builder
C. E. Ryder

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Pacific Seacraft Orion 279.42 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 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
Cape Dory 30C9.21 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA cutter-rigged cruiser with a full keel and a 1.27-metre draft, built for steady performance between 1976 and 1987
Cape Dory 30 Sailboat Refit Part 2 - Interior Modifications5:11from Atom Voyager
Cape Dory 319.55 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed cutter with a long keel, built between 1983 and 1985 for traditional, steady offshore cruising
Cape Dory 31 Delivery0:01from Hold Fast!
Alberg 309.22 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA classic Carl Alberg long-keeled masthead sloop built for over two decades, offering a stable and comfortable motion
1968 Alberg 30 Refit Part 1 Exterior 20160:08from Atom Voyager
Bayfield 30/329.75 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA rare 32C variant featuring a tall rig, built in a limited run of five hulls for increased sail area
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Beneteau Evasion 329.70 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA long-keeled masthead ketch that launched the Evasion line and marked a new era for Beneteau
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The family

Boats like this

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

Sea Sprite 27/28A classic long-keeled fractional sloop designed by A.E. Luders, offering a stable and comfortable ride for coastal cruisingSea Sprite 34A 10.3-metre fractional sloop with a long keel, also marketed as the Luders 34Sea Sprite 23 (Daysailer)A Carl Alberg-designed fractional sloop with a long keel, built for over two decades as a classic daysailerSea Sprite 23 (Weekender)A Carl Alberg-designed fractional sloop with a long keel, built since 1958 and also known as the Alberg 23

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