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 9.2-meter fractional sloop with a long keel, designed by A. E. Luders and built by C. E. Ryder since 1982. With a 2.9-meter beam and 1.4-meter draft, it displaces 4535 kg. Aboard *Hold Fast!*, a 1984 Sea SPRITE 30 underwent a soda blasting process to remove old anti-fouling paint, revealing a green factory gel coat with minor pock marks.0:19 The owner planned to allow the hull to dry over winter before applying a new barrier coat and anti-fouling paint in the spring.1:06 Another Sea SPRITE 30, also seen on *Hold Fast!*, underwent a five-year refit at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, addressing maintenance and structural needs.0:09 This refit included stripping the V-berth and head to bare hull, replacing the DC electrical system with digital switching, and installing a Beta 20 engine.12:52 The galley was modified with a larger sink, foot and hand pumps, and a Force 10 electric induction cooktop, with plans to convert the icebox to a refrigerated cold-plate system.8:14

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 7 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Sea Sprite 30 on video

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!S/V SeaSprite Refit - Soda Blast CompleteA 1984 Sea Sprite 30 undergoes hull fairing and drying after a complete soda blast.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit - Why?A 30-foot SeaSprite undergoes a winter refit while hauled out at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite’s Big Refit - Removing the Original Universal M-18 Diesel EngineThe crew removes a Universal M-18 engine from S/V SeaSprite to install a new Beta 25 diesel.Hold Fast!Farewell S/V Coralia - Pre-Sale Sea TrialThe S/V Coralia undergoes a final sea trial to verify mechanical and rigging integrity before a sale.Hold Fast!S/V Coralia - Sailing Offshore 700NM from South Florida to the Chesapeake BayA Cabo RICO 42 completes a 700-nautical-mile offshore passage from Florida to the Chesapeake Bay.Hold Fast!S/V Coralia - Offshore Sailing from Cape Hatteras to Cape CanaveralA Cabo Rico 38 completes a 48-hour January offshore run from Hatteras to Cape Canaveral, nearly pinned against the Gulf Stream by a late wind shift.Hold Fast!Sailing S/V Coralia - Winter Passage to Cape HatterasA Cabo Rico 38 makes a mid-November Chesapeake-to-Hatteras passage, timing ICW bridge openings and waiting out a gale in Manteo.Hold Fast!S/V Coralia - Sailing to New England Part IICabo RICO 38 Coralia sails Boston to Cape Henlopen, with a squall dragging boats in Gloucester.Hold Fast!S/V Coralia - Sailing to New EnglandA Cabo RICO 38 sails Chesapeake to Boston, choosing Shinnecock Inlet to avoid night entrances at Montauk and Block Island.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
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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
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Cape Dory 288.56 mSame hull family0.6 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
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
Bayfield 32 Boat Tour - The Canadian Cruiser That Crossed the Atlanticfrom Practical Sailor
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

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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