BoatsSeafarer Yachts 30

Seafarer Yachts 30

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1978–1985

A masthead sloop available with a tall rig and keel centerboard, distinct from the earlier Tripp-designed model

Designed by McCurdy & Rhodes.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Seafarer Yachts 30, on the water

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

Footage from The Sailing Doodles Podcast

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 23 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 23
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.96
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 229
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.9
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Seafarer Yachts 30, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Seafarer Yachts 30 is a masthead sloop designed by McCurdy, Rhodes and built by Seafarer Fiberglass Yachts between 1978 and 1985. This 9.1-meter sailboat has a fin keel with a rudder on skeg, a 3.0-meter beam, a 1.4-meter draft, and displaces 3900 kg. It is also known as the Seafarer Swiftsure 30 and was available with a keel centerboard and a tall rig. The Seafarer 30 should not be confused with the earlier Tripp 30, which Seafarer imported and built in Holland. Budget-conscious sailors can acquire a 1979 Seafarer 30 for around $11,500, though project boats in the $7,500 range typically require substantial investment in sails, rigging, and systems to achieve seaworthiness.5:30

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model for sale, and the asking prices that came with it.

1seen for sale
US$11,500Median asking

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
40.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.9
Displacement / length
229.4
Comfort ratio
23.0
Capsize screening
1.96
Hull speed
6.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
914
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
FG (balsa core cored deck and coach)
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1978–1985
Designer
McCurdy, Rhodes
Builder
Seafarer Fiberglass Yachts

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.

Spirit 329.48 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA Jacques De Ridder-designed IOR 23-footer built for nearly two decades as a stiff, masthead-rigged fin-keel sloop
My Engine is Broken Again Jury Rigging a Fix in a Small Island WindHippieSailing E670:58from Wind Hippie Sailing
C&C Yachts 30-29.12 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA performance-oriented masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, designed by C&C for balanced club racing
Ep. 33 Interview with Richard1:11from Sailing Into Oblivion
Granada Yachts 309.18 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 30-foot fractional sloop with a 1.65-meter draft, designed for balanced, performance-oriented cruising
Capsized in 20-meter waves: Are Wiig on the drama in the Southern Ocean | Bearing on Sailing2:53from SEILmagasinet
Tartan Marine 309.12 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop offering versatile interior configurations and a choice of standard or tall rigs
SUPER LOW BUDGET CRUSIING - Ep 236 - Lady K Sailing4:07from Lady K Sailing
Maxi Yachts 959.50 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 9.5-metre masthead sloop produced for a decade, featuring a skeg-hung rudder for predictable coastal handling
Maxi 95: The world's largest 31-footerfrom SEILmagasinet
Newport 30-19.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthThe original 1968 production run of this masthead sloop, featuring a fin keel and spade rudder for coastal sailing
⛵️ I Tried Boiling Water Out of My Boat... It Actually Worked - sort of?!13:53from Living For Sail

The family

Boats like this

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

Seafarer Yachts 29An IOR half-ton racer configuration offered alongside standard trunk cabin and raised-deck cruising modelsSeafarer Yachts 34A versatile masthead sloop offered with yawl or keel-centerboard configurations and optional diesel powerSeafarer Yachts 31 MKIA William Tripp Jr. design available as a sloop or yawl, famously offered in kit form for the home builderSeafarer Yachts 29 CBA masthead sloop available as a kit-built cruiser or in a Futura configuration with a sloping foredeckSeafarer Yachts 37A 1980 fin-keeler with a skeg-mounted rudder, offering a 29.14 comfort ratio for stable offshore passage-making

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Seafarer Yachts 30, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Seafarer Yachts 30

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