Home . Articles . Boats . Perry on Design . Stephens Waring Sportabout

Stephens Waring Sportabout

2015 March 1

This hard topped daysailer has a sweet, sweeping sheer and an easy-to-sail rig

I  live in the Pacific Northwest, and do everything in the rain, and  it does not bother me. The sun bothers me. When I saw this  new design from my buddy Paul Waring and his partner Robert  Stephens I thought, "Perfect! I can get out of the sun."  

I have to say this is an unusual look. The hull is very conventional  above the DWL with minimal bow overhang, a sweet, sweeping  sheer and a very attractive conventional transom shape. There is  considerable overhang aft. Below the DWL, the boat shows a modern  form with a D/L of 128, making it on the light side of moderate. The  L/B of 3.42 is almost skinny in these days of beamy boats. In plan  view you can see the boat appears quite full forward.  

The draft is 6 feet 6 inches, and there is a small bulb on the tip  of a moderate aspect ratio fin. This boat looks like it will scoot along  nicely. This boat is a daysailer, so there are no real accommodations  belowdecks. There is an enclosed head, a modest galley and V-berth  forward. If you used the covered cockpit area as the main saloon you  could cruise this boat quite comfortably in good weather. I could see  a small table in the cockpit under the hardtop.  

The rig is modern with a square-topped main and no standing  backstay. The jib is self tacking; a single jib sheet leads from the jib car  on the traveler back to the cockpit. The mainsheet leads to a winch  just forward of the mainsheet traveler aft of the tiller. SA/D is 23.  

I like this boat because it's unusual. It combines features you  don't often see together, in an aesthetically attractive package. 


LOA 35'11"; LWL 29'9"; Beam 10'6∫; Draft 6'6"; Displ. 7,600 lbs.; Sail area 550 sq. ft.;

SA/D 23; D/L 128; L/B 3.42; Auxiliary Yanmar 10-hp saildrive; Fuel 20 gal.; Water 20 gal

Stephens Waring Yacht Design

92 Main St., Belfast ME 04915

207-338-6636 www.stephenswaring.com

Our best estimate of the sailaway price $375,000