Elizabethan 30 ( 9 Metre ) Return to Classes
Born to race the Elizabethan 30 was conceived at a time when the She 31's were dominant in Solent racing. Designed around the racing rules of the day the Elizabethan 30 changed all that. The so called cruising version was very competitive; her sister, the 9 metre with heavier keel and larger rig was faster, but more of a handful. Few 9 metres were built but the 30 has featured in Atlantic, Solent and Club races for many years. In recent times Elizabethan 30's have featured in the top ten of Round the Island Race year after year.
David Thomas's first
commercial success was the most popular Elizabethan for good reason, and is still
sought after today. Introduced in1969, production continued to the mid-
1970s. She is a masthead cruiser racer with a moderate fin keel and skeg-hung
rudder. She has a high ballast ratio and feels very stiff. She has well
balanced handling and good performance, particularly when the wind picks up.
The accommodation offers five berths in two cabins with a reasonable heads
compartment amidships and adequate cooking facilities. Headroom is unusually
good at over 6ft (1 .8m). Build quality is good and Elizabethan 30s tend to
hold their value. In the early days of production, a few Elizabethan 9-metres
were built These were tuned-up racing versions and had a deeper keel, rod
rigging, trim tab and a slightly taller rig. Standard versions ran to three
marques so some internal variations will be found.
Acknowledgements to Yachting Monthly
Original documentation from 2 of the Elizabethan 30 Yacht Builders in Adobe Acrobat Reader format.
Peter Webster Ltd. brochure from 1972 E30BrochurePW.pdf ( 315KB or 45 sec. at 56K Dialup)
Peter Webster ceased trading in 1976 and other yacht builders took over the moulds.
G Drummond Bayne (Marine) Ltd. brochure and specification E30BrochureSpecGDB.pdf ( 893KB )
Unknown origin E30 sail plan E30SailPlan.pdf ( 46KB )
LOA 29ft 6in (9m)
LWL 24ft(7.3m)
Beam 9ft 3in (2.8m)
Draught 5ft (1 .5m)
Displacement 7,8401b (3,305kg).
Copyright 2012 Elizabethan Owners Association Last updated 29/07/2012 webmaster@eoa.org.uk