Review of Nantucket Clipper 31

Basic specs.

The Nantucket Clipper 31 is a sailboat designed by the British maritime architect Alan Harold Buchanan. The Nantucket Clipper 31 is built by the British yard Seamaster Ltd..The boat has been build at other yards as well.

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Hull

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. A hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Interior

Floor plan of Nantucket Clipper 31.

The boat is equipped with one cabin, 2+3 berths, a galley and toilet facility.

The headroom is above average

Rig

Rig of Nantucket Clipper 31.

The Nantucket Clipper 31 is built with a yawl rig. A yawl rig is generally considered easier to handle, because the sails are smaller, and because it can sail on most points to the wind with one sail completely taken down for repair or while reefing. The sail configuration of a yawl allows for better comfort and stability when sailing downwind or on a broad reach.

Keel

Vertical profile of Nantucket Clipper 31.

Keel of Nantucket Clipper 31 anno 1973.

Full keel

The Nantucket Clipper 31 is built with a long keel. A long keel provide a better directional stability than a similar boat with a fin keel; on the other hand, better directional stability means also that the boat is more difficult to handle in a harbour with less space.

Nantucket Clipper 31 can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.30 - 1.40 meter (4.27 - 4.57 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Engine

The fuel tank has a capacity of 25 liters (6 US gallons, 5 imperial gallons).

The Nantucket Clipper 31 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Nanni 3.21 diesel engine at 21 hp (15 kW). Calculated max speed is about 5.4 knots

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.

Alternative 2:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Bukh DV10 diesel engine at 10 hp (7 kW). Calculated max speed is about 3.8 knots

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Nantucket Clipper 31 is 1.78, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.1 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Nantucket Clipper 31 is about 117 kg/cm, alternatively 657 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 117 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 657 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Nantucket Clipper 31 is 28.7.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 79% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly above average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Nantucket Clipper 31 is 3.32.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 73% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more speedy hull design.

Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Nantucket Clipper 31 is 40%.

This ballast ratio is higher than 46% of all similar sailboat designs. Since the ballast ratio and the righting moment (i.e. better ability to resist heeling) is strongly correlated, a ballast ratio just below average indicates an ability to resist heeling below average.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Nantucket Clipper 31 is 397 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra heavy cruisers'.

5% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A heavy displacement combined with smaller water plane area has lower acceleration and is more comfortable.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 19m² (204 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Rig

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Jib sheet	9.1 m	(29.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Genoa sheet	9.1 m	(29.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Mainsheet	22.8 m	(74.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	20.0 m	(65.7 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Nantucket Clipper 31 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.