Cornish Crabbers Pilot 30 Buyer's Guide
The Cornish Crabbers Pilot 30 on the used market is the flagship of the builder's range, a 39-foot Pilot Cutter derived from the working boats that once met incoming ships in the channel. Roger Dongray's design has been built at the mouth of the Camel Estuary in North Cornwall for more than 25 years, and the boats available today span the original 1985 relaunch as gaff cutters through later fitted options.
Layouts on the Used Market
Two below-deck arrangements appear on brokerage examples. One places a capacious heads and shower in the forepeak for a four-berth plan; the other substitutes a double V-berth with a smaller heads and shower compartment aft of it, yielding five berths double v-berth with smaller heads. Both share a two-berth saloon well forward, two large quarter berths aft, and an amidships galley and chart table. Early boats show white ply with pine décor, while later interiors adopted other finishes — an all-mahogany version was singled out as stunning in period review. Full headroom was achieved through a redesigned deck, so even the earliest hulls stand tall below.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats now carry a chartplotter, autopilot, AIS, and heating as standard brokerage fit, with solar and a bow thruster commonly added to ease shorthanded cruising and marina handling. A teak deck was a factory option and is frequently seen on offered boats. Less common owner upgrades include an inverter and electric winches, and a bimini or short-handed sail-handling setup turns up on some examples. The original bowsprit retracts and lifts to keep marina bills down, a feature worth confirming works freely on any candidate.
What to Inspect
A buyer should verify the centerboard pivots smoothly within its below-sole trunk and that the retractable bowsprit operates as intended, since these are the model's defining mechanisms rather than flagged problem areas.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Used Cornish Crabbers Pilot 30s are most often found in the United Kingdom and Spain. For a shopper, the practical checklist is brief: confirm which berth layout suits — forepeak heads or double V-berth — check the gaff or Bermuda rig preference, verify the teak deck's condition if fitted, and exercise the centerboard and liftable bowsprit. She is a comfortable, practical offshore cruiser without maximum below-deck volume, so choose the layout that matches your crew before committing.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Cornish Crabbers Pilot 30. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 7 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25 | 1 | $110,591 | — |
| May 25 | 1 | $95,177 | -13.9% |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $122,370 | +28.6% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $77,502 | -36.7% |
| Apr 26 | 4 | $113,567 | +46.5% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $57,719 | -49.2% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $52,440 | -9.1% |
Where they're listed
Cornish Crabbers Pilot 30 listings appear across 3 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 6 (75.0%), followed by Denmark and Spain.
Country view
8 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $113,476 | 6 | 1 | 75.0% |
| Denmark | $52,440 | 1 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Spain | $104,764 | 1 | 0 | 12.5% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
5 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Boats 30 | 31.83' | $ 35,760 | 22 | 6 |
| Sam L. Morse Channel Cutter | 37.75' | $ 115,000 | 21 | 4 |
| Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 40 | 41.67' | $ 157,312 | 20 | 5 |
| Cornish Crabbers Pilot 30You are here | — | $ 104,659 | 8 | 2 |
| Ta Shing 40 Pilot House | 39.83' | $ 100,000 | 7 | 0 |