Design and Construction
Jac de Ridder's easily-driven hull was streets ahead of most other 30-foot cruisers when she was launched, and Yachting Monthly judged her still a fairly fast cruiser for her length by today's standards. The hull carries high freeboard, yet a thick gunwale stripe masks it, and the low-profile cabin top gives her an almost racy appearance rather than the tubby look one might expect from a double-skinned yacht. Construction is predominantly polyester glassfibre-foam sandwich, with wood trim and a good standard of fit-out using solid teak. That foam sandwich is what makes the boat unsinkable, though it also explains the limited stowage below — a recurring trait of these double-skinned ETAPs.
Rig and Handling
The ETAP 30 carries a 7/8 fractional sloop rig on aluminum spars, with a deck-stepped mast, wire standing rigging, and a single set of swept spreaders. She is steered by an internally mounted spade rudder on a tiller, and draws 1.7 m (5 ft 1 in) on a fin keel, with an optional shoal-draft keel available. On the water she handles delightfully on all points of sail, a quality that, combined with her easily-driven hull, lets her feel quick and balanced well beyond her launch era. The hull form itself — raked stem, reverse transom, 9.1 m LOA on a 7.7 m waterline, 3.2 m beam, and 3,600 kg displacement — gives a stable, manageable platform for a couple or small family.
Accommodations
Below, the ETAP 30 sleeps five at sea or six at anchor, including a quarterberth, and she lacks an aft cabin. The bow cabin holds a double V-berth; the main cabin has two straight settees; an aft berth sits to starboard. A heads compartment is amidships, just aft of the bow cabin, while the L-shaped galley to port just forward of the companionway ladder is spacious and seamanlike, fitted with a two-burner stove and sink. A very practical chart table rounds out the working end of the saloon. ETAP's short coachroofs restrict headroom in the heads and forecabin, though it is fair elsewhere — a compromise against the low, racy cabin top noted above.
Known Issues
No structural defects appear in the available material; the only recurring note is the limited stowage inherent to the foam-sandwich construction, and the headroom compromise in the forward and heads compartments. Neither affects seaworthiness.
Refits and Ownership
The boat was at one time supported by a class club, the ETAP Owners Association, which speaks to a following among owners even after production ended. With 220 built and a design that was far ahead of her time in many respects, she remains a sensible used-cruiser candidate for those who value a light, unsinkable hull over cavernous stowage.
The Verdict
The ETAP 30 distills ETAP's double-skin philosophy into a genuinely quick, well-mannered 30-footer with a thoughtful cruising interior. She rewards the sailor who can live with modest stowage and low forward headroom in exchange for unsinkability and a hull that punches above its launch year.
Pros
- Easily-driven hull that was ahead of its class and remains quick
- Unsinkable foam-sandwich construction with solid teak fit-out
- Delightful handling on all points under a simple fractional rig
- Practical, seamanlike galley and chart table for coastal cruising
Cons
- Limited stowage from the double-skin hull
- Restricted headroom in heads and forecabin
- No aft cabin; berth count trades privacy for sea-berth utility
