Lord Helmsman Buyer's Guide
The Lord Helmsman, also known as the Helmsman Lord, is a Swedish-built 31-foot cruiser from the late seventies, with around 90 built between 1978 and 1988. For a buyer scanning the brokerage market in northern Europe, it is a rare but identifiable heavy-displacement cruiser with a long keel and a fractional rig, best judged on its own merits given its home-completion history.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Lord Helmsman carries five berths and a solid fiberglass hull with a lead long keel drawing about 4.9 to 5.2 feet loaded, so most used examples will sit comfortably in standard marina depths. Because the design was also sold to be home-completed, interior joinery and compartment finishing vary from one boat to the next; a buyer should treat each layout as an individual interpretation of the same hull rather than a uniform production interior. The narrow beam and heavy-cruiser proportions favor a calm, room-enough cabin for coastal and modest offshore use rather than a sprawling charter layout.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, solar panels, bow thrusters, teak decks, and autopilots are commonly fitted to Lord Helmsman boats, reflecting owners' priorities for independent power, close-quarters handling, and cockpit comfort. A bow thruster is a meaningful addition on a long-keeled 31-footer where maneuvering without one demands skill in tight berths. Teak decks, where present, are a cosmetic and maintenance item rather than a structural one. Autopilot and solar together speak to the boat's role as a steady cruiser meant to be lived with easily on the hook or on passage.
What to Inspect
The defining inspection point is build consistency: because the Lord Helmsman was sold to be home-completed, the quality of each boat may vary anchor. A survey should look closely at hull-to-deck joints, interior structural reinforcements, and any owner-finished systems routing. Beyond that, the solid fiberglass hull and deck are straightforward to assess, and the lead long keel is a durable unit, but individual completion quality is the variable that separates a sound example from a questionable one.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Lord Helmsman boats typically appear in Sweden and Germany. For the shopper, the short checklist is: confirm whether the example is yard- or home-completed and judge finish accordingly; verify keel and hull integrity as with any solid fiberglass cruiser; check that common cruising upgrades (bow thruster, autopilot, solar) are fitted and functioning; and accept the narrow, heavily ballasted hull for what it is — a comfortable, stable cruiser, not a light-air performer.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Lord Helmsman. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26 | 2 | $34,626 | — |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $12,528 | -63.8% |
Where they're listed
Lord Helmsman listings appear across 2 countries. Sweden has the most listings with 2 (66.7%), followed by Germany.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comfortina 35 | 35.83' | $ 115,823 | 27 | 6 |
| Helmsman 35 | 34.52' | $ 38,832 | 6 | 2 |
| Lord HelmsmanYou are here | — | $ 28,711 | 3 | 1 |