Design and Construction
Van de Stadt drew the Ocean 71 in the early seventies as a ketch-rigged monohull of 21.6 meters overall, with a beam of 5.4 meters and a displacement of 40 tons. The hull is fiberglass with a balsa core, while the deck is teak-laid, and the yacht carries a moderate freeboard with a low profile that keeps windage and drag down anchor. Beneath the waterline she wears a fin keel with a lead bulb, bolted to the hull on stainless steel bolts that can be inspected from inside the boat, and a balanced spade rudder hung on a skeg with two pintles and gudgeons, driven by twin stainless wheels in the cockpit through cables or rods running in tubes under the deck anchor.
Rig and Handling
The ketch rig splits sail area sensibly between a keel-stepped main mast carrying the mainsail and mizzen staysail and a deck-stepped mizzen mast carrying the mizzen and spinnaker, with aluminum alloy spars standard and carbon fiber fitted to some hulls. The wire standing rigging uses swaged stainless terminals and the ropes that run the sails are synthetic or spectra anchor. Most lines lead aft to the cockpit through clutches and winches, and the whole rig was laid out to be managed by a small crew or even single-handed. With a sail-area-displacement ratio around 25 to 28 and a capsize screening value near 1.58, she is a heavy-displacement voyager; reviews note she benefits from early reefing to stay upright in a moderate breeze, and that loading her with too much heavy cruising gear will degrade performance anchor.
Accommodations
The interior is built to carry people in comfort: the layout sleeps up to 10 guests in five cabins plus two crew forward in a separate cabin with its own head and shower. The owner's cabin aft holds a double berth, sofa, desk, wardrobe and ensuite head with shower, while two guest cabins to each side of the saloon offer twin berths and a shared head with shower. The saloon itself places a U-shaped settee and large dining table to port and a navigation station and bar to starboard, and the galley forward of the saloon on the port side is fitted with a four-burner stove, oven, fridge, freezer and ample storage. Outside, a spacious cockpit with twin wheels and an integrated table is protected by sprayhood and bimini, and the large aft deck carries a dinghy davit, a hydraulic davit for launch and retrieval, and a locker for sails and gear anchor.
The Verdict
The Ocean 71 is a rare, purpose-built offshore ketch with genuine long-range accommodations and a manageable rig for her size, but her rarity and weight mean she demands disciplined sail handling and careful loading.
Pros
- Van de Stadt ketch design with split rig for manageable sail handling by small crew
- Sleeps 10 guests plus 2 crew with full owner's suite and separate crew cabin
- Keel bolts accessible internally for straightforward inspection
- Teak-laid deck and low profile reduce windage
Cons
- Only 16 built, so spares and class knowledge are scarce
- Benefits from early reefing and suffers when overloaded with cruising gear
- 8-foot-10-inch draft limits some anchorages
