Pegasus 800 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The 800's hull is fibreglass, offered with fin keel, twin bilge keels, or centreboard configurations [1]2. The fin draws about 1.37 metres, the bilge keels 1.00 metre, and the centreboard 0.90 metres board-up to 1.70 metres board-down, giving access to shallow marinas and the Norfolk Broads where many centreboard versions were used [0]2. Ballast is iron at 860 kg, a 43.7 percent ratio that the builder credited with imparting great stiffness and letting her drive hard in all weathers, and which stands higher than two-thirds of comparable designs [0]2. A partly balanced skeg-mounted rudder was said to make for remarkably responsive steering, while high freeboard was claimed to keep her dry 0. The builder summed her up as solidly built, nicely detailed and well finished, with an uncluttered foredeck carrying no trip hazards and strongly mounted double guardrails 0.

Rig and Handling

The 800 is a masthead sloop with a narrow high-aspect main and a large overlapping genoa, the builder noting vee'd forward sections and that high-aspect rig let her point high without slamming 1. Up to ten controls could be led aft to the cockpit through turning blocks integrated into the cabin-top grab rails, and foot blocks let into the coamings gave a clean jib-sheet lead to the winches 0. Writing in Practical Boat Owner, testers found her helm light and sensitive without being over-twitchy, and the surveyor classed her a moderately fast boat for her size with a theoretical hull speed near 6.1 knots [1]2. A capsize screening value of 2.14 meant she would not be accepted for ocean races, but with a Motion Comfort Ratio of 16.8 she rated more comfortable than a third of similar designs 2.

Accommodations

Inside, six-foot headroom and a surprising spacious saloon mark a boat nominally six-berth but far more practical for two to four 1. The main saloon wraps chesterfield-style deep seating around an extendable table, while the teak galley to starboard carries a two-burner stove and the port chart table slides back with the galley to reveal quarter berths 0. Ten sliding-door cupboards sit above the berths, two hanging lockers among them, with crockery and cutlery stowed in another and a pots-and-pans bin under the sink 0. The forecabin takes a chemical or marine toilet in an easy-clean compartment, a washbasin, mirror, and a forward sail shelf, and optional cushions convert it to a twin berth for seven total 0. Curtains, deep-pile carpet and teak finish dress the interior, and ventilation came via forehatch plus a main-door washboard angled to louvre 0.

Engine and Systems

Originally fitted with a 6 hp Dolphin petrol with shaft drive or a Volvo 7.5 diesel with saildrive, the 800 also saw an optional Volvo 7 hp diesel on a low-maintenance Sailboat Drive unit and later a Volvo Penta MB2 50S inboard [0][1]2. The builder's standard was a petrol twin-cylinder motor in a separate compartment isolated from the cabin, reached through a large cockpit-sole hatch 0. Many petrol boats have since been re-engined, and the calculated max under the MD5A is about 4.3 knots [1]2.

Ownership Notes

The large self-draining cockpit holds two lockers for fenders, warps and sails, with contoured seats that hold occupants steady when heeled, and a pushpit boarding ladder eases swimming or dinghy returns 0. A deep anchor well, substantial stemhead with twin rollers, and glazed flush forehatch round out a deck laid out for short-handed sail handling 0.

The Verdict

The Pegasus 800 is a thoughtfully detailed pocket cruiser that punches above her length: a stiff, dry, responsive boat with a genuinely roomy and well-finished interior and a rig set up for easy cockpit control. Her multiple keel options and modest draft widen where she can cruise, though the centreboard and petrol-engine boats need the closest look.

Pros