Named after Munroe’s famous 1885 fast cruiser, the Presto 30 is as much a boat with character as it is a practical coastal cruiser. Its flared, round-bottomed, beachable hull has a flattened plate for taking the ground and draws just 13 inches with the centerboard up. The split unstayed rig folds within the boat’s own length for highway travel.
Design and Construction
The hull measures 30 feet on deck, with a waterline just under 29 feet and a displacement of around 3,915 pounds. Its 8-foot-6 beam makes it legal to trailer without permits in all 50 states.
The builder describes the resin-infused vinyl-ester and Corecell hull as light and tough, with a blister-proof bottom that owners will appreciate. The structure is claimed to be designed and built to American Bureau of Shipping standards and to meet international ORC standards.
The bottom contains 1,000 pounds of encapsulated internal lead ballast. A watertight forward bulkhead supports the foremast and adds crash protection. The centerboard and rudder are fiberglass, essential to the boat’s beachable safety case. The sealed carbon-fiber masts also provide buoyancy, helping the boat resist a full capsize.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
Martin calls the split rig a schooner, while Ryder describes it as a cat-ketch. The standard rig carries 320 square feet of sail in two full-batten wishbone sails. A performance package increases the area to 400 square feet, using lighter Hall Spars prepreg carbon masts and roached sails.
The sealed, free-standing carbon-fiber masts weigh less than 40 pounds and can be stepped or struck by two people. All sail controls lead aft to the cockpit. The self-tacking split rig produces little heeling effect and makes maneuvering straightforward. There are no preventers, vangs, runners, or jibsheets to manage during tacks and jibes.
Testers recorded tacking angles near 45 degrees. They noted that the boat won’t point like a sloop, but it foots well when cracked off 5 to 10 degrees. Reaching is the hull’s primary mission, and testers logged 6.7 to 7.2 knots with a staysail set between the masts.
Like many narrow, shoal-draft sailboats, the Presto 30 is initially tender, although the low-aspect rig and encapsulated lead help offset that tendency. Practical Sailor’s survey also identified a handling caveat: when the rudder is kicked up for shallow water, its unbalanced blade makes the boat hard to steer. A later version addresses the problem with a foil rudder in a cassette.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The cockpit is a notable 10 feet 6 inches long. Its seats measure more than 7 feet 6 inches, allowing the crew to sleep under the stars. Three gasketed lockers sit beneath the settees, while a locker in the sole can hold dive gear or a roll-up dinghy.
Below, the standard layout provides berths for four: a 6-foot-6 V-berth and two 6-foot-4 settees. A Port-a-Potti fits beneath the V-berth, and an optional galley slides away under the cockpit. The centerboard trunk divides the narrow saloon and folds out to serve as a dining table.
Initial hulls had a pop-top that increased headroom to more than 6 feet at anchor. Ryder later dropped it in favor of an optional pilothouse model and an optional Sky-Top, which provides 6-foot-6 headroom and 360-degree visibility.
Deck Layout and Known Issues
In its deck-layout assessment, Practical Sailor’s survey crew identified the narrow side-decks as the chief complaint. That’s a common trait among narrow-beam boats. The crew also noted that the stern cleats are mounted too low, causing dock lines to chafe against the toerail.
The other principal issue is the rudder’s heavy steering when raised for shallow water. The newer foil rudder in a cassette is the main factory evolution and addresses that complaint.
Propulsion, Trailering, and Ownership
Owners have several propulsion options. Installations have included a 12 hp inboard diesel with a folding propeller, an outboard on a stern bracket, a well-mounted 9.9 hp hi-thrust outboard, and a Torqued Cruise R electric equivalent.
Loaded, the boat weighs about 6,600 pounds for towing, putting it within the hauling capacity of a full-size SUV. Its beachable hull allows an owner to settle the boat on its flat bottom at low tide. If it grounds under sail, raising the centerboard slightly can allow it to sail free.
Verdict
The Presto 30 is a distinctive, trailerable sharpie that trades pointing ability for shoal-water freedom, straightforward rig handling, and a surprising turn of speed on a reach. Its construction credentials and self-righting math are serious, but the narrow beam and the rudder’s behavior when raised remain real compromises.
Pros
- Beachable hull and 13-inch shoal draft
- Trailerable without permits
- Self-tacking, unstayed split rig that’s easy to handle short-handed
- Blister-proof infused hull
- ABS and ORC design claims
- Watertight forward bulkhead
- Long cockpit and flexible belowdecks options
Cons
- Narrow side-decks
- Low-mounted stern cleats cause dock-line chafe
- Rudder is hard to steer when raised for shallow water
- Initially tender
- Won’t point like a sloop
