Design and Construction
Edmunds gave the 11.0 A a longish fin keel that falls between the full-length keels of an earlier era and the thin, deep foils that followed. Enclosing the considerable 6,000-pound ballast, however, required a very thick keel section. The rudder is lower in aspect ratio than those on later designs and is supported by a vestigial skeg.
The hull is solid fiberglass, while the deck is cored with end-grain balsa in the walkway areas. S2’s simple, well-engineered hull-deck joint has held up well. The hull molding has an inward-turning flange onto which the deck molding drops. The joint is bedded in flexible sealant and through-bolted on six-inch centers, with the bolts passing vertically through the toerail.
Slikkers designed and built the hatches in-house rather than buying them. Regarding blisters, the builder claimed from the start that the boats used vinylester resin and that chopped mat replaced the exterior cloth layer to eliminate binder-related blistering. S2 also stated that the 11.0 was never built with epoxy or any other barrier coat, and that it offered a five-year anti-blister warranty from 1984.
Rig and Handling
The 11.0 A has a masthead rig with the small mainsail and oversized foretriangle typical of the period. Its sail area/displacement ratio of 17.2 is moderate against a displacement/length ratio near 300.
That heavy displacement is apparent in the underwater shape: the boat has something approaching 25 percent more wetted surface than a typical modern cruiser might. The T-shaped cockpit was innovative in its day, though it limited the wheel to 36 inches. Practical Sailor found that the cockpit was not as deep, nor the coamings as high, as desirable for a boat venturing offshore.
Accommodations and Systems Access
Inside, the 11.0 A is a roomy coastal cruiser. The forward berth measures a generous 6 feet 5 inches long by 6 feet 4 inches wide, while the aft quarter berth measures 6 feet 5 inches by 3 feet 9 inches. The galley wraps around a serve-through counter that was ahead of its time.
One owner, who stands 6 feet 5 inches tall, reports having enough room to stand and lie down without feeling closed in during weeks of cruising. The cockpit locker is large enough to provide access to the port side of the engine and to house a generator or watermaker.
Known Issues
The cabin trunk has three jumbo-sized window cutouts that Practical Sailor judged could be hazardous in breaking seas. Chainplates have also aggravated several owners; one says they must be rebedded every season to remain watertight.
A recessed cabin-house grab rail was described as a finger-breaker design, neither accessible nor substantial enough for secure use. One sailor considers the wooden mast step and the relative lack of structural support for the keel-stepped mast a potential problem.
On a boat fitted with a Volvo MD 17C saildrive, one owner reported overheating until a separate through-hull raw-water intake was added.
Engines, Refits, and Ownership
The 11-meter boats were sold with Universal, Volvo, and Yanmar engines. Owners have addressed other weak points through upgrades. One replaced undersized Lewmar primary and halyard winches with #43 and #42 sizes, respectively, while another owner made the refrigeration upgrade. Another replaced inadequate original refrigeration with an Adler Barbour unit.
The in-house hatches and straightforward hull-deck structure make access and further refinement practical for a committed owner.
The Verdict
The S2 11.0 A is a thoughtfully engineered cruiser from 1977, combining Edmunds’ restrained design with S2’s disciplined production. Its thick-section encapsulated keel and simple flange joint reflect a straightforward structural approach, while the broad beam and roomy interior provide useful liveaboard space beneath a balsa-cored deck.
Its liabilities lie mainly in period-typical details: oversized windows, troublesome chainplates, and a shallow cockpit with low coamings for offshore use.
Pros
- Solid-fiberglass hull with a well-engineered inward-flange hull-deck joint
- Encapsulated 6,000-pound lead ballast in a thick-section fin keel
- Roomy accommodations with oversized berths and a serve-through galley
- In-house hatches and a large cockpit locker that aid access to the engine and systems
Cons
- Three jumbo cabin-trunk windows judged a structural risk in breaking seas
- Chainplates require frequent rebedding, according to owner reports
- Shallow cockpit and low coamings are less than ideal for offshore use
- Wooden keel-stepped mast support is seen by one sailor as a potential problem
