S2 11.0 A Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Edmunds gave the 11.0 A a longish fin keel that splits the difference between the full-length keels of an earlier era and the thin, deep foils that followed, but to enclose the considerable 6,000-pound ballast he was forced to make the keel very thick in section anchor. The rudder below is lower in aspect ratio than later designs and is supported by a vestigial skeg. The hull itself is solid fiberglass, while the deck is cored with end-grain balsa in the walkway areas. S2's hull-deck joint is simple, well-engineered, and has held up well: the hull molding carries an inward-turning flange onto which the deck molding drops, the joint bedded in flexible sealant and through-bolted on six-inch centers by bolts passing vertically through the toerail anchor. Slikkers designed and made the hatches in-house rather than buying them. On the blister question, the builder claimed from the start the boats used vinylester resin and that the exterior cloth layer was replaced with chopped mat to eliminate binder-related blistering; S2 also stated the 11.0 was never built with an epoxy or any other barrier coat, and that it offered a five-year anti-blister warranty from 1984 anchor.

Rig and Handling

The 11.0 A carries a masthead rig with the period-typical small main and overlarge foretriangle, a sailplan whose area/displacement ratio of 17.2 is moderate against a displacement/length ratio near 300. That heavy displacement shows in the underwater shape: she has more wetted surface by something approaching 25 percent than a typical modern cruiser might. The T-shaped cockpit was an innovation in its day and limited the wheel to 36 inches. Practical Sailor found the cockpit not as deep nor the coamings as high as desirable for a boat venturing offshore anchor.

Accommodations

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, and the quarter berth aft runs 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 reports he has room to stand and lie down and never feels closed in during weeks of cruising. The cockpit locker is large enough to reach the port side of the engine and to house a generator or watermaker.

Known Issues

The cabin trunk carries three jumbo-sized window cutouts that anchor Practical Sailor judged could be hazardous in breaking seas. Chainplates have been a source of aggravation to several owners; one claims they must be rebedded every season to stay watertight. A recessed cabin-house grab rail was noted as a finger-breaker design, neither accessible nor hefty enough for secure use. One sailor sees the wooden mast step and relative lack of structural support for the keel-stepped mast as a potential problem. On a Volvo MD 17C saildrive, one owner reported overheating until a separate through-hull raw-water intake was added.

Refits and Ownership

Engines varied: the 11-meter boats were sold with Universal, Volvo, and Yanmar power. Owners have addressed weak points with upgrades — one moved from undersized Lewmar primaries and halyard winches to #43 and #42 sizes respectively, and another replaced inadequate original refrigeration with an Adler Barbour unit. The in-house hatches and straightforward hull-deck structure make access and refinement practical for a committed owner.

The Verdict

The S2 11.0 A is a thoughtfully engineered 1977-vintage cruiser with a rare combination of Edmunds restraint and S2 production discipline. Her thick-section encapsulated keel and simple flange joint speak to structural honesty, while the beamy, balsa-cored-deck interior delivers liveaboard space. The liabilities are concentrated in period-typical details: oversized windows, fussy chainplates, and a shallow offshore cockpit.

Pros