Hull Design and Sailing Character
Arthur Edmunds drew the lines for the 11.0, though Slikkers' hands are all over everything above the waterline. Edmunds' approach was deliberately centrist: moderate beam of nearly twelve feet fairs into waterlines that give the boat a symmetrical footprint, meaning heel distorts her underwater shape only minimally. That choice pays dividends at the helm, which owners consistently describe as light and predictable.
The keel is a longish fin that represents a transitional moment in design history — longer than modern foils but shorter than the full-length keels it evolved from. To contain 6,000 pounds of ballast, Edmunds had to build the keel thick in section, which adds parasitic drag and reduces lift compared to later NACA-profile foils. The rudder, meanwhile, is low in aspect ratio and supported by a vestigial skeg — a configuration that sacrifices some turning quickness in exchange for protection and confidence that offshore sailors tend to appreciate. Her displacement of 15,000 pounds and a displacement-to-length ratio approaching 300 mean she is not a sprinter, but she is genuinely stable and not easily thrown around by seas.
One design feature worth noting: the 11.0 was early to run sailing controls to the cockpit, which was genuinely innovative for her era.
Rig and Handling
The 11.0 carries a masthead rig with the proportions typical of her time — a small mainsail paired with an overlarge foretriangle. Modern cruising doctrine has moved toward larger, more easily reefed mainsails and smaller, handier headsails, and this boat requires some adaptation if you want to apply that philosophy. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is moderate, and in light air or close-hauled work she shows her age against contemporary designs with longer waterlines and plumb stems. Longer waterlines and narrower entries simply go faster, and the 11.0's marked forward overhang, while keeping the foredeck drier and giving the boat her graceful profile, works against her in VMG contests.
That said, her stability and predictable handling make her forgiving for short-handed sailing. One owner who completed an offshore passage to Hawaii in heavy conditions — sustained 55-knot winds and seas to eighteen feet — reported that the boat handled it without incident and felt entirely safe. The T-shaped cockpit was innovative in its day, though it constrains wheel diameter to 36 inches and makes steering from the rail awkward. Cockpit coamings are lower and the well shallower than what offshore sailors typically want.
Construction and Durability
S2 built its reputation on construction, and the 11.0 is where that reputation was consolidated. The hull is solid fiberglass. The deck uses end-grain balsa core in the walkway areas. Slikkers designed and manufactured the hatches in-house — molding the surrounding lip into the deck tooling, shaping the Lexan, and developing the gasket and sealant in a climate-controlled factory that was ahead of its time.
The hull-deck joint is straightforward: the hull molding has an inward-turning flange onto which the deck drops, bedded in flexible sealant and through-bolted on six-inch centers through a slotted aluminum toerail. Deck leaks have generally not been a problem. The integral keel — molded as part of the hull rather than bolted on — is cited by the factory as a key strength advantage. S2 also moved early to vinylester resin and eliminated the exterior cloth layer that was causing blistering industry-wide, eventually offering a five-year anti-blister warranty. Most owners confirm the hulls have resisted blistering well even on boats that have never had a barrier coat applied.
Gelcoat quality is a consistent point of pride. One owner with a boat approaching four decades old reported that a thorough polish restored color and shine to that of a much younger boat, without painting.
Accommodations
The interior of the aft-cockpit 11.0 is organized around what was a deliberately generous philosophy for its era. The forward berth measures over six-and-a-half feet in each dimension; the quarter berth aft is similarly roomy. The galley wraps around a serve-through counter — an arrangement that was ahead of its time in terms of function and integration with the rest of the cabin. A jumbo head with shower, well-finished drawers, and a surprisingly large hanging locker round out an interior that one owner who stands 6 feet 5 inches described as never producing a closed-in feeling during weeks of continuous cruising.
The center-cockpit version trades saloon spaciousness for the privacy and convenience of fully separated cabins — a meaningful benefit for couples on extended passages. The galley is positioned near the companionway amidships, which is a smart placement for sea comfort and ventilation. The tradeoff is a saloon pushed forward and pinched, and a considerably taller, visually busier profile that divides opinion.
Known Issues and Weaknesses
A handful of recurring concerns emerge from owner accounts. The chainplates have been a source of ongoing maintenance for some owners — one reports needing to rebed them every season to keep them watertight. The recessed grab rail atop the cabin house is neither deep enough nor well-positioned to serve as a genuine handhold when conditions get serious. The cockpit's proportions, already noted, limit comfort for offshore work.
Original equipment was adequate rather than generous. Owners commonly find the primary and halyard winches undersized — one upgraded to Lewmar 43s on primary and 42s on halyard — and the factory refrigeration is generally considered insufficient for extended live-aboard use. The large fixed cabin windows, while brightening the interior substantially, represent sizable openings in the cabin trunk that raise some concern for breaking seas. One owner flagged the wooden mast step and the relative lack of structural reinforcement around the keel-stepped mast as a matter worth investigating, though no structural failures from this cause have been reported in the published record.
Refit Considerations
The 11.0's well-built hull and solid cabinetry give a refit a solid foundation to work from. The cockpit locker is large enough to provide engine access from the port side as well as space for a generator, watermaker, and substantial storage — a layout that makes it practical to bring systems up to contemporary standards without major structural surgery. The engine compartment has accommodated Universal, Volvo, and Yanmar installations over the years; a Volvo saildrive unit in one boat required a separate raw-water through-hull to resolve overheating, so any Volvo saildrive installation deserves scrutiny on that point.
Interior teak has held up well with basic maintenance — lemon oil treatment has consistently renewed the woodwork's luster without major intervention. The gelcoat, where it hasn't been abraded or neglected, polishes back to a presentable condition even after decades. Owners looking to modernize the sailplan would find the biggest gains in moving toward a more balanced main-to-headsail ratio, though this requires evaluating the mast step integrity before loading up a larger mainsail.
The Verdict
The S2 11.0 A is a conscientiously built coastal cruiser from the high point of S2's sailboat era. It is not a performance boat and makes no pretense of being one. Its strengths — construction integrity, interior volume, and mannerly sea behavior — are the strengths that matter most for the kind of extended coastal and offshore cruising it was designed to do. Its limitations are the limitations of its era: a heavy displacement, an undersized rig by modern standards, and cockpit ergonomics that fall short of what contemporary offshore sailing demands. Buyers who understand what they are getting will find a boat that has genuinely aged well.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull with integral keel; no reported structural failures
- Vinylester resin construction with good blister resistance, even without a barrier coat
- Generous interior volume for a 36-footer, including an oversized forward berth
- Light, mannerly helm derived from balanced underwater symmetry
- Large, well-organized cockpit locker with practical engine and systems access
- Factory-made hatches and well-engineered hull-deck joint; minimal deck-leak history
- High gelcoat quality; surface can be restored by polishing even on older hulls
- Center-cockpit version offers genuine cabin separation for couples
Cons
- Heavy displacement and thick keel section limit upwind and light-air performance
- Masthead rig proportions favor a large overlapping headsail over a modern, manageable main
- Chainplates may need annual rebedding
- Cockpit coamings and depth are marginal for serious offshore exposure
- Oversized fixed cabin windows are a vulnerability in breaking seas
- Factory winches and refrigeration typically need upgrading
- 36-inch wheel and T-cockpit layout make rail steering awkward
