Design and Construction
The 7.3 is a solid fiberglass monohull with wood trim, carrying a raked stem and a slightly reverse transom. S2 built its cruising boats with solid glass hulls, and the 7.3 sits squarely in that cruising lineage rather than the balsa-cored racing models the yard also produced. Below the waterline she wears a fixed fin keel, with an optional shoal-draft keel drawn by Graham & Schlageter, and steering runs through an internally mounted spade rudder on a tiller. At 3,250 pounds displacement with 1,300 pounds of lead ballast, the boat carries a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 40 percent on an 18.5-foot waterline, and the 4-foot draft fin gives her a manageable coastal profile.
Rig and Handling
The rig is a Bermuda masthead sloop, a straightforward arrangement for a boat of this size. The old-fashioned keel design exposes so much wetted surface that period reviewers assumed it slows her down in light air compared with her comps, a tradeoff against the simplicity of the underbody. On the racecourse her PHRF average handicap settled at 228, a number that places her among modest-performance cruisers rather than out-and-out racers. The spade rudder and tiller give direct control, and the 255-square-foot sail plan sits atop a 31.67-foot mast, enough canvas to move the 7.3 without overpowering a short-handed crew.
Accommodations
Below, the 7.3 sleeps four: a double V-berth in the bow cabin, with two straight settee berths in the main saloon. The head tucks into the bow cabin on the port side beneath the V-berth, a compact but conventional layout for the length. The galley lies to port abeam the companionway ladder and carries a single sink. Writing in a 2010 review, Steve Henkel called out good space below for a 24-footer, and the settee-and-V-berth arrangement bears that out without pretending to be anything larger than a weekender.
Known Issues
The only recorded criticism is performance-based: the exposed wetted surface of the keel drew reviewer concern that she loses ground in light air. That is a design characteristic rather than a fault requiring repair, and buyers should weigh it as a sailing-quality note, not a maintenance item.
Refits and Ownership
Owners fitting out a 7.3 will find an outboard motor rather than an inboard, which simplifies the engine space and keeps the bilge clear of diesel systems. The shoal-draft keel option from Graham & Schlageter gives a second underbody choice for shallow water, and the tiller/spade-rudder combination keeps steering gear easy to service. With only 404 built and production ended in 1987, the class is small enough that each boat's history matters more than fleet trends.
The Verdict
The S2 7.3 is a modest, well-defined small cruiser from the Edmunds era at S2: solid glass construction, a simple outboard-and-tiller layout, and a belowdecks plan that uses its 24 feet efficiently. She is not a light-air flyer, but she is an honest pocket cruiser with a clear identity.
Pros
- Sleeps four in a compact but usable layout with good space below for the length
- Solid fiberglass hull
- Outboard power and tiller steering keep systems simple and serviceable
Cons
- Exposed keel wetted surface likely slows her in light air versus comparable boats
- Small fleet of 404 means limited brokerage choice and class support
