S2 7.9 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a used S2 7.9 means considering a 25-foot 11-inch design that S2 Yachts built from 1982 through its 1986 sailboat shutdown, with small batches again in 1990 and 1994 for 545 hulls total. Most changed hands originally with trailers, and the nine-foot beam means wide-load permits for road transport. These are fractional-sloop racer-cruisers with a retracting lead daggerboard, equally at home on a Great Lakes one-design start line or a weekend anchorage.
Layouts on the Used Market
The dominant configuration is the lead-ballasted daggerboard version, though a limited fixed-keel run exists with the ballast moved down and internal lead eliminated for 4,050 pounds. Below, a fiberglass floorpan carries the berths and a minimal galley along the port side by the board trunk, with a starboard combination head and hanging locker using a Porta Potti and no ventilation. Forward is a true V-berth for two; aft are large quarterberths. Headroom is just over five feet, so plan on stooping. The nearly eight-foot cockpit is the boat's social center and will daysail six easily.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
A spinnaker is commonly fitted, and an asymmetric spinnaker appears as an owner upgrade rather than standard gear. Most boats left the factory outboard-powered, with an 8 hp outboard the minimum for acceptable performance; a few carry the optional 7.5 hp BMW or later Yanmar inboard diesel with a stainless eight-gallon tank and water-separator, though access to the fuel shutoff and filter is poor through a quarterberth port.
What to Inspect
The deck and hull are joined only with screws through the aluminum toerail rather than through-bolts, a joint that is prone to leaking and will need attention. Check the balsa-cored deck and cabin top for soft spots at hardware bases, especially on raced boats, since water in the core rots it. The port chainplate has a 2-foot unsupported span that works and leaks, and Practical Sailor recorded several owners reporting cockpit lockers leak. Confirm the daggerboard trunk and weldment are sound, as the board cannot be pinned down.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Used S2 7.9s appear on the market in the United States. A practical short checklist: verify the deck-to-hull screw joint and chainplate leaks, sound the balsa deck for core damage, test locker and port fitment dryness, confirm daggerboard trunk integrity, and decide early between outboard simplicity and inboard diesel access limits.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the S2 7.9. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 10 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25 | 1 | $18,000 | — |
| Mar 25 | 1 | $14,000 | -22.2% |
| May 25 | 1 | $7,500 | -46.4% |
| Jul 25 | 3 | $11,500 | +53.3% |
| Nov 25 | 1 | $4,500 | -60.9% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $3,500 | -22.2% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $11,000 | +214.3% |
| Apr 26 | 5 | $11,000 | 0.0% |
| May 26 | 1 | $12,900 | +17.3% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $7,000 | -45.7% |
Where they're listed
S2 7.9 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 10.
Country view
10 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $11,000 | 10 | 1 | 100.0% |