S2 8.5 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The standard accommodation plan is the one you will encounter on virtually every example: V-berths forward, a full-width enclosed head just aft of the bow cabin with its own hanging locker, two settee berths in the main cabin, a galley to port at the companionway, and a generous quarterberth to starboard. This layout sleeps four in genuine comfort for a 28-footer, with standing headroom that was noteworthy for the class.

One variation worth knowing is the keel option. Most boats carry the standard fin keel drawing four and a half feet, but the shoal-draft variant — drawing roughly four feet — does appear in the used market. The shoal keel expands gunneling options in shallower waters but gives up a small amount of upwind performance. Confirm which keel specification you are looking at before negotiating, as it affects both where you can sail and how the boat handles.

Wheel steering is the other meaningful configuration split. The cockpit was designed with the wheel version in mind — the T-shaped layout and the placement of engine controls at the aft end of the cockpit suit it far better — and a boat so equipped tends to be the more comfortable long-distance sailor. Tiller-steered examples exist and have their advocates, but the cockpit ergonomics of the tiller version are noticeably compromised by the control placement.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Used examples are widely found with autopilots, biminis, dodgers, and chartplotters fitted, reflecting the practical reality that most S2 8.5s have spent their working lives as family coastal cruisers on the Great Lakes and along American coasts. These additions are so prevalent that a boat lacking them is the exception rather than the rule.

Spinnakers appear with reasonable frequency, a reminder that the 8.5 was designed to sail well — her PHRF rating was competitive with the better boats of her size — and that many owners used her for club racing as well as cruising. Confirm the spinnaker gear is complete and in decent condition if the boat comes equipped with one, as neglected light-air inventory is common.

Electric winches and short-handed sailing setups are less common but do turn up, typically on boats whose owners sailed solo or with reduced crew and made the investment accordingly. These are genuine value-adds rather than gimmicks on a boat of this size.

The interior, while well finished from new, invites a few owner improvements. The icebox was a weak point noted even in original reviews — poor insulation, no gasket on the hatch — and many owners have upgraded to a proper refrigeration system. The alcohol stove was another period limitation; propane or CNG conversions are a common owner modification worth verifying for safe installation. The standard main cabin sole was carpet-covered fiberglass, and many boats now carry teak-and-holly soles, either factory-optioned or added later.

What to Inspect

The hull construction is genuinely one of the S2 8.5's stronger selling points, but there are specific areas that demand close attention from any surveyor.

The keel arrangement warrants careful inspection. The ballast is a 3,000-pound lead casting epoxied inside a hollow fiberglass keel shell rather than an external lead casting bolted to the hull. This means that any water intrusion into the keel cavity — from grounding damage, crazing, or simply age — can be difficult and expensive to remedy. A surveyor examining an old Bristol 27 with a similar arrangement found that diagnosing and repairing even modest external damage required grinding away a large portion of the keel glassing, drying the ballast, and reglassing — a multi-day job. Probe the leading edge of the keel, look for any dampness or soft spots, and have the surveyor sound it thoroughly.

The seacocks deserve scrutiny. The builder fitted ball valves threaded directly onto through-hull fittings rather than traditional flanged seacocks through-bolted to the hull. A proper seacock has a flange that allows it to be bolted to the hull so that leverage on a seized valve does not simply break the through-hull stem. Budget to replace these with properly flanged seacocks if they have not already been updated.

Deck hardware — pulpits, cleats, and winches — was backed with nuts and washers rather than the aluminum or stainless backing plates that provide a more secure and load-distributing installation. Inspect each hardware item for any sign of deck delamination, crazing, or working of the core around fasteners, particularly at the base of the mast and at chainplate locations.

The chainplates themselves are conventional stainless flat-bar bolted to bulkheads and plywood gussets, but the hull lining — a carpet-like synthetic material throughout — makes it impossible to inspect how well the chainplate knees bond to the hull. This is worth discussing with the surveyor; cutting a small inspection port in the liner may be warranted on boats whose standing rigging history is unknown.

The vinyl rubrail at the sheerline, while functional, was noted to dull from black to chalky gray on older examples. This is cosmetic rather than structural but is a useful marker of how carefully the boat has been maintained overall.

Finally, the main cabin bilge warrants attention: the original design provided no bilge access from the main cabin sole, which Practical Sailor called inexcusable. Many owners have since cut an access panel, but on boats that have not, the bilge condition may be a genuine unknown. Confirm access exists and inspect the bilge carefully for water accumulation, odors, and the condition of any through-hull fittings in the area.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The S2 8.5 surfaces most often in the United States, concentrated around the Great Lakes — its natural home — and along the East Coast, with occasional examples appearing in inland freshwater markets. The production run was brief and the numbers modest, so availability is steady rather than abundant; a buyer who is flexible on timing and willing to cast a wide geographic net will be in the best position.

Because these boats are now well into their mature years, condition varies considerably. The S2's excellent construction means a well-cared-for example remains a genuinely solid boat, but deferred maintenance accumulates. Budget for a thorough survey and for the mechanical and seacock work that most will need.

Buyer's inspection checklist:

• Keel cavity — sound for voids, check leading edge for damage, probe for moisture
• Through-hull fittings — verify proper flanged seacocks are fitted (replace ball valves if not)
• Deck hardware backing plates — inspect for deck delamination at chainplates, mast base, and primary hardware
• Standing rigging and chainplate bonding — request surveyor access behind hull liner if needed
• Bilge access — confirm an inspection port exists in the main cabin sole
• Engine — confirm Yanmar 1GM condition; check if the optional larger engine is fitted
• Refrigeration and cooking fuel — verify any propane or CNG conversion is properly installed and plumbed
• Keel configuration — confirm standard vs. shoal draft; wheel vs. tiller steering
• Sails and spinnaker inventory — condition of North sails OEM inventory and any light-air additions
• Rubrail and topsides — assess overall maintenance standard from condition of vinyl rubrail and gelcoat