Design and Construction
The 30-30 PC is a recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim. It has a raked stem, a raised reverse transom, a fixed fin keel, and an internally mounted spade rudder controlled by a tiller.
The boat measures just under 30 feet overall, with a 25.4-foot waterline, a 10.25-foot beam, and a 5.5-foot draft. Displacement is 6,500 pounds, including 2,310 pounds of lead ballast. That produces a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 35.5 percent, marking it as a stiff, purpose-built racer-cruiser rather than a heavy coastal cruiser.
The fin keel and tiller-steered spade rudder suit a boat designed for responsive handling. A capsize ratio of 2.2 and a comfort ratio of 16.9 place the 30-30 PC firmly in the light-displacement, offshore-rated MORC camp rather than the weekender class.
Rig, Deck Gear, and Handling
The 30-30 PC carries a masthead sloop rig with 440 square feet of sail. Its PHRF racing average handicap is 141.
A mid-cockpit mainsheet traveler and internally mounted halyards keep the working lines close to the helm. Four winches, aluminum genoa tracks, and aluminum toe rails support quick sail changes.
The boom controls are extensively geared: a 12:1 boom vang, a 3:1 Cunningham, and a 2:1 foreguy, along with two flattening reefs, an internal outhaul, and an internal topping lift. Together, they allow a short crew to shape the mainsail precisely as the wind builds. Those purchase ratios reflect a deck plan intended to maintain racing pace in moderate fleets.
Accommodations
Below, the 30-30 PC has a compact cruiser-racer layout. The galley is split, with a two-burner alcohol stove and sink to starboard and an icebox to port. The icebox also serves as the navigation table.
The head is forward, just aft of the bow V-berth, and includes a hanging locker. Two cabin berths and separate dinette settees provide additional sleeping space. A large forward hatch admits light and air to the forepeak—a practical feature on a boat whose racing focus didn’t erase the cruising half of its brief.
Verdict
The Santana 30-30 PC is a focused MORC design from Nelson and Marek, built in small numbers by W. D. Schock Corp at the turn of the 1980s. It combines a light, stiff fiberglass hull with a heavily geared masthead rig and a tiller-steered spade rudder. Below, the layout provides the cruising essentials without pretending to offer the volume of a dedicated cruiser.
For a sailor seeking a scarce, race-oriented 30-footer with genuine offshore ratios, the 30-30 PC may reward the search. Its low production count is the obvious caveat.
Pros
- High ballast ratio and capsize-screening figures suited to MORC racing and coastal offshore work
- Extensively geared boom and mast controls manageable by a small crew
- Split galley with a combined icebox and navigation table
- Forward head with a hanging locker
Cons
- Only about 40 were built, so finding one requires patience
- Its light-displacement racer-cruiser comfort ratio limits its appeal as a long-range cruiser
