Design and Construction
The 245 is a monohull recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, a raked stem, and a vertical transom. Its fixed stub keel carries a centerboard, giving a working draft of 4.42 feet with the board down and a shoal 1.92 feet with it raised — the latter low enough to permit ground transportation on a trailer. The transom-hung rudder is controlled by a tiller, and the boat displaces 3,000 pounds with 1,300 pounds of ballast, a ratio that places real stability in a package light enough to haul. A beam of 8 feet and a waterline length of 20.5 feet frame a hull whose stated speed ceiling is 6.07 knots.
Rig and Handling
Above the deck, the 245 uses a 7/8 fractional sloop rig on aluminum spars, with a Bermuda configuration and a deck-stepped mast fitted to a tabernacle for easy lowering. The sailplan carries 121.5 square feet in the main and 145.1 square feet in the jib for a total of roughly 267 square feet. Internally run halyards, mainsail outhaul, and reefing lines keep the deck tidy, while jib sheets lead through track-mounted blocks to two cockpit winches and a deck-mounted halyard winch handles hoists. On the race course the design carries a PHRF average handicap of 210, spanning a high of 204 to a low of 216, a band that puts it fairly among modest club-racing contemporaries.
Accommodations
Below, the 245 is laid out for short cruises rather than liveaboard stretch. A “V”-berth sits forward, and two cabin berths provide stowage underneath for gear. The galley is split, with a single-burner stove to starboard and the sink to port, a pragmatic division that keeps the cook clear of the companionway traffic. A chemical head is fitted with a privacy door, and ventilation comes from a forward hatch plus two opening portlights. Fresh water is carried in a 10-gallon tank filled from a deck filler, and an anchor locker in the bow rounds out the foredeck storage.
Equipment and Deck Layout
The cockpit is built around manual sail handling, with the two jib winches and deck-mounted halyard winch already noted, and the tiller gives direct feedback from the transom-hung rudder. The boat is normally fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering, mounted as an outboard type rather than inboard. An anchor locker in the bow and the deck filler for water complete the exterior service points a buyer will use day to day.
The Verdict
The Seidelmann 245 is a thoughtfully compact cruiser-racer whose trailerable nature and retractable centerboard make it unusually versatile for a 24-footer. Bob Seidelmann’s racing and sailmaking pedigree show in a fractional rig that is simple to handle and a hull that balances ballast with light displacement. The accommodations are honest for the length, if minimal, and the out-of-production status means careful survey of any example is wise.
Pros
- Trailerable with centerboard retracted at 1.92-foot draft
- Fractional sloop rig with internal halyards and tidy deck layout
- 1,300 lb ballast in 3,000 lb displacement for a stable small cruiser
- Split galley and private head suitable for weekend coasting
Cons
- Only 10 gallons of water and a chemical head limit extended cruising
- Maneuvering depends on a small outboard motor rather than an inboard
- Production ended in 1984; examples require careful survey
