Shipmate Senior Buyer's Guide
The Shipmate Senior is a Norman Howard–designed pocket cruiser built by Smallcraft of Blockley in the United Kingdom between 1970 and 1981, with about a hundred examples afloat. On the brokerage market it is a small, beachable fractional sloop whose appeal lies in its retractable centerboard and minimal systems rather than cabin comfort.
Layouts on the Used Market
Every Senior shares the same fundamental plan: a 4.95-meter fiberglass hull with a 4.32-meter waterline, a stub keel with centerboard, and two berths below. The beam of 1.91 meters keeps the cabin narrow, so buyers should expect a camp-cruiser interior rather than a weekender for four. The draft shifts from 0.30 meter with the board up to 0.76 meter down, which defines where each boat can be kept and launched.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Because no source lists commonly fitted or often-seen factory equipment, buyers should treat most gear as owner-supplied. The one near-universal item from the record is a small outboard of one to two horsepower used for docking and maneuvering. Beyond that, any generator, watermaker, or navigation suite should be read as a later owner upgrade rather than original specification, and a buyer should verify battery and charging capacity before committing to extended cruising.
What to Inspect
The key construction distinction is builder origin: the sixteen Seaborne-built boats carry a thicker fiberglass lay-up than the later Smallcraft hulls, so confirm which yard produced the example you are viewing. With solid fiberglass hull and deck and a lead-ballasted stub keel, inspect the centerboard trunk and pivot for wear, and confirm the listed 307 pounds-per-inch immersion behavior has not been compromised by undocumented modifications. The wetted surface of about nine square meters should be checked for past repair or osmotic treatment history on the specific hull.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats are typically found in the United Kingdom. For a shopper, the checklist is short: confirm builder and lay-up thickness, verify centerboard and trunk condition, test the outboard bracket and steering, and assess any added equipment as owner upgrades. The Senior rewards a buyer wanting a light, beachable daysailer over one seeking cabin volume or offshore range.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Shipmate Senior. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26 | 1 | $2,031 | — |
Where they're listed
Shipmate Senior listings appear across 1 country. United Kingdom has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $2,031 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
