Shipmate Senior Sailboats for Sale

Norman Howard·1970 – 1981·~100 hulls·Smallcraft of Blockley
Shipmate Senior drawingBuilder drawing
Hull Type
Monohull · centerboard
Rig
Fractional Sloop
LOA
16.25' · 4.95 m
Disp.
970 lbs · 440 kg
First year
1970

The Shipmate Senior is a compact Norman Howard design that appeared in the early seventies and remained in production through 1981, with roughly a hundred examples launched by Smallcraft of Blockley in the United Kingdom. It is a fractionalsloop pocket cruiser of just over sixteen feet on the waterline, built in fiberglass with a stub centerboard keel that lets it dry out or gunkhole where deeper boats cannot follow.

Market snapshot

Median asking · 12 mo
$2,031
Asking price · 1 listings
Recent listings · 90 d
1
1 tracked · 12 mo
3-month price trend
0.0%
vs. 12-mo median
Countries with listings
1
United Kingdom (100.0%)

Recent Listings

1 for sale · showing 10 newest

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.

Where they're listed

Shipmate Senior listings appear across 1 country. United Kingdom has the most listings with 1.

Median ask by country
USD
Share of listings
Count · past 12 months

Country view

1 listings · 1 country
CountryMedian askListings · 12 moActive · 90 dShare
United Kingdom$2,03111100.0%

Frequently asked questions

01How much does a used Shipmate Senior cost?+
The median asking price for a used Shipmate Senior over the past 12 months is $2,031. Prices vary by condition, year, equipment, and location.
02How many Shipmate Senior sailboats are for sale?+
1 Shipmate Senior listing has gone live in the last 90 days, and 1 has been tracked across the past 12 months.
03Are Shipmate Senior prices going up or down?+
The median asking price for the Shipmate Senior has stayed steady over the last 3 months compared with the 12-month median.
04Where are Shipmate Senior sailboats for sale?+
The top markets for used Shipmate Senior listings over the past 12 months are United Kingdom (100.0%).