Design and Construction
Thames Marine built the Snapdragon 29 during the same heavy, hand-laid GRP era as the rest of its in-house Snapdragon range. Both the hull and deck are solid fiberglass.
At 29 feet overall and 24 feet on the waterline, she displaces 7,500 pounds. Her 3,000 pounds of iron ballast gives a ballast ratio of 40 percent. Depending on load, the twin bilge keels draw 3.25 to 3.55 feet, allowing her to dry out or enter shallow marinas beyond the reach of deeper-finned contemporaries.
Her 9.5-foot beam produces a length-to-beam ratio of 3.05, giving her a moderately narrow, seakindly footprint for her length. A displacement-length ratio of 242 puts her firmly in heavy-displacement territory, while the 21-square-meter wetted surface keeps the bilge-keel drag penalty contained.
A capsize screening value of 1.94 and Motion Comfort Ratio of 22.4 point to a stable, reassuring coastal cruiser rather than a lithe racer.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Snapdragon 29 carries a masthead sloop rig with 300 square feet of sail area. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 12.53—a modest figure that favors control over outright acceleration. Theoretical hull speed is 6.6 knots.
The standing and running rigging dimensions specify 29-foot jib and genoa sheets at 3/8 inch diameter, a 72.5-foot mainsheet of the same diameter, and a 63.8-foot spinnaker sheet.
Her immersion rate is 796 pounds per inch, so she sits heavily and changes trim slowly as crew and stores come aboard. That behavior is consistent with the 242 displacement-length ratio and the steadiness of the bilge-keel configuration.
Accommodations
No supported information is available about the Snapdragon 29’s interior arrangement, berth count, or joinery. The 9.5-foot beam and 7,500-pound displacement suggest the volume budget of a typical 1970s bilge-keel family cruiser, but no specific layout claim can be made here.
Known Issues
The Snapdragon 29’s service history shows no structural defects, osmotic breakdown, rigging failures, or flooding paths.
Production and Ownership
Thames Marine ceased manufacturing in 1981. Maplin Marine briefly continued distribution before also closing, and Boating Scene later acquired the rights to other Snapdragon and Mirage ranges. None of this information names the Snapdragon 29 specifically.
The Verdict
The Snapdragon 29 is a straightforward early-1970s British bilge-keel cruiser: heavily built, shallow-draft, and numerically conservative in performance. She suits sailors who value stability and marina access over speed, and who are comfortable with a simple masthead rig and modest sail plan.
Pros
- Twin bilge keels provide a 3.25–3.55 ft draft for shallow access
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck from the heavy, hand-laid GRP era
- A capsize screening value of 1.94 and comfort ratio of 22.4 indicate steady motion
Cons
- A sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 12.53 is low for sparkling performance
- A displacement-length ratio of 242 means she is no lightweight responder
