At just under 19 feet overall, the Starwind 19 falls between a dayboat and a pocket cruiser. Period reviewers considered her thoughtfully conceived and well made for a boat of her size and era.
Design and Construction
The Starwind 19 is a fiberglass monohull with wood trim, built as a recreational keelboat. Her ballasted shoal-draft keel with a centerboard provides a working draft of 4.50 feet with the board down and a shoal draft of 1.50 feet with it retracted. That range suits coastal moorings as well as trailer launching.
The hull displaces a modest 1,350 pounds and carries 395 pounds of ballast. Its profile features a raked stem and reverse transom. A transom-hung rudder and tiller keep the steering simple and the underwater profile clean.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Starwind 19 has a fractional sloop configuration and Bermuda rig. The foretriangle measures 20 feet high on a 6-foot base, while the mainsail luff is 21 feet. Total sail area is about 153 square feet, divided between a 92.6-square-foot mainsail and a 60-square-foot jib.
Her PHRF handicap averages 288, and quoted hull speed is 5.5 knots. Sailboat Data describes the design as optimized for spirited coastal cruising and weekending, noting that its blend of speed, trailerability, and comfort made it popular with solo sailors and couples.
Accommodations
The cabin sleeps four, with a double V-berth forward and two straight settee berths in the main cabin. At the companionway, the galley sits to port and includes a sink. The head is tucked beneath the forward V-berth.
Cabin headroom is a tight 38 inches, and the 2.5-gallon fresh-water tank supports only the simplest cruising. A period assessment praised the good-sized opening forward hatch—rare on a boat of this size—for both ventilation and emergency escape. It also regarded the on-deck anchor locker as a plus.
Auxiliary Power and Ownership
The boat is normally fitted with a small 3 to 6 hp outboard, mounted on the transom for docking and maneuvering. Her lightweight construction and trailerable footprint make ownership straightforward for a couple or solo sailor. The reviewer found no significant worst features worth mentioning.
The Verdict
The Starwind 19 is a thoughtfully laid-out pocket cruiser that offers more weekending ability than her length might suggest. Her shoal-draft keel-and-centerboard arrangement expands the range of places where she can be trailered and taken gunkholing. The forward hatch and anchor locker are genuine conveniences rarely found at this scale.
Pros
- 1.5-foot draft with the board up and 4.5-foot draft with it down, well suited to trailering and thin water
- Sleeps four, with a forward hatch sized for ventilation and emergency egress
- Simple tiller steering and outboard power keep ownership uncomplicated
Cons
- 38-inch cabin headroom limits comfort belowdecks
- 2.5-gallon water capacity restricts cruising beyond short weekends
