Design and Construction
The TS240 came out of the Dubois Starflash lineage, and Trapper Yachts bought those moulds and developed them into the lift-keel TS240 in 1980 anchor, so the hull beneath the deck is a quarter-ton racer's shape rather than a purpose-built cruiser's. The hull itself is fiberglass, with solid fiberglass below and a solid fiberglass deck above, and a lead ballast of 1,196 pounds set in a 46 percent ballast ratio against a 2,600-pound displacement. That displacement-to-length figure sits at about 157 and the length-to-beam ratio at 2.74, which marks her as a narrow, moderately loaded hull for her length; the 9-foot-2-inch beam keeps the accommodation compact but the wetted surface of roughly 215 square feet is small, aiding the 5.9-knot theoretical hull speed a 19-foot-6-inch waterline allows.
Rig and Handling
She is built with a fractional sloop rig and a drop keel, and the sail-area-to-displacement numbers tell the racing story: 21.0 with the ISO reference sail, rising to 24.3 with a 135 percent genoa. The capsize screening value of 2.67 and a Motion Comfort Ratio of 9.8 place her firmly in the lively, easily driven camp rather than the plush ocean-passage camp, and the immersion rate of about 624 pounds per inch means she trims quickly under crew and load. With the keel up she draws barely over a foot and with it down about 5.5 feet, so the same boat that planes through a club series can be hauled home behind a car; the 215 square feet of wetted surface and the light 2,600-pound displacement are what make that dual life work.
Accommodations
Practical Boat Owner describes the TS240 as an excellent and versatile family coastal cruiser, and the lifting keel is the enabler: a boat that trails, launches, and dries out easily is a boat a family can use without a permanent marina berth. The compact beam and quarter-ton hull form keep the interior honest rather than expansive, but the versatility comes from the trailerable package, not from volume, and the design's success in 1980 and persistence as a club racer speak to a hull that behaves in coastal waters rather than one that was stretched to pretend at something larger.
The Verdict
The TS240 is a genuine dual-role pocket boat: a Dubois quarter-ton derivative that races midweek and trails home for the weekend, with a lead-ballasted lifting keel and a fractional rig that keeps her lively and light on her feet. She is not a bluewater volume leader, but as a coastal family sailer and club racer she remains exactly what Trapper and Dubois built her to be.
Pros
- Lifting keel gives about 1.35-foot draft up and 5.5-foot down for trailering and shallow access
- Fractional rig with genoa drives a 24.3 sail-area-to-displacement ratio
- Lead ballast at 46 percent and 2,600-pound displacement keep her stiff and quick
- Still regarded as a popular club racer and versatile coastal cruiser
Cons
- Compact 9-foot-2-inch beam limits interior space
- Motion Comfort Ratio of 9.8 marks her as lively rather than plush
- Small wetted surface and light displacement suit coastal use, not offshore load carrying
