Practical Boat Owner contributors describe the TS240 as both a popular club racer and an excellent, versatile family coastal cruiser. That’s a fair summary of a design that has aged into a useful dual-purpose pocket boat.
Design and Construction
The TS240 belongs to the Dubois Starflash lineage. Trapper Yachts bought the Starflash moulds and developed them into the lift-keel TS240 in 1980. Beneath the deck, then, is the hull shape of a Quarter Ton racer rather than that of a purpose-built cruiser.
The hull is fiberglass: solid fiberglass below, with a solid fiberglass deck above. Displacement is 2,600 pounds, including 1,196 pounds of lead ballast, for a ballast ratio of 46 percent.
Its displacement-to-length figure is about 157, while the length-to-beam ratio is 2.74. These figures describe a narrow, moderately loaded hull for its length. The 9-foot-2-inch beam keeps the accommodation compact, but the roughly 215 square feet of wetted surface is relatively small. A 19-foot-6-inch waterline gives a theoretical hull speed of 5.9 knots.
Rig, Keel, and Handling
The TS240 has a fractional sloop rig and a drop keel. Its sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 21.0 with the ISO reference sail, rising to 24.3 with a 135 percent genoa. Those numbers reflect the boat’s racing background.
A capsize screening value of 2.67 and Motion Comfort Ratio of 9.8 place it firmly in the lively, easily driven camp rather than among plush ocean-passage boats. Its immersion rate of about 624 pounds per inch also means the boat trims quickly in response to crew weight and loading.
With the keel raised, draft is barely over a foot—roughly 1.35 feet—and with it lowered, about 5.5 feet. This allows the same boat to plane through a club series and then be hauled home behind a car. The light 2,600-pound displacement and roughly 215 square feet of wetted surface help make that dual role possible, including planing through a club series before being hauled home behind a car.
Accommodation and Coastal Use
Practical Boat Owner describes the TS240 as an excellent and versatile family coastal cruiser. The lifting keel is central to that versatility: a boat that can be trailed, launched, and dried out easily gives a family options beyond keeping it in a permanent marina berth.
The compact beam and Quarter Ton hull form keep the interior practical rather than expansive. The boat’s versatility comes from its trailerable package, not from interior volume. Its success in 1980 and persistence as a club racer point to a hull suited to coastal waters, rather than one stretched to suggest the capabilities of a larger boat.
Verdict
The TS240 is a genuine dual-role pocket boat: a Dubois Quarter Ton derivative that can race midweek and trail home for the weekend. Its lead-ballasted lifting keel and fractional rig keep it lively and easily driven.
It isn’t a high-volume bluewater boat. As a coastal family sailer and club racer, however, it remains true to what Trapper and Dubois built it to be.
Pros
- Lifting keel provides roughly 1.35-foot draft when raised and about 5.5 feet when lowered, allowing trailering and shallow-water access
- Fractional rig with a 135 percent genoa produces a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 24.3
- Lead ballast, a 46 percent ballast ratio, and 2,600-pound displacement help keep the boat 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 it as lively rather than plush
- Small wetted surface and light displacement suit coastal use rather than offshore load carrying
