Design and Construction
Peterson’s Half Ton racing lineage is the defining thread of the Triton 30’s design. The boat is a development of the Chaser 29 racer, sharing that hull, and the 24.50-foot waterline paired with 6,800 lb displacement and 2,850 lb of ballast give a ballast-displacement ratio near 42 percent. With a 12.25-foot beam and a 5.58-foot fin keel, the hull form is a modern mid-1980s planing-influenced shape rather than a traditional full-keel cruiser. The internally mounted spade-type rudder is controlled by a wheel, and the documented construction is solid fiberglass with wood trim.
Rig and Handling
As a masthead sloop the Triton 30 carries a total sail area of 381 square feet, split between a 153-square-foot mainsail and a 228-square-foot jib or genoa. The I foretriangle height is 38.00 feet on a 12.00-foot J base, with a 34.00-foot mainsail luff and 9.00-foot foot. The design’s hull speed is recorded at 6.63 knots, a function of the 24.50-foot waterline. The spade rudder and fin keel, inherited from the Half Ton racer hull, position the boat as a responsive coastal sailor rather than a heavy-displacement offshore voyager.
Accommodations
The available record provides no interior layout, berth count, head configuration, or cabin detailing for the Triton 30. What is established is only the external envelope and the fact that it is documented as a Canadian and American trailerable sailboat, which implies a size and weight bracket suited to road transport rather than a described interior arrangement.
Known Issues
No documented defects, structural weaknesses, or systemic failures appear in the available record for the Triton 30. The sources describe the design as now out of production but record no safety-relevant known issues, drainage problems,有 or flooding paths.
Refits and Ownership
The sources name no generation successor within the Triton line for this model, and no refit campaigns or owner-reported upgrades are documented. Ownership context is limited to the builder and the 1985 start of production by Pearson Yachts in the United States using the purchased US Yachts molds.
The Verdict
The Triton 30 is a compact, racing-derived 1985 Pearson cruiser-racer that carries Doug Peterson’s Half Ton hull into a trailerable 29-foot package. Its documented strengths are a clear design pedigree and a modern fin-and-spade hull; its record is silent on interior and on faults.
Pros
- Direct hull development of the Chaser 29 Half Ton racer
- Fin keel and spade rudder with wheel steering
- Documented 6.63-knot hull speed from a 24.50-foot waterline
Cons
- No documented interior layout or accommodation details
- No recorded successor generation or refit history
- No cited known-issue or inspection baseline in the record
