Windward 850 Sailboats for Sale & Market Overview

Drawing Diagram

Builder drawing

Hull Type

Monohull · fin

Rig

Masthead Sloop

LOA

28' · 8.53 m

Disp.

6,300 lbs · 2,858 kg

First year

1973

The Windward 850 represents the pinnacle of the shortlived but respected production run by Windward Marine Ltd. in Richmond, British Columbia. Introduced in the late 1970s as a substantial upgrade to the builder's smaller Windward 24, the 850—named for its 8.5meter length—was designed by the prolific naval architect John Simpson. The vessel was specifically engineered to navigate the challenging, often unpredictable waters of the Pacific Northwest, where "stiffness" and structural integrity are prioritized over raw lightair speed. As a quintessential "pocket cruiser," the 850 bridged the gap between entrylevel daysailers and heavy bluewater yachts, offering a hull form that maximized interior volume without sacrificing the seakindliness required for the Strait of Georgia or the Inside Passage.