Design and Construction
The hull is solid fiberglass, and the 38 percent ballast ratio paired with a displacement of roughly 7,600 pounds gives the 30-1 a recognizable cruiser-racer posture rather than a heavy-displacement coastal slug. Her length-to-beam ratio of 2.79 and a wetted surface near 290 square feet place her in the company of beamy, easily driven hulls; the immersion rate of about 868 pounds per inch means she sits to her lines predictably as stores and crew load her. Yamaha Marine built her to a fin-keel, skeg-hung rudder arrangement, and the draft of 5.74 to 6.04 feet depending on load keeps her inside the draft limits of most marinas able to enter most marinas.
Rig and Performance
The masthead rig carries a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.2 on the ISO reference sail, rising to 19.5 with a 135 percent genoa, which is what nudges her into the moderate-racer class on the displacement-length index of 258. The theoretical hull speed works out to about 6.5 knots for a displacement hull of this length, and the Motion Comfort Ratio of 19.9 suggests a tolerable motion profile for a boat of this size. Where she falls short of serious bluewater credentials is the capsize screening value of 2.15, a figure that would not be accepted for ocean races under the usual screening rule.
The Verdict
The Yamaha 30-1 is a coherent late-seventies cruiser-racer: solid fiberglass construction, a fin-keel hull that is easy to berth, and a rig that develops decent light-air drive with a genoa. She is not an ocean racer by the capsize-screening measure, but her comfort and displacement numbers make her a sensible coastal and lake sailor.
Pros
- Marina-friendly draft of roughly 5.7 to 6.0 feet dependent on load
- Moderate-racer displacement-length and sail-area ratios
- Solid fiberglass hull with 38 percent ballast ratio
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.15 excludes her from ocean-race acceptance
