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This speedster is as specialized as it gets; mind-blowing performance, but almost no living space.
The Olson 30 is of a breed of sailboats born in Santa Cruz, California called the ULDB , an acronym for ultra light displacement boat. ULDBs are big dinghies—long on the waterline, short on the interior, narrow on the beam, and very light on both the displacement and the price tag. ULDBs attract a different kind of sailor—the type for whom performance means everything.
For some yachting traditionalists, the arrival of ULDB has been a hard pill to swallow. Part of this is simple resentment of a ULDB’s ability to sail boat for-boat with a racer-cruiser up to 15′ longer (and a whole lot more expensive). Part of it is the realization that, to sail a ULDB might mean having to learn a whole new set of sailing skills. Part of it is a reaction to the near-manic enthusiasts of Santa Cruz, where nearly 100 ULDBs race for pure fun—without the help of race committees, protest committees, or handicaps (in Santa Cruz, IOR is a dirty word). And part of the traditionalists’ resentment is their gut feeling that ULDBs aren’t real yachts.
In 1970, Californian George Olson tried an experiment and created the first ULDB. He thought if he took a boat with the same displacement and sail area as a Cal 20, but made it longer and narrower, it might go faster. The boat he built was called Grendel and it did go faster than a Cal 20, much faster than anyone had expected. The plug for Grendel was later widened by Santa Cruz boatbuilder Ran Moors, and used to make the mold for the Moore 24, a now-popular ULDB one-design.
In the meantime, George Olson had joined up with another Santa Cruz builder by the name of Bill Lee, and together they designed and built the Santa Cruz 27. Olson also helped Lee build his 1977 Transpac winner Merlin, a 67′, 20,000 pound monster of a ULDB (she was subsequently legislated out of theTranspac race). Then Olson and several other of Lee’s employees started their own boatbuilding firm (in Santa Cruz, of course) called Pacific Boats. The first project for Pacific Boats was the Olson 30, which was put into production in 1978. Pacific Boats later became Olson/Ericson, and produced a 25 and a 40. The latest incarnation of the 30 is called the 911.
Construction
Some people wonder how ULDBs can be built so light, yet still be seaworthy offshore. The answer is three-fold: first, a light boat is subjected to lighter loads, when pounding through a heavy sea, than a boat of greater displacement. Second, there is a tremendous saving in weight with a stripped-out interior. Third, as a whole, ULDB builders have construction standards that are well above average for production sailboats. The ULDB builders say that their close proximity to each other in Santa Cruz combined with an open sharing of technology has enabled them to achieve these standards.
The Olson 30 is no exception. The hull and deck are fiberglass vacuum-bagged over a balsa core. The process of vacuum-bagging insures maximum saturation of the laminate and core with a minimum of resin, making the hull light and stiff. The builder claims that they have so refined the construction of the Olson 30 that each finished hull weighs within 10 pounds of the standard. The deck of the Olson does not have plywood inserts in place of the balsa where winches are mounted, instead relying on external backing plates for strength.
The hull-to-deck joint is an inward turned overlapping flange, glued with a rigid compound called Reid’s adhesive, and mechanically fastened with closely spaced bolts through a slotted aluminum toerail. This provides a strong, protected joint, seaworthy enough for sailing offshore. We would prefer a semi-rigid adhesive, however, because it is less likely to fracture and cause a leak in the event of a hard collision. The aluminum toerail provides a convenient location for outboard sheet leads, but is painful to those sitting on the rail.
The Olson 30’s 1,800 pound keel is deep (5.1′ draft) and less than 5″ thick. Narrow, bolted-on keels need extra athwartships support. The Olson 30 accomplishes this with nine 5/8″ bolts and one 1″ bolt (to which the lifting eye is attached). The lead keel is faired with auto body putty and then completely wrapped with fiberglass to seal the putty from the marine environment. Too many builders neglect sealing auto body putty-faired keels, and too many boat owners then find the putty peeling off at a later date. The Olson’s finished keel is painted, and, on the boats we have seen, remarkably fair.
The keel-stepped, single-spreader, tapered mast is cleanly rigged with 5/32″ Navtec rod rigging and internal tangs. The mast section is big enough for peace of mind in heavy air. The halyards exit the mast at well-spaced intervals, so as not to create a weak spot.The shroud chainplates are securely attached to half-bulkheads of 1″ plywood. In addition, a tie rod attaches the deck to the mast, tensioned by a turnbuckle. While this arrangement should provide adequate strength, we would prefer both a tie rod and a full bulkhead that spans the width of the cabin so as to absorb the compressive loads that the tension of the rig puts on the deck.
The rudder’s construction is labor intensive, but strong. Urethane foam is hand shaped to templates, then glued to a 4″ thick solid fiberglass rudder post. The builder prefers fiberglass because it has more “memory” than aluminum or steel. Stainless steel straps are wrapped around the rudder and mechanically fastened to the post. Then the whole assembly is faired, fiberglassed, and painted.
Handling Under Sail
For those of you who agonize over whether your PHRF rating is fair, consider the ratings of ULDBs. The Santa Cruz 50 rates 0; that’s right— zero . The 67′ Merlin has rated as low as minus 60. The Olson 30 rates anywhere from 90 to 114, depending on the local handicapper. Olson 30 owners tell us that the boat will sail to a PHRF rating of 96, but she will almost never sail to her astronomical IOR rating of 32′ (the IOR heavily penalizes ULDBs).
ULDBs are fast. They are apt to be on the tender side, and sail with a quick, “jerky” motion through waves. Instead of punching through a wave, they ride over it. You may get to where you are going fast, but with the motion of the boat and the Spartan interior you won’t get there in comfort. Olson 30 owners tell us that they do far less cruising and far more racing that they had expected to do when they bought the boat. They say it’s more fun to race because the boat is so lively.
Like most ULDBs the Olson 30 races best at the extremes of wind conditions—under 10 knots and over 20 knots. Although her masthead rig may appear short, it is more than powerful enough for her displacement. Owners tell us that she accelerates so quickly you can almost tack at will—a real tactical advantage in light air. In winds under 10 knots they say she sails above her PHRF rating both upwind and downwind.
In moderate breezes it’s a different story. Once the wind gets much above 10 knots, it’s time to change down to the #2 genoa. In 15 knots, especially if the seas are choppy, it’s very difficult for the Olson 30 to save her time on boats of conventional displacement, according to three-time national champ Kevin Connally. The Olson 30 is always faster downwind, but even with a crew of 5 or 6, she just cannot hang in there upwind.
In winds above 20 knots, the Olson 30 still has her problems upwind, but when she turns the weather mark the magic begins. As soon as she has enough wind to either surf or plane, the Olson 30 can make up for all she loses upwind, and more. The builder claims that she has pegged speedometers at 25 knots in the big swells and strong westerlies off the coast of California. That is, if the crew can keep her 1800 pound keel under her 761 sq. ft. spinnaker.
The key to competitiveness in a strong breeze is the ability of the crew. Top crews say that, because she is so quick to respond, they have fewer problems handling her in heavy air than a heavier, conventional boat. However, an inexperienced crew which cannot react fast enough can have big problems. “The handicappers say she can fly downwind, so they give us a low rating (PHRF), but they don’t understand that we have to sail slow just to stay in control,” complained the crew of one new owner.
Like any higher performance class of sailboat, the Olson 30 attracts competent sailors. Hence, the boat is pushed to a higher level of overall performance, and the PHRF rating reflects this. An inexperienced sailor must realize that he may have a tougher time making her sail to this inflated rating than a boat that is less “hot.” The two most common mistakes that new Olson 30 owners make are pinching upwind and allowing the boat to heel excessively. ULDBs cannot be sailed at the 30 degrees of heel to which many sailors of conventional boats are accustomed. To keep her flat you must be quick to shorten sail, move the sheet leads outboard, and get more crew weight on the rail. You can’t afford to have a person sitting to leeward trimming the genoa in a 12-knot breeze. To keep her thin keel from stalling upwind, owners tell us it’s important to keep the sheets eased and the boat footing.
Being masthead-rigged, the Olson 30 needs a larger sail inventory than a fractionally rigged boat. Class rules allow one mainsail, six headsails (jibs and spinnakers) and a 75% storm jib. Owners who do mostly handicap racing tell us they often carry more than six headsails.
Handling Under Power
Only a few of the Olson 30s sold to date have been equipped with inboard power. This is because the extra weight of the inboard and the drag of the propeller, strut and shaft are a real disadvantage when racing against the majority of Olson 30s, which are equipped with outboard engines. The Olson 30 is just barely light enough to be pushed by a 4-5 hp outboard, which is the largest outboard that even the most healthy sailor should be hefting over a transom. It takes a 7.5 hp. outboard to push the Olson 30 at 6.5 knots in a flat calm. The Olson’s raked transom requires an extra long outboard bracket, which puts the engine throttle and shift out of reach for anyone much less than 6′ tall: “A real pain in the ass,” said one owner. Storage is a problem, too. Even if you could get the outboard through the stern lazarette’s small hatch, you wouldn’t want to race with the extra weight so far aft. So most owners end up storing the outboard on the cabin sole.
The inboard, a 154 pound, 7 hp BMW diesel, was a $4,500 option. Unlike most boats, the Olson 30 will probably not return the investment in an inboard when you sell the boat, because it detracts from the boat’s primary purpose—racing.
Without an inboard there’s a problem charging the battery. Owners who race with extensive electronics have to take the battery ashore after every race for recharging. If the Olson 30 weren’t such a joy to sail in light air, and so maneuverable in tight places, the lack of inboard power would be a serious enough drawback to turn away more sailors than it does.
Deck Layout
In most respects, the Olson 30 is a good sea boat. Although the cockpit is 6 1/2′ long, the wide seats and narrow floor result in a relatively small cockpit volume, so that little sea water can collect in the cockpit if the boat is pooped or knocked down. However, foot room is restricted, while the width of the seats makes it awkward to brace your legs on the leeward seat. The seats themselves are comfortable because they are angled up and the seatbacks are angled back. There are gutters to drain water off the leeward seat. The long mainsheet traveler is mounted across the cockpit—good for racing but not so good for cruising.
The Olson 30’s single companionway drop board is latchable from inside the cabin, a real necessity in a storm offshore. A man overboard pole tube in the stern is standard equipment. Teak toerails on the cockpit coaming and on the forward part of the cabin house provide good footing, and there are handholds on the aft part of the cabin house.
The tapered aluminum stanchions are set into sockets molded into the deck and glassed to the inside of the hull, a strong, clean, leak-proof system. However, the stanchions are not glued or mechanically fastened into the sockets. If pulled upwards with great force they can be pulled out. We feel this is a safety hazard. Tight lifelines would help prevent this from happening, but most racing crews tend to leave them slightly loose so as to be able to lean farther outboard when hanging over the rail upwind. If the stanchions were fastened into the sockets with bolts or screws they would undoubtedly leak. A leakproof solution to this problem should be devised and made available to Olson 30 owners.
The cockpit has two drains of adequate diameter.
The bilge pump, a Guzzler 500, is mounted in the cockpit. The Guzzler is an easily operated, high capacity pump. However, its seeming fragility worries us. As is common on most boats, the stern lazarette is not sealed off from the rest of the interior. If the boat were pooped or knocked down with the lazarette open, water could rush below through the lazarette relatively unrestricted. As the Olson 30 has a shallow sump, there is little place for water to go except above the cabin sole.
A “paint-roller” type non-skid is molded into the Olson 30’s deck. It provides excellent traction, but it is more difficult to keep clean than conventional patterned non-skid.
The Olson 30 is well laid out with hardware of reasonable, but not exceptional, quality. All halyards and pole controls lead to the cockpit though Easylock I clutch stoppers. The Easylocks are barely big enough to hold the halyards; they slip an inch under heavy loads. Older Olsons were equipped with Howard Rope Clutches.
The primary winches, Barient 22s, are also barely adequate. Some owners we talked to had replaced them with more powerful models. Schaefer headsail track cars are tandard equipment. One owner complained that he had to replace them with Merrimans because the Schaefers kept slipping. Leading the vang to either rail and leading the reefs aft is also recommended. The mast partner is snug, leaving no space for mast blocks. The mast step is movable to adjust the prebend of the spar. The partner has a lip, over which a neoprene collar fits. The collar is hoseclamped to the mast. This should make a watertight mast boot. However, on the boat we sailed, the bail to which the boom vang attached obstructed the collar, causing water to collect and pour into the cabin.
The yoked backstay is adjustable from either quarter of the stern, one side being a 2-to-1 gross adjustment and the other side being an 8-to-1 fine tune. A Headfoil II is standard equipment. There is a babystay led to a ball-bearing track with a 4-to-1 purchase for easy adjustment. The track is tied to the thin plywood of the forward V-berth with a wire and turnbuckle. On the boat we sailed, the pad eye to which the babystay tie rod is attached was tearing out of the V-berth.
There is a port in the deck directly over the lifting eye in the bilge. This makes for quick and easy drysailing. The Olson 30, however, is not easily trailered; her 3600 pounds is too much for all but the largest cars, and her 9.3′ beam requires a special trailering permit.
The Olson 30 is cramped belowdecks. Her low freeboard, short cabin house and substantial sheer may make her the sexiest-looking production boat on the water, but the price is headroom of only 4′ 5″. There is not even enough headroom for comfortable stooping; moving about below is a real chore.
To offset the confinement of the interior, the builder has done all that is possible to make it light and airy. In addition to the lexan forward hatch and cabin house windows, the companionway hatch also has a lexan insert. The inside of the hull is smoothly sanded and finished with white gelcoat. There are no full height bulkheads dividing up the cabin. All of the furniture is built of lightweight, light-colored, 3/8″ thick Scandinavian plywood of seven veneers.
The joinerwork is above average and all of the bulkhead and furniture tabbing is extremely neat. There isn’t much to the Olson 30’s interior, but what there is has been done with commendable craftsmanship. The interior wood is fragile, though. There are several unsupported panels of the 3/8″ plywood; if someone were to fall against them with much force it’s likely they would fracture. The cabin sole is narrow, and with the lack of headroom the woodwork is especially susceptible to being dinged and scratched from equipment like outboard engines. Once the finish on the wood is broken, it quickly absorbs water, which collects in the shallow bilge.
The Olson 30 is not a comfortable cruiser. Even after you’ve taken all the racing sails ashore, the belowdecks is barely habitable. To save weight the quarterberths are made of thin cushions sewn to vinyl and hung from pipes. These pipe berths are comfortable, but the cushions are not easily removed. Should they get wet it’s likely they would stay wet for quite a while. Two seabags are hung on sail tracks above the quarter berths, which should help to insure that some clothes always stay dry.
Just forward of each quarterberth is a small uncushioned seat locker. Behind each seat is a small portable ice cooler. In one seat locker is the stove, an Origo 3000 which slides up and out of the locker on tracks. The Origo is a top-of-the-line unpressurized alcohol stove, but to operate it the cook must kneel on the cabin sole. To work at the navigation station, which is in front of the starboard seat, you must sit sideways. In front of the port seat is the lavette, with a hand water pump and a removable, shallow drainless sink. Drainless sinks eliminate the need for a through-hull fitting, a good idea; but they should be deep, not shallow.
The portable head is mounted under the forward V-berth, which we think is totally unsuitable for a sailboat. Who wants a smelly toilet under his pillow? Although there are curtains which can be drawn across the V-berth, we think human dignity deserves an enclosed head, especially on a 30′ boat. The Vberth is large and easy to climb into, but there are no shelves above it nor a storage locker in the empty bow. In short, if you plan to cruise for more than a weekend you had better like roughing it.
Conclusions
For 30-footers, the price of an Olson 30 is cheap; but for boats of similar displacement, it’s damned expensive.
What do you get for the money? You get a boat that is well-built, seaworthy, and reasonably well laid out. You get a boat that, in light air, will sail as fast as boats costing nearly twice as much. Downwind in heavy air, you have a creature that will blow your mind and leave everything shy of a bigger ULDB in your wake. If you spend all of your sailing time racing in a PHRF fleet in an area where light or heavy air dominates, the Olson 30 will probably give you more pleasure for your dollar than almost anything afloat.
However if you race often in moderate air or enjoy more than a very occasional short cruise, you are likely to be very disappointed. Before you consider the Olson 30, you must realistically evaluate your abilities as a sailor. There’s nothing worse than, after finding out that you can’t race a boat to her potential, knowing that she is of little use for the other aspects of our sport.
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The Olson 30 is a 30.03ft masthead sloop designed by George Olsen and built in fiberglass by Ericson Yachts (USA) between 1978 and 1984.
250 units have been built..
The Olson 30 is an ultralight sailboat which is a very high performer. It is very stable / stiff and has a low righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a racing boat.
Olson 30 for sale elsewhere on the web:
Main features
Model | Olson 30 | ||
Length | 30.03 ft | ||
Beam | 9.20 ft | ||
Draft | 5.10 ft | ||
Country | United states (North America) | ||
Estimated price | $ 0 | ?? |
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Sail area / displ. | 26.50 | ||
Ballast / displ. | 50 % | ||
Displ. / length | 77.28 | ||
Comfort ratio | 10.24 | ||
Capsize | 2.40 |
Hull type | Monohull fin keel with spade rudder | ||
Construction | Fiberglass | ||
Waterline length | 27.50 ft | ||
Maximum draft | 5.10 ft | ||
Displacement | 3600 lbs | ||
Ballast | 1800 lbs | ||
Hull speed | 7.03 knots |
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Rigging | Masthead Sloop | ||
Sail area (100%) | 388 sq.ft | ||
Air draft | 0 ft | ?? | |
Sail area fore | 211.57 sq.ft | ||
Sail area main | 175.94 sq.ft | ||
I | 35.92 ft | ||
J | 11.78 ft | ||
P | 35.76 ft | ||
E | 9.84 ft |
Nb engines | 1 | ||
Total power | 0 HP | ||
Fuel capacity | 0 gals |
Accommodations
Water capacity | 0 gals | ||
Headroom | 0 ft | ||
Nb of cabins | 0 | ||
Nb of berths | 0 | ||
Nb heads | 0 |
Builder data
Builder | Ericson Yachts (USA) | ||
Designer | George Olsen | ||
First built | 1978 | ||
Last built | 1984 | ||
Number built | 250 |
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Olson 30 Specs
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- Sailboat Guide
Olson 30 is a 30 ′ 0 ″ / 9.2 m monohull sailboat designed by George Olson and built by Ericson Yachts and Pacific Boat Works between 1978 and 1984.
Rig and Sails
Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.
The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.
Classic hull speed formula:
Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL
Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL
Sail Area / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.
SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3
- SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
- D : Displacement in pounds.
Ballast / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.
Ballast / Displacement * 100
Displacement / Length Ratio
A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.
D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
Comfort Ratio
This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.
Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
- LOA: Length overall in feet
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
Capsize Screening Formula
This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.
CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)
7 HP BMW diesel offered as an option. A significantly modified version, the OLSON 29, was introduced in 1984.
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Olson 30 - Sailboat Data, Parts & Rigging
Sailboat data, rig dimensions and recommended sail areas for Olson 30 sailboat. Tech info about rigging, halyards, sheets, mainsail covers and more.
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Fin w/spade rudder
Specifications OLSON 30
Home - Sailboat Listings 1978 - 30.00 ft / 9.14 m - George Olsen - Pacific Boats Inc. (USA)
OLSON 30 Sailboat Data
Hull Type: Fin w/spade rudder Rigging Type: Masthead Sloop LOA: 30.00 ft / 9.14 m LWL: 27.50 ft / 8.38 m S.A. (reported): 380.00 ft² / 35.30 m² Beam: 9.33 ft / 2.84 m Displacement: 3,600.00 lb / 1,633 kg Ballast: 1,800.00 lb / 816 kg Max Draft: 5.08 ft / 1.55 m Construction: FG w/balsa core hull & deck Ballast Type: Lead First Built: 1978 Last Built: 1984 # Built: 250 Builder: Pacific Boats Inc. (USA) Designer: George Olsen
Information from sailboatdata.com .
Hull Speed: 7.03 kn
Review of Olson 30
Basic specs..
The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.
The Olson 30 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.
The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.55 - 1.65 meter (5.09 - 5.39 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Sailing characteristics
This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.
What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?
The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Olson 30 is about 158 kg/cm, alternatively 889 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 158 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 889 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.
Sailing statistics
This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 28m 2 (301 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.
Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale
If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.
Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
Mainsail halyard | 25.3 m | (83.0 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
Jib/genoa halyard | 25.3 m | (83.0 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
Spinnaker halyard | 25.3 m | (83.0 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
Jib sheet | 9.1 m | (30.0 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
Genoa sheet | 9.1 m | (30.0 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
Mainsheet | 22.9 m | (75.0 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
Spinnaker sheet | 20.1 m | (66.0 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
Cunningham | 3.3 m | (10.8 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
Kickingstrap | 6.6 m | (21.6 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
Clew-outhaul | 6.6 m | (21.6 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.
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Buying Guides and Reviews
Original Olson 30 Brochure
This is a page from an original Pacific Boats sales brochure.
Buying Guide from 1987 – Practical Sailor
This review above is dated but very comprehensive. From the now out of print ‘Complete Book of Sailboat Buying, Volume II, June, 1987’
Used Boat Notebook: From the Pages of Sailing Magazine
Robert Perry Review – November 1978 – Sailing Magazine
It’s of particular interest to read the Robert Perry review from 1978 and then read his revisited review from 32 years later. His disparagement in the 1978 review is completely withdrawn and replaced with almost unreserved enthusiastic praise for the Olson 30’s design, performance and longevity.
Robert Perry Review Revisited – September 2011 – Sailing Magazine
Boats We Love – Boats/com
Olson 30: Ahead of its Time – Sailing World August 2007
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
A boat with a BN of 1.6 or greater is a boat that will be reefed often in offshore cruising. Derek Harvey, "Multihulls for Cruising and Racing", International Marine, Camden, Maine, 1991, states that a BN of 1 is generally accepted as the dividing line between so-called slow and fast multihulls.
The Olson 30 is of a breed of sailboats born in Santa Cruz, California called the ULDB, an acronym for ultra light displacement boat. ULDBs are big dinghies—long on the waterline, short on the interior, narrow on the beam, and very light on both the displacement and the price tag. ULDBs attract a different kind of sailor—the type for whom ...
The Olson 30 is a sailboat designed by George Olson of Santa Cruz, CA around 1978. Olson was a surfer and surfboard shaper who decided to design a 30' ultra light displacement boat while on a delivery from Honolulu to Santa Cruz on Merlin, a 68' Bill Lee designed and built [1] ultralight sailboat which had competed in the biennial Transpac race in 1977. . During this delivery, Olson came up ...
The Olson 30 is a 30.03ft masthead sloop designed by George Olsen and built in fiberglass by Ericson Yachts (USA) between 1978 and 1984. 250 units have been built. The Olson 30 is an ultralight sailboat which is a very high performer. It is very stable / stiff and has a low righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a racing boat.
Olson 30 Measurements. The Olson 30 was the product of George Olson's inspiration to build an ultra light rocket, designed to excel in light and heavy conditions, and to scream downwind. The Olson 30 was built by Pacific Boats Inc. of Santa Cruz, CA from 1978 to 1984; 255 were reported built, however, the highest hull number reported still to ...
Olson 30 Class Association. Related Sailboats: Sort by: ... 1 Sailboats / Per Page: 25 / Page: 1. 0 CLICK to COMPARE . MODEL LOA FIRST BUILT FAVORITE COMPARE; OLSON 30: 30.00 ft / 9.14 m: 1978: ShipCanvas. KiwiGrip. Bruntons. Rudder Craft. SPW Non-BR. Pelagic Autopilots ...
The Olson 30 is one of a breed of sailboats born in Santa Cruz, California called the ULDB, an acronym for ultra light displacement boat. ULDBs basically are big dinghies-long on the waterline, short on the interior amenities, narrow in the beam, and very light in both displacement and pricetag. ULDBs attract a different kind of sailor-the type ...
30.2: Sail Dimensions. I = 36' 0" J = 11' 9" P = 31' 6" E = 10' 9" Construction: Hull: FG/Balsa: Construction: Deck : FG/Balsa: In 1978, George Olson designed the ultralight Olson 30. The Olson 30 was built from 1978 to 1984, 255 were reported built, however, the highest hull number reported still to be in existence is #246.
Olson 30 is a 30′ 0″ / 9.2 m monohull sailboat designed by George Olson and built by Ericson Yachts and Pacific Boat Works between 1978 and 1984. Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. Sign in to save them permanently, access them on any device, and receive relevant alerts. ... Olson 30. 1978 — 1984
Sailboat data, rig dimensions and recommended sail areas for Olson 30 sailboat. Tech info about rigging, halyards, sheets, mainsail covers and more. Sailboat Data directory for over 8,000 sailboat designs and manufacturers. Direct access to halyards lengths, recommended sail areas, mainsail cover styles, standing rigging fittings, and lots more ...
OLSON 30 Sailboat Data Hull Type: Fin w/spade rudder Rigging Type: Masthead Sloop LOA: 30.00 ft / 9.14 m LWL: 27.50 ft / 8.38 m S.A. (reported): 380.00 ft² / 35.30 m² Beam: 9.33 ft / 2.84 m Displacement: 3,600.00 lb / 1,633 kg Ballast: 1,800.00 lb / 816 kg…
Sailboat Added 30-Apr-2018 More Details: Pacific Boats Olson 30: Length: 30' Beam: 9.3' Draft: 5.1' Year: 1984: Type: racer: Hull: fiberglass monohull: Engine: ... 30' Ericson Olson 911se San Pedro CA, California Asking $29,000. 30' Canadian Sailcraft Cs30 Marina Gosselin ST-Paul-de-lile-aux-noix Quebec
But don't let the decades fool you. The Olson 30 is a thoroughly modern design with a deep fin keel, spade rudder, and a balsa-cored hull. The double-spreader rig carries nearly 400 square feet of sail area, and that doesn't count the 800-square-foot spinnaker. The Olson 30 developed a reputation over the decades for being a demon downwind ...
May 302024. The George Olson Trophy was commissioned by the Lake Ontario Olson 30 Fleet to be awarded to the North American Champion boat. The so-called NAC's regatta is held in co-operation between the Northeast and Great Lakes Regions, and is open to any Olson 30 Class member boats. Each year the Regions choose a venue and dates.
Ericson Yachts is cited as a secondary builder of the Olson 30. While Ericson did build a number of Olson 25's, the Olson 30's were all built by Pacific Boats of Santa Cruz, CA. I once owned hull number 222 of roughly 250 copies and I know for sure HN 222 was made by Pacific Boats. ... To save a list of favorite sailboats, please login or ...
Fin keel. The Olson 30 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel. The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.55 - 1.65 meter (5.09 - 5.39 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
A Group dedicated to the Olson 30 Sailboat. Mostly social, as the tech talk should be directed to the class website forum at http://www.Olson30.org And...
The Olson 30 is a good boat for the 108 rating. It's a blast in flat water, 7-10 knts is a real sweet spot. In heavier air it can be a little tough to handle but overall it is just plain fun to sail. I can't compare to the Sov 33, we didn't have any in our fleet but if I were a betting man I would say the O-30 if sailed well could keep pace.
The Olson 30 class Association advances the development of the Olson 30 sailboat and promotes Olson 30 class racing. Formed in 1979, the Olson 30 Class Association has been continuously active for nearly 4 decades promoting one-design and handicapped racing, publishing at first a paper newsletter and now the Class website, where we share stories, technical information and race results.
Now, 6 years later, the database is back. As has always been the case the database is a work in progress, probably contains lots of errors, but represents the most up to date information the Class Association has about ownership and location of Olson 30 boats. Members of the Class Association can access all owner information from the Hull Database.
Olson 30 preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Olson 30 used sailboats for sale by owner.
Olson 30 for sale in need of a little TLC. No trailer or outboard included, just a few cruising sales. Boat needs some attention to the basics. Great project boat. Boat is located in Mission Viejo,... 04/01/2024. Total views: 724. Price: $ 2,000.00.
His disparagement in the 1978 review is completely withdrawn and replaced with almost unreserved enthusiastic praise for the Olson 30's design, performance and longevity. Robert Perry Review Revisited - September 2011 - Sailing Magazine. Boats We Love - Boats/com. Olson 30: Ahead of its Time - Sailing World August 2007.