The Willard 30 Sailboat

The Willard Company built four other versions of the 30-foot hull: the Searcher (a fishing boat style), the Nomad (a sedan), the Horizon (a motorsailer) and the Voyager (a pilothouse).

The Willard 30 is not in production anymore. The production ended in 1976 and only 30 of these sailboats were built.

The Willard Company was founded by C. Raymond Hunt in 1957 and specialized in building fiberglass boats. The company was later acquired by Joseph F. Willard Jr., who renamed it The Willard Company in 1961. The company produced several models of powerboats and sailboats until 2002, when it ceased operations due to financial difficulties.

The Willard 30 can sleep up to four people on board. There is a double berth in the forward cabin, a single berth in the main saloon and another single berth in the quarter cabin.

The standard version of the Willard 30 has a galley on the port side of the main saloon, a navigation station on the starboard side, a quarter cabin aft of the nav station and a head compartment forward of the main bulkhead. The optional version has a galley on the starboard side of the main saloon, a dinette on the port side, a larger head compartment aft of the dinette and no quarter cabin.

The Willard 30 is a stable and responsive sailboat that can handle various wind and sea conditions. It has a moderate sail area to displacement ratio of 15.5 and a displacement to length ratio of 375, which indicate that it is neither overpowered nor sluggish. It can reach speeds of up to 7 knots under sail and has a good balance between performance and comfort.

The average cost of a secondhand Willard 30 depends on the condition, equipment and location of the boat. According to YachtWorld, there is one Willard 30 for sale in the USA for US$34,900. According to Sailboat Guide, there is another Willard 30 for sale in Canada for US$17,500. These prices may vary over time and are not indicative of the market value of the boat.

The Willard 30 is a sailboat that has many positive and negative aspects, depending on the expectations and preferences of the sailor. Some of the pros are:

• It is a sturdy and seaworthy boat that can handle rough weather and long voyages;

• It has a spacious and comfortable interior with ample storage space, a galley, a head, a dinette and a double berth;

• It has a pilothouse that provides shelter and visibility in all conditions, and allows for inside steering;

• It has a cutter rig that offers versatility and balance in different wind angles.

Some of the cons are:

• It is a relatively slow and heavy boat that does not perform well in light winds or tight manoeuvres;

• It has a high fuel consumption and a small fuel tank, which limits its motoring range;

• It has a low freeboard and a narrow side deck, which makes it wet and difficult to move around on deck;

• It has a limited availability and a high price on the secondhand market, which makes it hard to find and buy.

The designer of the Willard 30 is William Crealock, a renowned naval architect and author who was born in England and lived in the US. He designed many offshore sailing yachts, such as the Crealock 37, the Pacific Seacraft 31, the Pacific Seacraft 34, the Pacific Seacraft 40, the Westsail 42 and the Westsail 43. He also wrote several books on sailing, such as Vagabonding Under Sail, Cloud of Islands and Cruising Under Sail. He died in 2009 at the age of 89.