The Ocean 71 Sailboat
Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The Ocean 71, a centre-cockpit staysail ketch, was designed by EG Van de Stadt and built in the UK by Southern Ocean Shipyard Ltd.

'Ocean Joy', an Ocean 71 sailboat regularly sailed by a crew of just two!An Ocean 71

Published Specification for the Ocean 71

  • Underwater Profile: Fin keel & skeg-hung rudder
  • Hull Material: GRP (Fibreglass)
  • Length Overall: 71'0" (21.6m)
  • Waterline Length: 59'4" (18.1m)
  • Beam: 17'5" (5.3m)
  • Draft: 8'3" (2.5m)
  • Rig Type: Staysail ketch
  • Displacement: 75,600lb (34,020kg)
  • Designer: EG Van de Stadt
  • Builder: Southern Ocean Shipyard (UK)
  • Year First Built: 1970
  • Number Built: 20+

Published Design Ratios for the Ocean 71

Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 28.0

Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 27.3

Displacement/Length Ratio: 16

Comfort Ratio: 41.4

Capsize Screening Formula: 1.7

Read more about these Key Performance Indicators...

Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the Ocean 71

1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 28.0 suggests that, in the right hands, the Ocean 71 will have enough performance to leave most other sailboats of similar waterline length well astern. 

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 27.3 means that a sailboat like the Ocean 71 (which doesn't have its ballast concentrated in a bulb at the foot of a deep keel), is likely to benefit from being reefed early to keep her sailing upright in a moderate breeze.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 161, tells us the Ocean 71 is clearly a light displacement sailboat. If she's loaded with too much heavy cruising gear her performance will suffer to a degree.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 41.4 suggests that crew comfort of an Ocean 71 in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a heavy bluewater cruising boat. Pitching and rolling will be well damped - your cup of coffee on the salon table stands a reasonable chance of staying there in most conditions.

5. The Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.7 tells us that an Ocean 71 would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0. 


Ocean 71 Sailboat: A Bluewater Cruiser with Style and Speed

If you are looking for a sailing boat that can take you to any corner of the world with comfort and performance, you might want to consider the Ocean 71 sailboat. This yacht is a classic design by the renowned Dutch naval architect E. G. Van de Stadt, who also created the legendary Ocean 60 and Ocean 80 models.

The Ocean 71 was built by Southern Ocean Shipyard in England from 1970 to 1982, and only 16 units were produced. Here are some of the features that make this boat a great choice for recreational sailors who want to explore the oceans.

Overview
The Ocean 71 is a ketch-rigged monohull with a length of 21.6 meters (70 feet 11 inches) and a beam of 5.4 meters (17 feet 9 inches). It has a displacement of 40 tons and a draft of 2.7 meters (8 feet 10 inches). It can carry up to 2,000 liters (528 gallons) of water and 1,500 liters (396 gallons) of fuel. It has a spacious cockpit with twin wheels and a large aft deck with a dinghy davit. The hull is made of fiberglass with a balsa core, and the deck is teak-laid.

Accommodation
The Ocean 71 has a generous interior layout that can accommodate up to 10 guests in five cabins, plus two crew members in a separate cabin forward. The owner's cabin is located aft, with a double berth, a sofa, a desk, a wardrobe and an ensuite head with shower. There are two guest cabins on each side of the saloon, each with twin berths and a shared head with shower. The saloon has a U-shaped settee and a large dining table on the port side, and a navigation station and a bar on the starboard side. The galley is located forward of the saloon, on the port side, and is equipped with a four-burner stove, an oven, a fridge, a freezer and ample storage space. The crew cabin has two single berths and an ensuite head with shower.

Hull and Deck
The Ocean 71 has a sleek and elegant hull shape that gives it excellent sailing performance and stability. It has a moderate freeboard and a low profile that reduces windage and drag. The deck is wide and uncluttered, with plenty of room for sunbathing, relaxing or working on sails. The cockpit is well-protected by a sprayhood and a bimini, and has comfortable seating for the helmsman and the guests. The cockpit also has an integrated table for al fresco dining or drinks. The aft deck has a large locker for storing sails, ropes or other equipment, as well as a hydraulic davit for launching or retrieving the dinghy.

Mast and Rigging
The Ocean 71 has a split rig that consists of two masts: a main mast that is keel-stepped and carries the mainsail and the mizzen staysail, and a mizzen mast that is deck-stepped and carries the mizzen sail and the spinnaker. The rig is designed to be easy to handle by a small crew or even single-handedly, as most of the lines are led back to the cockpit through clutches and winches. The spars are made of aluminum alloy, except for some models that have carbon fiber masts for extra lightness and stiffness. The standing rigging is made of stainless steel wire with swaged terminals, while the running rigging is made of synthetic rope or spectra. The sails are made of dacron or laminated cloth, depending on the model and the owner's preference. Some models have in-mast or in-boom reefing systems for convenience and safety.

Keel and Rudder
The Ocean 71 has a fin keel with a lead bulb that provides good stability and maneuverability. The keel is bolted to the hull with stainless steel bolts that are accessible from inside the boat for inspection or maintenance. The rudder is a balanced spade rudder that is attached to the skeg by two pintles and gudgeons. The rudder is controlled by two stainless steel wheels in the cockpit through cables or rods that run through tubes under the deck.

The Ocean 71 sailboat is an impressive yacht that combines style, speed and comfort in one package. It is ideal for long-distance cruising or chartering, as it offers ample space, amenities and performance for its guests and crew.

The above text was drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; we believe it to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.


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