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Lippincott 30 Used Boat Review
Posted April 5, 2017
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Although many one-design sailors are familiar with Lippincott Boat Works of Riverton, NJ, this is not a particularly well known builder among most cruising sailors. One of only two cruiser models ever built by the company, the Lippincott 30 is a comfortable, well-built boat that offers good sailing characteristics. And, because its builder is less well known, it is typically priced below other builders of similar quality boats.
Lippincott Boat Works was founded in 1946 by brothers Howard and Robert Lippincott, and throughout most of the company’s 40-year history, they built one-design racing sailboats. Some of the best sailors in the world—Tom Blackaller and Dennis Conner to name only two, and some less notables, such as yours truly—have competed and won in Lippincott-built Comet, Lightning, and Star class one-design boats.
The Lippincott 30 was designed by Howard “Skip” Lippincott Jr. and was introduced in 1979. It remained in production until the mid-1980s although fewer than 100 boats were produced. The design features 1970s-era contemporary styling and a moderate approach to sailing performance and cruising comforts.
The Lippincott 30 hull is solidly constructed of hand-laid fiberglass laminates. Because all were built before it was common to use vinylester resin for exterior finishes, some elevated moisture below the waterline is common, although I have not run across any cases of extreme osmotic blistering.
In lieu of fiberglass liners for structural reinforcement, Lippincott opted for the more traditional method of wood structural components. Full and partial plywood bulkheads are bonded to the hull with fiberglass cloth and resin in accordance with good boat building practice, and it is rare to find serious structural problems with these boats.
Decks and cabin structures are built with a balsa wood core between fiberglass laminates. Considerable care was taken by the builder to ensure hardware was well-bedded, and serious deck problems are not typical. The deck and hull are joined on an inward hull flange with adhesive sealant, nuts, bolts, and washers. The quality of construction and finish is well above that of most moderately priced, production boats. If I have any complaint, it’s the fact that flat washers, rather than more substantial backing plates, are used for the attachment of deck hardware.
The foredeck of the Lippincott 30 features a narrow and deep anchor locker that stores a Danforth-type anchor vertically rather than the more traditional broad, flat anchor lockers. The only drawback to this arrangement I can see is that the shape would not accommodate a plow type anchor. Standard equipment includes a welded stainless steel bow rail, double life lines supported by stainless steel stanchions, and a welded stainless steel stern rail with a built-in swim ladder. Two fiberglass composite deck hatches, one forward of the mast and one aft, were also standard equipment. A small teak toe rail at the deck edge offers added security.
The cockpit seats four adults comfortably, and the pedestal-mounted wheel steering was standard equipment. There are a large locker below the port cockpit seat and a small but deep locker at the aft end of the starboard cockpit seat. This second small seat locker is unusual on a 30-foot boat with a quarter berth and provides handy, cockpit-accessible storage.
The arrangement of the Lippincott 30 is typically described as “sleeping six”—two in a V-berth, two in a pull-out starboard settee, one in a fixed port settee, and one in a starboard quarter berth aft. While this may be accurate, if four of the six are young children, the Lippincott 30 provides what I would describe as acceptable accommodations for four adults or a family of five. The V-berth provides good length but is very narrow at the forward end. The settee berths in the main saloon are barely over six feet long, and the starboard settee is not wide enough for two adults.
The main saloon and V-berth cabin are separated by an athwartships head. There is a relatively large galley to port of the companionway.
The interior is very nicely finished with an abundance of mahogany veneered plywood, a teak and holly cabin sole, and varnished mahogany trim. Hull sides of the V-berth and quarter berth are finished with a mahogany ceiling for a luxurious, traditional look that isn’t possible with fiberglass liners.
Auxiliary power is provided by a 13-hp, two-cylinder Yanmar diesel with reasonably good access for service. While this may be a bit underpowered for severe conditions, it is sufficient for most likely situations.
Other than one brief sea trial, I have not had an occasion to sail the Lippincott 30, but all owners I have spoken with report good performance and no bad habits. The sail area/displacement ratio of 17.3 and displacement/length ratio of 246 are indicative of a boat that should be easily handled, yet provide good performance in a variety of wind conditions. Shoal and standard draft models were offered, although standard draft is still less than five feet. Ballast on both is 4000 pounds, which is 47 percent of the total displacement, and combined with 10-foot beam, should make for a fairly stiff boat.
There are several Lippincott 30s offered for sale at any given time. I found four current offerings with asking prices ranging from $19,000 to $27,500 and three recent sales with an average selling price of $21,500.
Selling prices are only slightly higher than a comparable aged production boat such as a Catalina 30, and the higher quality of construction and finish make the Lippincott 30 worth a serious look for sailors in the market for a boat in this age, size, and price range.
Reviewed in the September 2007 issue of SpinSheet by Jack Hornor
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Lippincott 30
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Would like any information on 30'' Lippincott. Will be looking at this boat and like the interior but not sure about construction. Any infor would be greatly appreciated.
The Lippincotts started out building quality race boats. The Lippincott 30 was intended to be a performance cruiser/racer. They offered good perforance for their day. I would expect these to be reasonably well constructed for use as coastal cruisers. Although I have never worked on one of these myself, I have never heard anything negative about their construction. They are getting a little long in the tooth and so may need some of the usual older boat repairs, long term maintenance or upgrades. Good luck Jeff
Jeff, Thanks for the information. I will be looking at a 1982 Lippincott. I''m also looking at a Pearson 27 but I like the additional room in the 30 Lippincott. Have enjoyed you post. Thanks again!
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Review of Lippincott 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 Lippincott 30 is built with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.
The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.31 - 1.41 meter (4.30 - 4.60 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
The boat may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar diesel engine at 15 hp (11 kW).
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 6.7 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 Lippincott 30 is about 157 kg/cm, alternatively 880 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 157 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 880 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 25m 2 (269 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 | 26.5 m | (86.8 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 26.5 m | (86.8 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 26.5 m | (86.8 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 | 3.5 m | (11.6 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 7.1 m | (23.2 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 7.1 m | (23.2 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
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- Sailboat Guide
Lippincott 30
Lippincott 30 is a 30 ′ 3 ″ / 9.2 m monohull sailboat designed by Howard Lippincott Jr. and built by Lippincott Boat Works between 1979 and 1986.
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)
Shoal draft: 4.16’/1.27m. Dimensions and drawing from original brochure.
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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.
Apr 5, 2017 · The Lippincott 30 was designed by Howard “Skip” Lippincott Jr. and was introduced in 1979. It remained in production until the mid-1980s although fewer than 100 boats were produced. The design features 1970s-era contemporary styling and a moderate approach to sailing performance and cruising comforts.
Jun 21, 2021 · The Lippincott 30 offers the perfect combination of cruising comforts and sailing performance. And She Was has been well maintained and includes many upgrades, including new portlights, step-through transom, awlgripped topsides and deck, modern elliptical rudder for improved handling, re-painted interior, new headliners, and new running rigging in 2020, plus many other improvements.
Dec 22, 2001 · The Lippincott 30 was intended to be a performance cruiser/racer. ... They are getting a little long in the tooth and so may need some of the usual older boat repairs ...
The Lippincott 30 is equipped with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel. The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.31 - 1.41 meter (4.30 - 4.60 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Lippincott 30 is a 30′ 3″ / 9.2 m monohull sailboat designed by Howard Lippincott Jr. and built by Lippincott Boat Works between 1979 and 1986. Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session.
1981 30' Lippincott 30 sailboat for sale in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Home. Register & Post. ... Lippincott Sailboats Lippincott 30s Florida Lippincotts. Featured ...
lippincott preowned sailboats for sale by owner. lippincott used sailboats for sale by owner. Home. ... Lippincott 30: Length: 30' Beam: 10' Draft: 5' Year: 1979:
The Lippincott 30 is a 30.33ft masthead sloop designed by Howard Lippincott Jr. and built in fiberglass by Lippincott Boat Works (USA) between 1979 and 1986. 100 units have been built. The Lippincott 30 is a moderate weight sailboat which is a reasonably good performer. It is very stable / stiff and has a good righting capability if capsized.
Equinox, my Lippincott 30 sailboat, will allow you to comfortably cruise the Chesapeake Bay in class. Berthed (or anchored) in a wonderful, family-owned marina, you will be charmed by nature's surroundings, the sounds of the river's edge, and the peacefulness of one of the greatest bodies of water anywhere in the world.