Overview
The Offshore 31 is often marketed as the “Herreshoff 31 Offshore,” but the name is marketing rather than design credit. Yacht designer Rob Mazza, writing in Good Old Boat, states that the drawings for the Offshore 31 came out of Cheoy Lee’s own engineering offices, not from L. Francis Herreshoff, who had stopped designing by the 1960s and died in December 1972. Archived Sailboatdata separately suggests the hull is a probable development of the Bermuda 30, itself derived from Herreshoff’s H-28, with an extended counter and inboard rudder; that lineage claim is unverified beyond Sailboatdata’s own listing. Sailboatdata records sloop, sloop with bowsprit, and ketch configurations.
History
Archived Sailboatdata reports 1968 as the first-built year. The Cheoy Lee Association gives no production dates, and the cited YachtWorld page was blocked during this review. The available material does not establish a precise production start or end, so the catalog leaves both fields unset. Sailboatdata describes the model as a probable development of the Bermuda 30 with an extended counter and the rudder moved inboard.
Construction
Sailboatdata calls the hull a long-keel fiberglass design and supports the inboard-rudder lineage, but the cited material does not establish a hand-laid solid laminate. The frontmatter retains the association brochure set: 30.75 ft LOA, 23.33 ft LWL, 8.83 ft beam, 3.83 ft draft, 10,750 lb displacement, and 4,000 lb ballast. Baldwin reproduces that set. Sailboatdata instead gives 31.00 ft LOA, 23.33 ft LWL, 8.75 ft beam, 3.67 ft draft, 10,700 lb displacement, and 3,800 lb ballast. Both accounts claim brochure provenance, and the conflict remains unresolved.
Under Sail
Sailboatdata records three configurations: sloop, sloop with bowsprit, and ketch. Baldwin also identifies sloop and ketch boats. The source set reviewed for Pilot 01 does not include a model-specific sailing trial or reefing account.
Buyers Notes
Baldwin writes that the boat was “Built in Hong Kong by Cheoy Lee in sloop or ketch rig. in the 1960’s.” His recorded warning is: “Teak decks and lots of exterior wood trim to maintain. Only some of the boats have tiller steering.” Confirm the steering and rig on the individual boat, and inspect its exterior wood and deck condition.
