Overview
The Elizabethan 29 is a British cruiser-racer from the early 1960s, drawn by Kim Holman and built by Peter Webster Ltd. at the Ropewalk Boat Yard in Lymington, Hampshire. It was one of the first production GRP yachts built in Britain, descended in spirit from Holman’s clinker-built Stella one-design. Yachting Monthly describes the hull as long-keeled and narrow-beamed, quick for its era and comfortable enough to cruise, if snug down below by modern standards; sailboatdata.com’s structured record classifies the hull type as fin keel.
History
Holman drew the 29 in 1960, and Peter Webster launched it as the first model in what became the Elizabethan range. Peter Webster Ltd. built the Elizabethan classes through the early 1960s into the mid-1970s, when the moulds were sold on; some boats in the wider range continued to be finished from existing tooling into the 1980s.
Construction
The hull is fiberglass, notable for its era as one of the first British production GRP designs rather than the timber construction Holman and Webster had built before it. Ballast on early boats sat outside the hull; from 1969 onward, production boats had their keel ballast encapsulated within the moulding itself, an early improvement worth checking on any hull built before that changeover. Headroom under the doghouse is a modest 5’10”, and the interior carries four berths, a separate heads compartment, and a basic galley and nav area.
Under Sail
James Baldwin noted that the 29’s “long overhangs reduce wetted surface drag in light airs and she picks up waterline length quickly when heeled,” a classic trait of long-overhang designs from this period: the boat effectively grows its sailing length as it heels, gaining speed rather than just leaning over. Reviewers describe her as a stiff, fast cruiser-racer, equally happy pushed hard or sailed gently with the family aboard, with a hull shape that rewards a firm hand on the sheets more than a light one.
Buyers Notes
Baldwin’s own experience aboard one was mixed on interior space: he wrote that “the E29 I was aboard struck me how narrow the beam was and cramped feeling below compared to other similar length boats, even the Pearson Ariel 26 seems roomier inside,” and flagged that “access to the inboard engine” was awkward on the boat he sailed. That combination, narrow beam and tight engine access, is worth confirming firsthand before buying, since it will vary somewhat with how a particular boat’s interior was fitted out.
On the plus side, Baldwin recorded 5’10” of headroom as generous for a 29-footer of this narrow a beam. Given the age of these hulls, a survey should pay particular attention to whether the keel ballast has been encapsulated (boats from 1969 on should be) and to the condition of the inboard engine and its mounts, given the reported tightness of that space.
