Grand Slam 5.5
Description
The Grand Slam 5.5, also marketed as the S2 5.5 by S2 Yachts in Holland, Michigan, from 1982 to 1983 (with around 100 hulls produced before the line's discontinuation), is a nimble fractional sloop dinghy designed by Don Wennersten as an affordable racer and daysailer for solo or youth crews, blending responsive handling with beachable versatility. Measuring 18 feet LOA (5.5 meters, hence the name), 16 feet 6 inches LWL, 7 feet 6 inches beam, and 650 pounds displacement with a pivoting centerboard (4 feet 3 inches draft down, 6 inches up) for shallow-water access, it features a fiberglass hull with wood trim, a raked stem, plumb transom, transom-hung rudder, and 145 square feet of sail area—delivering a SA/D ratio of 21.2 for spirited performance up to a 5.4-knot hull speed, ideal for club racing or pond/lake hopping. Its open cockpit seats 4–5 comfortably for picnics or sails, with a small cuddy for storage and optional outboard bracket (up to 2 hp) for docking.
Construction Details
| Designer | Don Wennersten |
|---|---|
| Builder | S2 Yachts |
| Length | 18.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 19.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 6 ft |
| p | 23.50 ft |
| e | 10 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.50 ft | 6 ft | 23.50 ft | 10 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 23.5 ft - (7163 mm) |
| Foot | * 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Leech | * 25.01 ft - (7623 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 25.22 ft - (7687 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 121.33 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 19.25 ft - (5867 mm) |
| Foot | 6.5 ft - (1981 mm) |
| Leech | 18.5 ft - (5639 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 6.24 ft - (1902 mm) |
| Area | * 60.02 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 19.38 ft - (5907 mm) |
| Foot | * 9.65 ft - (2941 mm) |
| Leech | * 18.27 ft - (5569 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.04 ° |
| Area | * 87.21 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 19.38 ft - (5907 mm) |
| Foot | * 9.9 ft - (3018 mm) |
| Leech | * 17.83 ft - (5435 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 144 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 19.38 ft - (5907 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 10.8 ft - (3292 mm) |
| Foot | * 10.8 ft - (3292 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 177.91 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.