Helms 25
Description
The Helms 25 is a compact, trailerable masthead sloop designed by Stuart Windley and built by Jack A. Helms Co. from 1973 to roughly 1980, with around 800 units produced, making it one of the most popular small cruisers of its era. At 24 ft 10 in LOA, 8 ft beam, and only 2,100 lbs. displacement (1,000 lbs. ballast), it features a shallow fixed keel (2 ft 4 in draft) or optional centerboard version (1 ft 9 in board up, 5 ft 2 in down), giving excellent trailering and gunkholing capability while still sailing respectably. The cockpit is large and comfortable for its size and below decks it offers surprisingly good accommodations for a 25-footer: V-berth forward, convertible dinette, compact galley, enclosed head, and quarter berth, sleeping 4–5 in a pinch. With simple fractional or masthead rig options, modest sail area, and a lively but forgiving nature, the Helms 25 remains a favorite among sailors seeking an affordable, easy-to-handle pocket cruiser that can be towed behind a mid-size car and launched at a ramp yet still handle weekend or short coastal trips with confidence.
Construction Details
| Designer | Stuart G. Windley |
|---|---|
| Builder | Jack A Helms Co. |
| Length | 25.000 ft |
| LOA | 25.000 ft |
| LWL | 21.500 ft |
| Beam | 8.000 ft |
| Displacement | 3950 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 1.670 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 30 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 10 ft |
| p | 25 ft |
| e | 10 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 ft | 10 ft | 25 ft | 10 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Helms 25 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 25 ft - (7620 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.39 ft - (8044 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 26.6 ft - (8108 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 129.04 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Helms 25 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 25 ft - (7620 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 11 ft - (3353 mm) |
| Leech | 20.75 ft - (6325 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 90.1 % |
| Length Perpendicular | 9.01 ft - (2746 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 16.56 ° |
| Area | * 112.64 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Helms 25 - GENOA
| Luff | 30 ft - (9144 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 16 ft - (4877 mm) |
| Leech | 28.5 ft - (8687 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 149.4 % |
| Length Perpendicular | 14.94 ft - (4554 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 2.55 ° |
| Area | * 224.09 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Helms 25 - DRIFTER
| Luff | * 30.04 ft - (9156 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.9 ft - (5151 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.84 ft - (8181 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perp | * 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 8.99 ° |
| Area | * 225.31 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Helms 25 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 30.04 ft - (9156 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.5 ft - (5029 mm) |
| Leech | * 27.64 ft - (8425 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 372 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Helms 25 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 30.04 ft - (9156 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 18 ft - (5486 mm) |
| Foot | * 18 ft - (5486 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 460 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
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.