Irwin 52 Ketch
Description
The Irwin 52 Ketch (built 1976–1987, ~150 hulls) was Ted Irwin’s bold flagship – the largest production sailboat ever built in the United States at the time and still one of the roomiest center-cockpit ketches ever made. With an LOA of 52′0″ (later versions 54′0″ with sugar-scoop transom), beam of 15′4″, and displacement ranging from 44,000 lbs (early) to 51,000 lbs (later), it carries a massive 17,000–19,000 lb encapsulated ballast in a long, shoal-draft keel (standard 5′6″, optional 6′6″). The conservative ketch rig (main + mizzen, total sail area ~1,100 sq ft, SA/D ≈14–15) prioritizes easy short-handed handling and heavy-weather flexibility over sparkling performance, making it a proven bluewater passage-maker when properly equipped.
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 59.33 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 22 ft |
| p | 52.50 ft |
| e | 20 ft |
| p2 | 32 ft |
| e2 | 11 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59.33 ft | 22 ft | 52.50 ft | 20 ft | 32 ft | 11 ft | - | - |
Sails
Irwin 52 Ketch - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 52.5 ft - (16002 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Leech | * 55.24 ft - (16837 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 55.52 ft - (16922 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 536.15 ft² |
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Irwin 52 Ketch - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 50.62 ft - (15429 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 29.95 ft - (9129 mm) |
| Leech | * 42.86 ft - (13064 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 25.3 ft - (7711 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | * 640.39 ft² |
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Irwin 52 Ketch - GENOA
| Luff | * 60.11 ft - (18322 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 36.22 ft - (11040 mm) |
| Leech | * 55.95 ft - (17054 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 33 ft - (10058 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | * 991.83 ft² |
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Irwin 52 Ketch - GENOA
| Luff | 58 ft - (17678 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 29.25 ft - (8915 mm) |
| Leech | 53 ft - (16154 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 120.91 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 26.6 ft - (8108 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.22 ° |
| Area | * 771.47 ft² |
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Irwin 52 Ketch - DRIFTER
| Luff | * 60.11 ft - (18322 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 37.86 ft - (11540 mm) |
| Leech | * 53.06 ft - (16173 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perp | * 33 ft - (10058 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 9.01 ° |
| Area | * 991.78 ft² |
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Irwin 52 Ketch - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 62 ft - (18898 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 37 ft - (11278 mm) |
| Leech | 58 ft - (17678 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1720 ft² |
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Irwin 52 Ketch - YANKEE
| Luff | 51 ft - (15545 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
| Leech | 40 ft - (12192 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 95.5 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.01 ft - (6404 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 18.57 ° |
| Area | * 535.7 ft² |
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Irwin 52 Ketch - STAYSAIL
| Luff | 39 ft - (11887 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 14.5 ft - (4420 mm) |
| Leech | 34.5 ft - (10516 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115.73 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 12.73 ft - (3880 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 9.61 ° |
| Area | * 248.3 ft² |
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Irwin 52 Ketch - MIZZEN
| Luff | * 32 ft - (9754 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 11 ft - (3353 mm) |
| Leech-AftHdBd | * 33.12 ft - (10095 mm) |
| Tack Ang | * 87.98 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | * 33.47 ft - (10202 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 5.25 in - (133 mm) |
| Area (no Roach) | * 180.26 ft² |
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Irwin 52 Ketch - STORMJIB
| Luff | 34 ft - (10363 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Leech | 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 52.45 % |
| Length Perp | * 11.54 ft - (3517 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19.39 ° |
| Area | * 196.1 ft² |
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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.