Roberts 53 Cutter/Ketch
Description
The Bruce Roberts 53 Cutter/Ketch is a heavy-displacement, center-cockpit bluewater cruiser designed by Bruce Roberts in the 1970s–1980s, available as detailed plans for amateur or professional builders in steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or wood-epoxy, with over 700 completed worldwide—including racers and charter vessels—prioritizing seaworthiness, load-carrying, and family comfort for circumnavigations or liveaboard life. The cutter rig offers versatile headsail options for shorthanded sailing, while the ketch provides balanced power distribution for easier reefing in heavy weather; both perform well, as evidenced by a South African-built example winning the Cruising Division of the Cape to Rio Race. Variants include centerboard for shallow drafts, pilothouse models (Versions E/G) for all-weather protection, and the spacious Version H with dual staterooms for two couples, all customizable with traditional or reverse sterns (extending LOA to 56 feet). While robust and forgiving offshore, the design's weight favors motor sailing in light airs.
Construction Details
| Designer | Bruce Roberts-Goodson |
|---|---|
| Length | 53.000 ft |
| LWL | 16.570 ft |
| Beam | 7.083 ft |
| Max Draft | 3.600 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.803 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 55.25 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 18.42 ft |
| p | 48.42 ft |
| e | 20 ft |
| p2 | 31 ft |
| e2 | 10.25 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55.25 ft | 18.42 ft | 48.42 ft | 20 ft | 31 ft | 10.25 ft | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Roberts 53 Cutter/Ketch - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 48.42 ft - (14758 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Leech | * 51.46 ft - (15685 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 51.74 ft - (15770 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 494.6 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 53 Cutter/Ketch - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 46.59 ft - (14201 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 24.56 ft - (7486 mm) |
| Leech | * 40.17 ft - (12244 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 114.93 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.17 ft - (6453 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12.02 ° |
| Area | * 493.15 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 53 Cutter/Ketch - GENOA
| Luff | * 55.33 ft - (16865 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 29.89 ft - (9110 mm) |
| Leech | * 51.9 ft - (15819 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 27.63 ft - (8422 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.98 ° |
| Area | * 764.43 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 53 Cutter/Ketch - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 56 ft - (17069 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 31 ft - (9449 mm) |
| Leech | 52.5 ft - (16002 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1302 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 53 Cutter/Ketch - MIZZEN
| Luff | * 31 ft - (9449 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10.25 ft - (3124 mm) |
| Leech-AftHdBd | * 32 ft - (9754 mm) |
| Tack Ang | * 88 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | * 32.31 ft - (9848 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area (no Roach) | * 162.17 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.