Bahama Mama
Description
The Bahama Mama is a custom-designed shallow-draft sailing yacht conceptualized by Gary Clements of GFC Boats and developed by Chesapeake Marine Design. Introduced as a plans-built or kit boat for amateur and professional builders, it's tailored for coastal and island-hopping cruising, emphasizing affordability, ease of construction, and liveaboard comfort in shallow waters. With a length overall (LOA) of 30 feet (9.14 meters), it's ideal for small crews (4–5 people) seeking big-boat capabilities without the complexity of larger vessels. The design focuses on stability, standing headroom in the cabin, and versatility for secluded anchorages, making it popular among DIY sailors and cruisers in regions like the Bahamas or Caribbean. Production details are limited since it's primarily a custom or home-built model rather than mass-produced, but plans, building logs, photos, and videos are available through design resources. It's not a blue water offshore specialist but excels in protected waters and short passages, with a centerboard or shoal-draft keel for accessing skinny waters.
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | 30.50 ft |
| e | 11.50 ft |
| p2 | 20.50 ft |
| e2 | 9 ft |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | 30.50 ft | 11.50 ft | 20.50 ft | 9 ft |
Blueprints
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 30.5 ft - (9296 mm) |
| Foot | 11.5 ft - (3505 mm) |
| Leech | 30.63 ft - (9336 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 81.37 ° |
| Diagonal | 30.94 ft - (9431 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 5.25 in - (133 mm) |
| Area | * 178.14 ft² |
| Sail Type | YANKEE |
|---|---|
| Luff | 34 ft - (10363 mm) |
| Foot | 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Leech | 30.25 ft - (9220 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.34 ft - (4066 mm) |
| Area | * 226.84 ft² |
| Sail Type | STAYSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 24.17 ft - (7367 mm) |
| Foot | 8.5 ft - (2591 mm) |
| Leech | 20.75 ft - (6325 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 7.1 ft - (2164 mm) |
| Area | * 85.81 ft² |
| Sail Type | MIZZEN |
|---|---|
| Luff | 20.5 ft - (6248 mm) |
| Foot | 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Leech-AftHdBd | 21.02 ft - (6407 mm) |
| Tack Ang | * 81.73 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | 21.17 ft - (6453 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area (no Roach) | * 94.43 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.