Nicholson 1/2 Ton
Description
The Camper & Nicholsons 1/2 Ton (also known as Nicholson 1/2 Ton or Nicholson Half Tonner) is a classic IOR (International Offshore Rule) racing sailboat from the late 1970s, designed by renowned naval architect Ron Holland and built by Camper & Nicholsons in Gosport, UK. Introduced in 1977, it was developed specifically for the Half Ton Cup class (a popular international rating rule for boats around 30 ft aimed at competitive offshore racing). This model had considerable racing success in its era, with good upwind performance, speed in moderate conditions, and handling that made it exciting for both race crews and shorthanded sailing. It shares the same basic hull design as the more cruising-oriented Nicholson 303 (and the Brazilian-built Fast 303 variant), but the 1/2 Ton version is the more race-focused original with a lighter, performance-oriented setup. Production was limited to about 28 hulls, making it relatively rare today prized by vintage IOR enthusiasts for club racing, fast coastal cruising, or as a spirited daysailer.
Construction Details
| Designer | Ron Holland |
|---|---|
| Builder | Camper and Nicholsons |
| Length | 30.000 ft |
| LOA | 30.000 ft |
| LWL | 24.750 ft |
| Beam | 10.250 ft |
| Displacement | 5952 lb |
| Ballast | 3086 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.750 ft |
| Year Built | 1977 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 38.80 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 11.70 ft |
| p | 33.25 ft |
| e | 10 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.80 ft | 11.70 ft | 33.25 ft | 10 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Nicholson 1/2 Ton - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 33.25 ft - (10135 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Leech | * 34.28 ft - (10449 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.03 ° |
| Diagonal | * 34.39 ft - (10482 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | 166.08 ft² |
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Nicholson 1/2 Ton - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 32.42 ft - (9882 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 15.35 ft - (4679 mm) |
| Leech | * 28.42 ft - (8662 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.46 ft - (4103 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 218.11 ft² |
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Nicholson 1/2 Ton - GENOA
| Luff | * 38.5 ft - (11735 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 18.77 ft - (5721 mm) |
| Leech | * 36.36 ft - (11083 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.55 ft - (5349 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 337.84 ft² |
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Nicholson 1/2 Ton - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 38.5 ft - (11735 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 21.06 ft - (6419 mm) |
| Foot | * 21.06 ft - (6419 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 689.19 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.