Spirit R74

Name: Spirit R74
Brand: Spirit Yachts

In production

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4-74-After-1920x1080-LR — Spirit Yachts

Summary

Sailing MonohullSailCE A

Length overall: 74.8 ft
Beam: 15.4 ft
Draft: 10.5 ft
Displacement: 61,399 lb
Sail area (upwind): 2,390 ft²
Cabins: 3

* A standard reference image, not the actual boat — shown to help visualise this model's published dimensions.

Best Suited For

Bluewater Cruising
From the published figures: CE Category A · LOA 22.8 m
Performance Cruising
From the published figures: performance cruiser · 3 cabins · SA/D 24.6
Liveaboard
From the published figures: LOA 22.8 m · 3 cabins

Tags are derived from certified class, length, sail area, accommodation and tankage using the criteria described on the Sources page; an editor may add or remove one.

Sailing Ratios

Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from the builder's published figures, each shown against the bands designers read it by.

Sail area / displacement

How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.

24.6· Racing

How it is worked out

sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔

published upwind sail area

Displacement / length

How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.

221· Moderate

How it is worked out

displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³

Ballast ratio

The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.

not published: ballast

How it is worked out

ballast ÷ displacement × 100

Comfort ratio

Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.

43.0· Heavy offshore

How it is worked out

displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft

Capsize screening

A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.

1.56· Below 2

How it is worked out

beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓

Hull speed

Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.

9.5 kn

How it is worked out

1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots

Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.

Design Category

Certified CE design category A (Ocean): the wind and waves the EU Recreational Craft Directive says this boat is designed to take.

D
Sheltered waters
Wind
up to Beaufort 4
Waves
up to 0.3 m
C
Inshore
Wind
up to Beaufort 6
Waves
up to 2 m
B
Offshore
Wind
up to Beaufort 8
Waves
up to 4 m
AThis boat
Ocean
Wind
above Beaufort 8
Waves
above 4 m

Design limits set by the EU Recreational Craft Directive (2013/53/EU), in significant wave height. A category covers the conditions of those below it. It is the limit the boat was designed to, not a promise that it is safe in any conditions within it — that judgement stays with the skipper.

Dimensions

LOA: 74.8 ft (22.8 m)
Hull length: —
LWL: 49.9 ft (15.2 m)
Beam: 15.4 ft (4.7 m)
Draft (min): —
Draft (max): 10.5 ft (3.2 m)
Air draft: —
Displacement: 61,399 lb (27,850 kg)
Ballast: —
Cabins: 3
Heads: —
Berths: —

Sail Plan

Main sail: —
Jib: —
Genoa: —
Sail area: 2,390 ft² (222 m²)
Downwind sail area: —
Rig type: Fractional Bermudan Sloop

Engine and Tanks

Engine: 125 hp
Engine count: 1
Engine manufacturer: —
Propulsion type: shaft drive
Fuel capacity: —
Fresh water capacity: —
Black water capacity: —

Construction

Mast material: —
Hull material: wood/epoxy (laminated ring frames, timber planking, double-diagonal veneers, epoxy glass sheath)
Deck material: —
Keel type: iron blade with lead bulb
Rudder type: —
Steering wheels: —

Builder's Own Figures

RCD max persons: 12 (certified persons, not guests)
Guests and cabins: 6 guests, 3 cabins (the site's yacht cards)
Keel: Iron Blade 3840kg – Lead Bulb 6320kg
RCD category: A (F8 winds 4m waves)
Propulsion: 125hp diesel shaft drive
Rig: Fractional Bermudan Sloop
Ballast Ratio: 40%
Displacement basis: lightship, as printed (27.85 tonnes)
Engine power basis: per engine as printed

Figures read fromspirityachts.com/yacht/spirit-r74/· Specification & Featuresread 10/17/2026

About Spirit Yachts

Custom

British custom builder of modern-classic wooden sail and motor yachts, founded in 1993 by designer Sean McMillan and Mick Newman at Ipswich, Suffolk — 13 designs from the 9.2-metre R30 day sailer to the 22.8-metre R74, each built to order in wood/epoxy.

Spirit Yachts was founded in 1993 by Sean McMillan, a lifelong sailor and yacht designer, in partnership with his friend Mick Newman. After thousands of sea miles delivering boats around the globe, the yard says, the two had a clear vision: to build the most beautiful yachts that perform on the water. Sean McMillan built the company into what it calls a worldwide success, raced his own Spirit 52 on the classic circuit and today consults on projects from his design studio in the Suffolk countryside. In 2006 a Spirit 54 was chosen for the Bond film Casino Royale; handbuilt in Suffolk, she was shipped to the Bahamas, sailed through Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands for filming and then to Venice, where, the yard says, she became the first sailing yacht to go up the Grand Canal in 300 years. In 2021 a Spirit 46, one of the original Spirit designs, appeared in No Time To Die. Today the company, led by managing director Karen Underwood with lead designer Tom Smith, designs and builds custom wooden sail and motor yachts at waterside premises in Ipswich, Suffolk.

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