Broad, shallow, open or partly decked center board sailboats originated around 1850 on the east coast. The Sandbagger is the descendant of shoal-draft sloops used in oyster fishing in the shallow waters of New York Bay. The term ” Sandbagger” refers to the use of sandbags to shift the boat’s center of gravity in order to obtain the most power from the sails.

This returning client wanted a modern boat reminiscent of the sandbaggers of the 1890s. These boats were extreme and quite dangerous to sail due to their design and use of sand bags as ballast. The Van Dam team visited Mystic Seaport to review the plans for one of the few replicas available and accepted the challenge to find a way to create a modern design to match the client’s vision.