• History of the Rawson 30

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Rawson, Inc. was founded in 1959 with 8 orders for pre-sold Rawson 30's.

In a 1998 letter to Rawsoneer Bob Gray, Ron Rawson reported the following statistics:

Total Rawson 30's built (1959 to 1984) . . . . . . . 252

Total Pilothouse 30's built (1976 to 1985) . . . . . . 36

In the Builder's Own Words

The following appeared in the Design Forum department of the September 1970 edition of THE SKIPPER, once published out of Annapolis, Maryland.

COMMENTS BY THE BUILDER

The Rawson 30 was conceived by Ron Rawson and his wife as a family
cruising sailboat. They laid out the interior for maximum comfort for five
people, and commissioned William Garden to design the hull for her. The
result is a boat that is exceptionally roomy and livable and a good sailer.
Six feet three inches of headroom is carried throughout the entire trunk
cabin. The forward cabin is equipped with a hanging locker, as well as
clothing lockers above and below its two bunks. However, its unusual
volume permits the installation of two upper bunks by slight lowering of
the two regular bunks if the added sleeping accommodation is needed by
the owner. The head is dressing room size, containing toilet, wash sink
and Formica counter, mirror, shelf, two large lockers and a solid door to
insure [sic] privacy.

The dinette table drops down to the two benches to form a wide double
berth. The forward bench contains drawers and a stowage locker. The
after bench has stowage under it and aft of the back rest. The latter is
normally used for bedding and makes room for the sleepers' feet when
the back rest is removed.

On the starboard side, the galley comes in two options, the larger of
which is normally provided with a gimballed stove with oven. The
stainless steel sink is mounted in the Formica counter, with an ice box
and several lockers beneath it. Cupboards are provided over the galley
counter. Aft of the galley, a quarterberth is installed, with a three inch
foam rubber mattress as on the other berths. Lockers are provided
outboard and under the quarterberth, with chart stowage above the after
end of it, and shelves above the lockers.

The engine room is normally equipped with Palmer twenty-two
horsepower four cylinder, four cycle inboard gasoline engine, thirty-seven
gallon gasoline tank, forty gallon water tank, and bilge blower. Diesel
options are available.

The cockpit is deep and dry, with molded-in back rests and room for
seven to nine people. Four lockers are provided, one being a very large
lazarette under the after seat. Tiller steering is standard with a wheel
optional. Two number three bronze top action sheet winches are included,
along with two halyard reel winches. Standing rigging and halyards are
stainless steel, as are the Genoa tracks and main sheet traveler. Mast and
spars are aluminum. Lifeline stanchions are heavy bronze, provided with
backing plates. Lifelines and stainless steel bow pulpit are provided.

The Rawson 30 comes equipped with a complete electrical system,
including alternator, interior lights and navigation lights, plus AC shore
power connection. Also included are horn, bell, life jackets, fenders, two
dock lines, anchor, chain, anchor rode, dishes and silverware. There is
little to add but food and water.

Ron Rawson was the first builder in the United States of fiberglass
commercial fishing boats. As such, his philosophy is to build a boat to last.
The twelve thousand pound Rawson 30 is about thirty-three percent heavier
than the average 30-foot fiberglass sailboat, making her extremely rugged.
The five thousand pounds of ballast make her stiff to stand up and sail and
avoid knockdowns. The high freeboard makes her dry topside, as well as
providing more internal volume for living space below. These factors
combine to make the Rawson 30 unusually seaworthy. Seven Rawson 30s
have been sailed from the west coast to Hawaii, two to Tahiti,and one to
Australia, as of February 1969. A yawl conversion kit is available and
includes bowsprit.

 

It's interesting to see what was considered a "complete" electrical system back in 1970. Do you suppose anyone still has the Rawson dishes and silverware? My boat came with a set of stainless steel flatware ... could it be original? I hadn't thought about it until I re-read this article as I was posting it here.

Some time between 1974 and 1978, the design was changed. The later models can be distinguished, on the exterior, by the two opening ports on either side where the large main cabin windows had been. The cabin top is longer, as well, reducing the size of the cockpit, which now sported a bridge deck. Inside, Mrs. Rawson's beloved raised dinette (she like to be able to look out while seated at the table, I'm told) was replaced with a more conventional main cabin arrangement whereby two settees oppose one another port to starboard, with a folding table between. The galley was moved aft in the L shape so common today. A quarterberth was to port, under the cockpit. All of this also moved the companionway more toward the center. Below the waterline, the rudder profile was changed from the traditional half-heart or spoon shape to a squared-off trailing edge, perhaps to give it more bite.

All of the Pilothouse hulls came from the same mold as the R30's, according to Mr. Rawson. None of the Pilothouse models were sold to East Coast owners, although 10 to 12 R30's were sold in the East through a rep in Annapolis, Maryland.

You'll find more vintage descriptions in our ARCHIVES  section. We'll use this department to flesh out the timeline of the Rawson 30's development, as well as that of Ron Rawson, Inc. If you have any information, including corrections to my descriptions, please pass it along. We hope to get Mr. Rawson's own input, too.

Who knows when the Yawl model was introduced?

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