Irwin 30 Citation

Built 1977–? by Irwin Yachts

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About the Irwin 30 Citation

Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.

Built: 1977–?
Builder: Irwin Yachts
Designer: Ted Irwin
Length: 30 ft
Waterline: 26.92 ft
Beam: 10 ft
Displacement: 10,400 lb
Ballast: 4,300 lb
Hull / keel: fin keel
Rig: sloop
Propulsion: inboard
Fuel: 30 gal
Water: 75 gal
Stern thruster: not fitted
Steering: pedestal cable · Orion

Tank capacities — where the figures come from

Fuel 30 gal
“40 gallon fuel tank” — broker listing (1978), sailingtexas.com

Only spec databases and Wikipedia, which copies them, give 30 gal; one 1978 sale listing says 40. A single listing isn't enough to change it, and there's no builder source.
Water 75 gal
“60 gallon water tank” — broker listing (1978), sailingtexas.com

Spec databases and their copies give 75 gal; one 1978 listing says 60. There's no builder source.
Water heater unknown
No builder specification or option list was found online. The Irwin legacy site's 1977 standards page for the 28/30/34/39 couldn't be checked, and the Citation 30 brochure is only offered for sale by a brochure dealer.

Tanks are often replaced or added on older boats — check the tank labels or a survey for yours.

Thrusters and steering — where this comes from

Bow thruster unknown
Irwin's 1977 standards data sheet (28, 30, 34, 39) lists no thruster, and no option list was found.
Stern thruster not fitted
Our earlier figure of none has no source, and nothing was found either way.
Steering pedestal cable · Orion
“STEERING TYPE: ORION 8' (change order) ... WHEEL SIZE 22"Φ S.S. ... QUADRANT SIZE 12" x 1 1/4"” — builder (1977), irwinyachts.com

Irwin's handwritten 8-19-77 standards data sheet (Irwin 30 column, Yanmar 2TM-15) gives an Orion wheel steerer, a 22 in. stainless wheel and a 12 in. rudder quadrant, meaning wheel steering by cable to a quadrant. This is taken to be the Citation 30 introduced that year; later changes weren't checked.

Thrusters and steering are often replaced — check the units on your boat before ordering parts.

Sources disagree on draft — left blank rather than guessed.

Keel options: shoal fixed keel (standard (sailboatdata) and Wikipedia, draft not found), optional deep fin of about 5.3 ft, and a keel/centerboard version at 4.0 ft up / 8.08 ft down. Factory engine a 15 hp Yanmar (identified as the 2QM15 in owner discussion). Last production year not found. Some forum comments in the source concern the related Irwin 34.

Engines fitted

Yanmar 15 hp diesel (2QM15 per existing data) — 15 hp, diesel, single standard
sailboatdata and Wikipedia both give a factory-fitted 15 hp Yanmar diesel (first built 1977). Neither names the model; the existing 2QM15 designation is consistent with 15 hp but was not confirmed from a source read.

Sources: sailboatdata.com · en.wikipedia.org

Manuals and brochures online

Spec sheet Irwin standards data sheet 1977 for the Irwin 28, 30, 34 and 39 (engine, steering, quadrant, tanks) (1977) — irwinyachts.com

Hosted by the builder or an owners' association; they own the copyright.

Known problems for this model

Chainplate leaks rotting bulkheads deck
Owners of Irwin 30s report water entering at the deck chainplates and staining or rotting the plywood bulkheads behind the veneer; keep them rebedded and have a surveyor meter the deck around them.
sailnet.com
Portlight leaks damaging paneling interior
Leaking plastic ports can rot the teak paneling from behind and stain the headliner before the leak is noticed.
sailnet.com
Deck deflection and stress cracks deck
One raced boat showed marked deck deflection around the mast and persistent deck leaks, and owners mention widespread gelcoat stress cracking on Irwins of this era.
sailnet.com

Model sources (5)

sailboatdata.com · en.wikipedia.org · sailnet.com · sailingtexas.com · irwinyachts.com

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Other Irwin models

Irwin 10/4 1975–1982
Irwin 37 1971–1982

Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.