Review of Sheriff 600

Basic specs.

The Sheriff 600 aka Jouët 20 is a small sailboat designed by the French maritime architect Philippe H. Harlé in the late sixties. The Sheriff 600 is built by the French yard Yachting France.

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Looking for a new boat? Find a Sheriff 600 or similar boat for sale

Rig

The Sheriff 600 is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Keel

Keel of Sheriff 600 anno 1969.

Unknown keel type

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.92 - 1.02 meter (3.02 - 3.32 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Engine

An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case the boat will typically require a power of 2 - 3 hp, alternatively 44 - 53 lbs thrust if you prefer an electrical motor. Electric outboards are becoming popular for sailboat owners who want clean instant power with less noise and no exhaust fumes.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Sheriff 600 is 2.32, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 5.3 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Sheriff 600 is about 72 kg/cm, alternatively 405 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 72 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 405 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Sheriff 600 is 13.6.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 54% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just above average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Sheriff 600 is 2.70.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 54% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.

Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Sheriff 600 is 27%.

This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 15% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) significantly below average.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Sheriff 600 is 268 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

15% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A heavy displacement combined with smaller water plane area has lower acceleration and is more comfortable.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Sheriff 600 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.3, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 18.8.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 31% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Over- / underrigged

The Sheriff 600 has more rig than 99% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.

RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Sheriff 600 is 24

The relative speed performance is 24 which means that a it is faster than 24% of all similar sailboat designs.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 11m² (118 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	18.3 m	(60.0 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	18.3 m	(60.0 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	18.3 m	(60.0 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)
Jib sheet	6.2 m	(20.4 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Genoa sheet	6.2 m	(20.4 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Mainsheet	15.5 m	(51.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	13.7 m	(44.9 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Cunningham	2.7 m	(8.9 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)
Kickingstrap	5.4 m	(17.7 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)
Clew-outhaul	5.4 m	(17.7 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Sheriff 600 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.