It has a masthead sloop rig; a spooned, raked stem; a raised counter, plumb transom; an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel with a retractable centerboard.
[1][3] The design has sleeping accommodation for four to six people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin, two straight settees in the main cabin, one of which can convert to a double with the drop-down dinette table, and an aft quarter berth on the port side.
The fresh water tank has a capacity of 14 U.S. gallons (53 L; 12 imp gal)[1][3] The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 228 and a hull speed of 6.1 kn (11.3 km/h).
[5] In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "Ted Irwin grew up in St. Petersburg, FL, and as a kid sailed boats in Tampa Bay.
The Irwin has the same displacement but a bit more ballast, a foot shorter waterline but a longer LOD as her overhangs are not as chopped off as the Morgan's; she has many similarities below the waterline, including a high aspect ratio centerboard ... her headroom gains an inch due to her doghouse, and her PHRF is a scant three seconds per mile higher.