420
Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1959
An enduring international racing class designed in 1959, widely produced as a versatile fractional-rigged dinghy
Designed by Christian Maury.
- LOA
- Beam
- Draft (max)
- Displacement
- Hull type
- Centerboard Dinghy
Is it for you?
Character
Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.
TrailerableBeam 1.65 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 100 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 100 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draft shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draftDraws 0.15 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelyComfort 3Sea-kindly
CoastalCapsize 3.59Bluewater
LightD/L 43Heavy
EasygoingSA/D 61.5Powered-up
Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.
The living fleet
Sailed by the fleet
The channels sailing this model, and where they were last seen.
The record
Full specifications
The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.
Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
61.5
Displacement / length
43.0
Comfort ratio
2.7
Capsize screening
3.59
Hull speed
4.9 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
255
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1959
Units built
56000
Designer
Christian Maury
Builder
Various, Far East Boat Co
Boats like this, on the water
Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.
Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.
CL Sailboats 144.32 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 109-kilogram fractional sloop built since 1980, offering a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively handling
Topper International Topper3.40 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterAn Ian Proctor-designed polypropylene dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig and three versatile sail-area configurations
Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family0.6 m longerAn Ian Proctor-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fiberglass
Butler Boats Streaker3.88 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 3.88-metre cat-rigged dinghy featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and a fiberglass option introduced in 1998
Aubin (Chantier Aubin) Snipe4.72 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA legendary William F. Crosby-designed fractional dinghy that remains one of the world's most active racing classes
The family
Related models
The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.
Various 470An Olympic-class two-person trapeze dinghy sailed in over 60 countries since its 1963 debutCode 40A high-performance two-person trapeze dinghy with an aggressive 54.04 SA/displacement ratio, widely used for sail trainingMinicat 420A 4.2-meter twin-keel catamaran updated in 2019 and available in Instinct, Emotion, and Evoke configurations
Keep looking
Nothing filmed of this one yet
Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.
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