505
Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1954
An international gold standard for high-performance dinghies, developed by John Westell and Austin Farrar since 1954
Designed by John Westell & Austin Farrar.
- 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 1.88 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 127 kg of hull, so roughly 750 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 127 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 2Sea-kindly
CoastalCapsize 3.78Bluewater
LightD/L 37Heavy
EasygoingSA/D 65.5Powered-up
Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.
- Draws more than ~94% of boats her size on file
Compared with 317 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.
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
65.5
Displacement / length
37.0
Comfort ratio
2.5
Capsize screening
3.78
Hull speed
5.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
331
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1954
Units built
9100
Designer
John Westell, Austin Farrar
Builder
Various, Aubin (Chantier Aubin)
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.
Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterAn Ian Proctor-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fiberglass
Aubin (Chantier Aubin) Snipe4.72 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA legendary William F. Crosby-designed fractional dinghy that remains one of the world's most active racing classes
Butler Boats Streaker3.88 mSame hull family1.2 m shorterA 3.88-metre cat-rigged dinghy featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and a fiberglass option introduced in 1998
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.
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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