BoatsBongo 15

Bongo 15

Fractional Sloop · Lifting Keel · First built 2003

A rare Paul Cronin design with only 43 hulls built before a fire destroyed the molds, featuring a high 37.72 SA/D ratio

Designed by Paul Cronin, built by Abbott Boats.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Lifting Keel

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 1.98 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 188 kg of hull, so roughly 800 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 188 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 1.19 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 4 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 4
CoastalBluewater

At 3.49 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.49
LightHeavy

55 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 55
EasygoingPowered-up

37.7 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 37.7
TenderStiff

24% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 24%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Lighter than ~91% of boats her size on file

Compared with 153 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
Ballast / displacement
24.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
37.7
Displacement / length
54.9
Comfort ratio
3.5
Capsize screening
3.49
Hull speed
5.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
348
Hull
Hull type
Lifting Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 2003
Units built
43
Designer
Paul Cronin
Builder
Abbott Boats

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.

RS Quest4.29 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 140kg fractional sloop with a centerboard trunk designed for stable, versatile training and family sailing
Drascombe Dabber4.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA John Watkinson-designed sprit-rigged daysailer with a centerboard, built since 1970 for shallow-water versatility
Microtonner 195.50 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Nestor Volker to the International Micro Class rule for competitive racing
Marshall Marine Corporation Sanderling5.54 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA gaff-rigged catboat based on a 1941 design, featuring a shallow-draft keel-centerboard hull for versatile day sailing

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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