BoatsByte Boats Inc. Byte

Byte Boats Inc. Byte

Cat (unstayed) · Dbrd. Dinghy · First built 1973

An Ian Bruce-designed unstayed cat-rigged dinghy that weighs just 45 kilograms for rapid acceleration and easy handling

Designed by Ian Bruce.

LOA
Beam
Displacement
Hull type
Dbrd. Dinghy

See her sail

The Byte Boats Inc. Byte, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from SEILmagasinet

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.30 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 45 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 2 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 2
CoastalBluewater

At 3.68 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.68
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 38
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 43.4

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

  • Lighter than ~90% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~87% of boats her size on file

Compared with 300 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Byte Boats Inc. Byte, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Byte Boats Inc. Byte is a 3.7-meter (12-foot) dinghy designed by Ian Bruce, featuring an unstayed cat rig and a daggerboard hull. It has been in production since 1973, built by Byte Boats Inc., Performance Sailcraft, and Nautivela, with Topper International Ltd. currently manufacturing it. The boat displaces 44 kg and has a beam of 1.3 meters. Its design emphasizes a high sail area to displacement ratio of 43.4 and a comfort ratio of 2.0.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cat (unstayed)
Ratios
SA / displacement
43.4
Displacement / length
38.2
Comfort ratio
2.0
Capsize screening
3.68
Hull speed
4.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
159
Hull
Hull type
Dbrd. Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1973
Units built
2500
Designer
Ian Bruce
Builder
Byte Boats Inc, Performance Sailcraft, Nautivela

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

Topper International Topper3.40 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterAn Ian Proctor-designed polypropylene dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig and three versatile sail-area configurations
Isle of Dogs Sea Cadets race at London Regatta May 25 in blustery conditions,from City Sailing
McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA one-design foiling dinghy featuring wings and an unstayed rig, built in the thousands for high-performance racing
Bård Spilling wants to tie up the loose ends11:07from SEILmagasinet
Europe (International)3.35 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA former Olympic women's single-hander that evolved from the Moth development rule into a nimble one-design dinghy
28 June 2024 Unboxing G11 Epoxylaminate mastholder5:08from Sven Yrvind
Alcort Sailfish3.54 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthThe original 1945 plywood kit boat that launched Alcort and sparked a recreational sailing boom
Alcort Super Sailfish Handrails0:01from kentblairl
Butler Boats Streaker3.88 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 3.88-metre cat-rigged dinghy featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and a fiberglass option introduced in 1998
Behind the scenes at the Wayfarer factory – a tour of Hartley Boatsfrom practicalboatowner
Ilca 6 (Laser Radial)4.23 mSame hull family0.6 m longerAn Olympic-standard single-handed dinghy featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lighter sailors
Line Flem Høst started the season with 5th place in the World Championshipfrom SEILmagasinet

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.

Beetle CatA strict one-design wooden class in continuous production since 1921, built for traditional daysailingBarnstable Cat BoatA fiberglass adaptation of the iconic 1921 John Beetle design, offering a low-maintenance take on the classic catboatTopper International BuzzA 4.2-metre fractional sloop with a lightweight 79.8kg hull, originally produced by Reg White LimitedLaserPerformance BugCat (unstayed) · 2.60 mTech DinghyA George Owen-designed college trainer that pioneered fiberglass construction in 1958 and remains a staple of collegiate sailing

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