BoatsFlying Ant

Flying Ant

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1967

A John Spencer-designed youth dinghy originally intended for home construction, later popularized in a lighter version

Designed by John Spencer, built by Dinghy Sports.

LOA
Beam
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 1.30 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 41 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 41 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.
CoastalBluewater

At 3.79 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.79
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 58.2

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

  • Lighter than ~84% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~77% of boats her size on file

Compared with 172 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
58.2
Capsize screening
3.79
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1967
Designer
John Spencer
Builder
Dinghy Sports

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.

Topper International Topper3.40 mSame hull family0.2 m longerAn 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
Butler Boats Streaker3.88 mSame hull family0.7 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
McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA one-design foiling dinghy featuring wings and an unstayed rig, built in the thousands for high-performance racing
Asker Sailing Club5:14from SEILmagasinet
Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull family0.5 m longerThe 1948 Olympic single-handed class, this Uffa Fox design was the first sailboat ever produced by Fairey Marine
Mikkel Thommessen on a long life as a sailor0:53from 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.

Flying TernAn early, high-performance E.G. van de Stadt GRP dinghy designed for spinnaker and trapeze racing

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Flying Ant

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue