Flying Dutchman

BoatsFlying Dutchman

See her sail

The Flying Dutchman, on the water

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

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.80 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 130 kg of hull, so roughly 750 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 130 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 3.58 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.58

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 73.6

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

Lighter than ~76% of boats her size on file

Compared with 135 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Flying Dutchman, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Flying DUTCHMAN is a 6.1-meter fractional sloop centerboard dinghy designed by Uus van Essen and Conrad Gulcher, built by Advance Sailboat Corp. since 1951. This high-performance two-man trapeze dinghy features a large genoa and served as an Olympic class from 1960 to 1992.18:15 Mikkel Thommessen, a Norwegian sailor, gained exposure to the Flying DUTCHMAN in 1965 during a sailing exchange in the United States.7:42

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

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

Fractional Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

73.6

Capsize screening

3.58

Hull

Hull type

Centerboard Dinghy

Construction

Wood

Production

Years built

First built 1951

Designer

Uus van Essen, Conrad Gulcher

Builder

Advance Sailboat Corp

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.

LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull family1.2 m shorterAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing

From Olympic drama to flying motorboats: Petter Mørland Pedersen in "Peiling på Seiling"11:34 from SEILmagasinet

MacKay Boats Ltd. 49erfx4.88 mSame hull family1.2 m shorterA high-performance skiff utilizing the 49er hull with a downsized rig specifically optimized for lighter crews

Pia Dahl Andersen and Nora Edland showed strength in the first World Cup of the year.2:03 from SEILmagasinet

Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family1.3 m shorterAn Ian Proctor-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fiberglass

The Easiest Sailboat You’ll Ever Own – The Wayfarer0:47 from Practical Sailor

Aubin (Chantier Aubin) Snipe4.72 mSame hull family1.4 m shorterA legendary William F. Crosby-designed fractional dinghy that remains one of the world's most active racing classes

Rio to Polynesia on a 25-Foot Boat, the Journey that Changed Sailing in Brazil Forever | #SAL #368:16 from Hashtag Sal

O'Day Daysailer5.11 mSame hull family1.0 m shorterA 1956 centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio that remains in production today

Boat Shop Windows4:54 from kentblairl

Klepper Cadet5.40 mSame hull family0.7 m shorter

We're off to Greece to see our NEW BOAT! 😍 Road trip, catamaran & sailing dinghy22:21 from Eternal 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.

International FJA lightweight 75-kilogram centerboard dinghy derived from the Flying Dutchman as a junior-level trainer since 1956 Flying TernAn early, high-performance E.G. van de Stadt GRP dinghy designed for spinnaker and trapeze racing Advance Sailboat Corp. DemonA stretched, high-performance evolution of the Flying Junior featuring increased sail area for spirited dinghy sailing Flying FishA lightweight 1970s dinghy featuring a high-performance rotating cat rig and a freestanding fiberglass mast

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Flying Dutchman, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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