Cat (rotating spar) · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1970
A lightweight 1970s dinghy featuring a high-performance rotating cat rig and a freestanding fiberglass mast
Designed by Carter Pyle & Joe Quigg, built by AMF Alcort.
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 1.73 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 102 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 102 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 0.10 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
CoastalBluewater
At 3.73 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.
Capsize screening 3.73
EasygoingPowered-up
51.9 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.
Sail area / displacement 51.9
Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.
The record
Full specifications
The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.
Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cat (rotating spar)
Ratios
SA / displacement
51.9
Capsize screening
3.73
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1970
Designer
Carter Pyle, Joe Quigg
Builder
AMF Alcort, Alcort
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.
Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Hubert Vandestadt-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively, responsive sailing
Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterThe 1948 Olympic single-handed class, this Uffa Fox design was the first sailboat ever produced by Fairey Marine
LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull family0.6 m longerAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family0.6 m longerAn 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 family0.5 m longerA legendary William F. Crosby-designed fractional dinghy that remains one of the world's most active racing classes
Alcort Sunfish4.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthWith a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 47.02, this nimble 4.24-meter dinghy remains a benchmark for simple
