BoatsGull Dinghy

Gull Dinghy

Gunter · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1956

A 1956 Ian Proctor design originally intended for amateur plywood construction, featuring a traditional gunter rig

Designed by Ian Proctor, built by Hartley Boats.

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 1.45 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 89 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 89 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 0.18 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
CoastalBluewater

At 3.28 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.28
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 34.8

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
Gunter
Ratios
SA / displacement
34.8
Capsize screening
3.28
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1956
Units built
1700
Designer
Ian Proctor
Builder
Hartley 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.

Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA Hubert Vandestadt-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively, responsive sailing
Our Boat Got Stolen 😡… So We Built a New One (in just ONE Week)from WhiteSpotPirates
Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull family0.3 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
McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA one-design foiling dinghy featuring wings and an unstayed rig, built in the thousands for high-performance racing
Asker Sailing Club5:14from SEILmagasinet
Butler Boats Streaker3.88 mSame hull family0.5 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
Topper International Topper3.40 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn 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

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.

Skimmar Boats Seagull 12A fractional sloop-rigged centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited light-air sailingBell Woodwordking Ltd. Gp14A Jack Holt-designed general purpose dinghy originally created for home plywood construction and now a popular one-design racer

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 Gull Dinghy

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