BoatsMutineer 15

Mutineer 15

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1972

A prolific 15-foot centerboard dinghy with a 43.54 SA/D ratio that has remained in production since 1972

Designed by Rod Macalpine-Downie & Dick Gibbs, built by Chrysler Marine.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

See her sail

The Mutineer 15, on the water

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

Footage from Lady K Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.83 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 186 kg of hull, so roughly 800 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 186 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 0.20 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 4 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 4
CoastalBluewater

At 3.23 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.23
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 66
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 43.5

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

  • Heavier than ~79% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~85% of boats her size on file

Compared with 377 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Mutineer 15, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Mutineer 15 is a 4.6-meter fractional sloop daysailer designed by Rod Macalpine-Downie and Dick Gibbs, with a centerboard dinghy hull and 186 kg displacement. Production began in 1971, with Chrysler Corp. building nearly 8,000 units by 1980. Subsequent builders included Texas Marine Industries, Wellcraft Marine (as the STARWIND 15), Gloucester Yachts (as the GLOUCESTER 15), and Cardinal Yachts, with Nickels Boats currently producing the model. Its total sail area is 150 sq. ft., comprising a 100 sq. ft. main and a 50 sq. ft. jib, and it can carry a 166 sq. ft. spinnaker.7:27 Lady K Sailing recommends the Chrysler Mutineer as an affordable, sloop-rigged option for beginners to learn sailing fundamentals, noting its suitability for solo or dual-handed sailing.8:22

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

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale

  • A legendary dinghy that comes with a trailer, noted for not having a high race tax

    from Lady K Sailingseen February 2025watch

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

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
43.5
Displacement / length
65.6
Comfort ratio
4.0
Capsize screening
3.23
Hull speed
5.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
302
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1972
Units built
7000
Designer
Rod Macalpine-Downie, Dick Gibbs
Builder
Chrysler Marine, Gloucester Yachts, Cardinal Yachts

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.

RS Venture4.98 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 4.98-meter fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, designed for agile, modern dinghy sailing
Elliot Finnestrand - World Champion in sailing after motocross accident0:07from SEILmagasinet
Aubin (Chantier Aubin) Snipe4.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 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 #368:16from Hashtag Sal
Finn (Monotype)4.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Richard Sarby-designed Olympic single-handed dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig and a long history of competition
SEILmagasinet TV Episode 3 - 202551:39from SEILmagasinet
Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family0.3 m longerAn 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 Wayfarer0:47from Practical Sailor
O'Day Daysailer5.11 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA 1956 centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio that remains in production today
Boat Shop Windows4:54from kentblairl
LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull family0.3 m longerAn 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"11:34from 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.

Starwind 15A lightweight 186kg centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for responsive daysailingGloucester 15A lightweight centerboard dinghy with a high 33.79 SA/D ratio, sharing her design lineage with the Mutineer 15Buccaneer 18A high-performance fractional centerboard dinghy that debuted with a second-place finish at the 1967 One of a Kind RegattaMusketeer 17Frac. Sloop (Rotating Spar) · 5.03 mStarwind 18A lightweight centerboard dinghy built by the Starwind division of Wellcraft, sharing the hull design of the Buccaneer 18

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The fleet has more to say

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