BoatsNorseboat 12.5

Norseboat 12.5

Gaff head Cat · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 2008

A Laurie McGowan-designed gaff-rigged dinghy that combines classic aesthetics with a high power-to-weight ratio

Designed by Laurie McGowan.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

See her sail

The Norseboat 12.5, on the water

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

Footage from Hashtag Sal

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.36 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 120 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 120 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 0.25 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 5 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 5
CoastalBluewater

At 2.78 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.78
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 81
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 26.8

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

  • Draws less than ~79% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~83% of boats her size on file

Compared with 323 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Norseboat 12.5, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Norseboat 12.5 is a 3.8-meter gaff-headed cat-rigged centerboard dinghy designed by Laurie McGowan and built by NorseBoat since 2008. It displaces 120 kg with a 0.7-meter draft and 1.4-meter beam. The main sail area is 51 square feet, with an optional 18-square-foot jib. The boat is available in wood/epoxy construction.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

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

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
Gaff head Cat
Ratios
SA / displacement
26.8
Displacement / length
81.3
Comfort ratio
4.8
Capsize screening
2.78
Hull speed
4.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
181
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 2008
Designer
Laurie McGowan
Builder
NorseBoat

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.

Beneteau First 144.30 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA Samuel Manuard-designed performance dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited, responsive sailing
Med Mooring with Mooring Lines in Alimos Marinafrom Epic Navigator
Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterThe 1948 Olympic single-handed class, this Uffa Fox design was the first sailboat ever produced by Fairey Marine
John Lee Cotton: 91 years old and 75 years at sea0:54from SEILmagasinet
Hunter Marine 1404.27 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA lightweight fractional sloop designed for responsive dinghy sailing with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio
Sailing Dighies NOT to Buy - How to Learn Sailing Ep 318 - Lady K Sailing6:19from Lady K Sailing
O'day 123.76 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA lightweight cat-rigged dinghy featuring a simple unstayed mast and daggerboard, sharing her hull with the Widgeon
The Pilot Who Crashed His Plane and Was Reborn on a Sailboat | #SAL #34314:23from Hashtag Sal
Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.3 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
Lido 144.27 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA fractional sloop dinghy designed by Barney Lehman, updated in 1995 with a modern mold for improved longevity and safety
Restoring covid-quarantine project boats - a Lido 14 sailboat and Seaflite 179SS ski boat0:03from Ravenswing

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.

Norseboat 17.5 ClassicA Chuck Paine-designed gaff-rigged daysailer featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited light-air performanceGig Harbor Boat Works NavigatorA lightweight, high-performance cat-rigged dinghy with a daggerboard, designed for responsive and agile daysailing

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Norseboat 12.5, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Norseboat 12.5

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