Sabre Dinghy

BoatsSabre Dinghy

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.40 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 41 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 41 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 0.61 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.

CoastalBluewater

At 4.10 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 4.10

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 54.2

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

Lighter than ~94% of boats her size on file
Draws less than ~90% of boats her size on file
Narrower than ~76% of boats her size on file

Compared with 309 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Rig & sail area

Rig

Cat (Marconi)

Ratios

SA / displacement

54.2

Capsize screening

4.10

Hull

Hull type

Dbrd. Dinghy

Construction

Wood

Production

Years built

First built 1974

Units built

2000

Designer

Rex Fettell

Builder

Formula Sailcraft

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.

Topper International Topper3.40 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterAn 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

Butler Boats Streaker3.88 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 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 Boats from practicalboatowner

McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA one-design foiling dinghy featuring wings and an unstayed rig, built in the thousands for high-performance racing

Asker Sailing Club5:14 from SEILmagasinet

Ilca 4 (Laser 4.7)4.23 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA Bruce Kirby-designed dinghy sharing the classic Laser hull, optimized with a smaller sail plan for lighter sailors

Theodor Middelthon: An "ILCA Viking" on a steady course for the world summit11:48 from SEILmagasinet

Alcort Sunfish4.24 mSame hull family0.5 m longerWith a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 47.02, this nimble 4.24-meter dinghy remains a benchmark for simple

Lewis Boat Works TETRIS 30 Apr 230:02 from kentblairl

Several Under License 29er4.40 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA high-performance skiff designed by Julian Bethwaite, featuring a powerful fractional rig for competitive racing

Marie Rønningen, Olympic gold contender7:24 from 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.

Impulse DinghyAn Arthur Caldwell-designed Australian single-hander built for home construction in wood or fiberglass

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 Sabre Dinghy

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