Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1960
A hard-chined fractional sloop designed by Taprell Dorling for plywood construction and popular as a home-built kit
Designed by Taprell Dorling, built by Honnor Marine Ltd.
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 1.40 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 81 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 81 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.
CoastalCapsize 3.25Bluewater
EasygoingSA/D 53.9Powered-up
Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.
Narrower than ~84% of boats her size on file
Compared with 372 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
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
53.9
Capsize screening
3.25
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1960
Units built
1900
Designer
Taprell Dorling
Builder
Honnor Marine Ltd
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
CL Sailboats 144.32 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 109-kilogram fractional sloop built since 1980, offering a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively handling
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
Ilca 4 (Laser 4.7)4.23 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bruce Kirby-designed dinghy sharing the classic Laser hull, optimized with a smaller sail plan for lighter sailors
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
