BoatsSpindrift 13

Spindrift 13

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1965

A Hubert Vandestadt-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively, responsive sailing

Designed by Hubert Vandestadt, built by Vandestadt.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

See her sail

The Spindrift 13, on the water

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

Footage from WhiteSpotPirates

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.58 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 93 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 93 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 0.10 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
CoastalBluewater

At 3.52 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.52
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 46.1

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

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

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
46.1
Capsize screening
3.52
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1965
Units built
800
Designer
Hubert Vandestadt
Builder
Vandestadt, McGruer

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.

CL Sailboats 144.32 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 109-kilogram fractional sloop built since 1980, offering a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively handling
Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull family0.4 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 family0.8 m longerAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
Alcort Sunfish4.24 mSame hull family0.2 m longerWith 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 family0.2 m longerA Bruce Kirby-designed dinghy sharing the classic Laser hull, optimized with a smaller sail plan for lighter sailors
Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family0.8 m longerAn Ian Proctor-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fiberglass

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.

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