BoatsAlcort Sunfish

Alcort Sunfish

Lateen · Daggerboard · First built 1952

With a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 47.02, this nimble 4.24-meter dinghy remains a benchmark for simple

Designed by Alexander Bryan, Cortland Heyniger & Carl Meinart.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Daggerboard

See her sail

The Alcort Sunfish, on the water

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

Footage from The Sailing Doodles Podcast

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.25 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 59 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 59 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.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a narrow beam gives 2 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 2
CoastalBluewater

At 3.25 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.25
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 26
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 47.0

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

  • Lighter than ~85% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~87% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~93% of boats her size on file

Compared with 376 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Alcort Sunfish, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Alcort Sunfish is a 4.2-meter (13.8-foot) recreational sailboat with a lateen rig and a daggerboard hull, designed by Alexander Bryan, Cortland Heyniger, and Carl Meinart. First built in 1952, it became the most popular recreational sailboat in history, initially offered as wooden kits before fiberglass production began in 1960. The boat displaces 58 kg (128 lbs) and has a 0.6-meter (2-foot) draft. Kent Blair restored a 1964 Alcort Sunfish, cleaning its sail and preparing the hull for repairs, and later applied Interlux Brightside paint to a 1963 model.0:03 He also repaired a 1965 Alcort Sunfish named Wave by installing closed-cell foam blocks in its hull.1:47 Early models, like a 1953 pre-production hull, feature internal stringers and frames that create limber holes for drainage, which should not be sealed during restoration.3:37 The Sailing Doodles Podcast host, Bobby, began his sailing career on a Sunfish at Lake Tawakonee.1:02

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 18 times across 4 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Alcort Sunfish on video

Work Shop Tips - Reducing ClutterKent Blair audits workshop patterns and hardware for the 1880s Mississippi River skiff Barbara Sheila.kentblairlSunfish Sailboat PartsIdentify vintage Sunfish and Sailfish parts by matching rudder latch plate lengths and deck mounting hardware styles.kentblairlSunbrella Cover for Sunfish Sailboat by SLO Sail and CanvasA SLO Sail and Canvas Sunbrella cover on a Sunfish survived a Category 3 hurricane with chafe marks but no failure.kentblairlSkipper and 1965 Alcort Sunfish WAVE Pirating AboutA 1965 Alcort Sunfish WAVE remains unexamined due to a lack of descriptive content in the video.kentblairlLewis Boat Works TETRIS 30 Apr 23Kent restores a 1964 Alcourt Sunfish while reorganizing the Lewis Boat Works shop and storage inventory.kentblairl1963 Alcort Sunfish CHIP 26 Apr 21 Interlux Brightside Largo BlueKent Blair applies Largo Blue Interlux Brightside paint to a 1963 Alcort Sunfish using a tipping technique.kentblairl1965 Alcort Sunfish WAVE 27 Mar 20 Watching Flotation Foam ExpandKent Blair uses Total Boat flotation foam to secure polystyrene blocks inside a 1965 Alcort Sunfish.kentblairl1953 Alcort Sunfish ZIP 17 Jun 20 Air Leak TestKent Blair uses a shop vac and soapy water to locate hull seam leaks on a 1953 Sunfish.kentblairl1953 Alcort Sunfish ZIP 30 May 20 Construction NotesRestoring a 1953 Alcort Sunfish requires maintaining original drainage gaps between the deck and internal frames.kentblairlSailing Dighies NOT to Buy - How to Learn Sailing Ep 318 - Lady K SailingBeginners should choose sloop-rigged dinghies like the Chrysler Mutineer to gain skills transferable to larger keelboats.Lady K Sailing

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

  • ConsideredNavionicsalongside Google

    The captain mentions having Navionics on his iPhone but prefers using Google for navigation due to perceived inaccuracy of charts.

    aboard Gone with the Wynnsseen June 202412:10

  • WorkingSunbrellaalongside Top Gun

    The speaker chose Sunbrella fabric for its breathability, which is suitable for their storage conditions.

    aboard kentblairlseen July 20241:00

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Alcort Sunfish may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Lateen
Ratios
SA / displacement
47.0
Displacement / length
26.2
Comfort ratio
2.3
Capsize screening
3.25
Hull speed
4.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
190
Hull
Hull type
Daggerboard
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1952
Units built
300000
Designer
Alexander Bryan, Cortland Heyniger, Carl Meinart
Builder
Alcort, AMF, Vanguard

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.

Super Sunfish4.22 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn unstayed cat-rigged evolution of the classic Sunfish, designed for a more performance-oriented sailing experience
Small Boat Utility Trailer 6 x 12 Carry On Toy Haulerfrom kentblairl
Ilca 7 (Laser-International)4.23 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bruce Kirby-designed Olympic class dinghy featuring a simple unstayed cat rig and a lightweight, high-performance hull
Theodor Middelthon: An "ILCA Viking" on a steady course for the world summit18:40from SEILmagasinet
Ilca 6 (Laser Radial)4.23 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn Olympic-standard single-handed dinghy featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lighter sailors
Jørgen Stang Heffermehl – World Sailing3:38from SEILmagasinet
Butler Boats Streaker3.88 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA 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 Boatsfrom practicalboatowner
International 144.27 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-performance development racing dinghy that has served as a testing ground for innovations like the trapeze since 1928
Huff of Arklow - Uffa Fox-designed yacht featuring a fin and skeg, stepped sheerline0:30from Classic Yacht TV
Several Under License 29er4.40 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA high-performance skiff designed by Julian Bethwaite, featuring a powerful fractional rig for competitive racing
Marie Rønningen, Olympic gold contender7:24from 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.

Isca (Sunfish)The most popular recreational sailboat in history, this simple lateen-rigged daysailer has been in production since 1952Alcort SailfishThe original 1945 plywood kit boat that launched Alcort and sparked a recreational sailing boomSuper SunfishAn unstayed cat-rigged evolution of the classic Sunfish, designed for a more performance-oriented sailing experienceAMF Alcort MinifishA scaled-down version of the Sunfish, this lightweight lateen-rigged dinghy offers a nimble ride for solo sailorsSuper Sailfish MKIIA fiberglass evolution of the original plywood kit boat, featuring a 44.5-kilogram hull and a simple lateen rigMinifish IIA lightweight 3.58-meter dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig on the classic Minifish hull

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Alcort Sunfish, 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 Alcort Sunfish

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue