BoatsFairey Marine Swordfish

Fairey Marine Swordfish

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · 1946–1963

A hot-molded centerboard dinghy built using WWII-era aircraft techniques until fiberglass production costs took over

Designed by Uffa Fox.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

See her sail

The Fairey Marine Swordfish, on the water

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

Footage from Berthon International

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.52 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 397 kg of hull, so roughly 1,000 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 397 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 0.23 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 moderate beam gives 11 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 11
CoastalBluewater

2.09 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.09
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 128
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 22.8

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

  • Heavier than ~98% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~96% of boats her size on file

Compared with 377 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Fairey Marine Swordfish, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Fairey Marine Swordfish is a 4.6-meter fractional sloop centerboard dinghy designed by Uffa Fox and built by Fairey Marine from 1946 to 1963. Its construction utilized a hot molded method developed during WWII, which became uneconomical after fiberglass boatbuilding emerged. The same equipment used for the Swordfish later produced the first Albacore, a derivative design with a modified hull and increased sail area. The Swordfish displaces 396 kg with a 1.5-meter beam and 1.4-meter draft.

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

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
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
22.8
Displacement / length
128.1
Comfort ratio
10.8
Capsize screening
2.09
Hull speed
5.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
259
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Hot molded plywood
Production
Years built
1946–1963
Units built
200
Designer
Uffa Fox
Builder
Fairey Marine

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.

RS Venture4.98 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 4.98-meter fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, designed for agile, modern dinghy sailing
Elliot Finnestrand - World Champion in sailing after motocross accident0:07from SEILmagasinet
MacKay Boats Ltd. 49erfx4.88 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA high-performance skiff utilizing the 49er hull with a downsized rig specifically optimized for lighter crews
Pia Dahl Andersen and Nora Edland showed strength in the first World Cup of the year.2:03from SEILmagasinet
LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull family0.3 m longerAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
From Olympic drama to flying motorboats: Petter Mørland Pedersen in "Peiling på Seiling"11:34from SEILmagasinet
Beneteau First 144.30 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 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
Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA 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
Several Under License 29er4.40 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA high-performance skiff designed by Julian Bethwaite, featuring a powerful fractional rig for competitive racing
Lotta Jonsson and Susan Penty – ORC Doublehanded World Championship1:09from 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.

Fairey Marine Ltd. FlatfishA centerboard adaptation of the Herreshoff Fish Class, produced in wood and fiberglass for the US marketFairey Marine FireflyThe 1948 Olympic single-handed class, this Uffa Fox design was the first sailboat ever produced by Fairey MarineMany AlbacoreA 1954 Uffa Fox design that remains one of the world's most active racing classes, featuring a high sail-area-to-displacementFairey Marine FalconA 1957 fractional sloop centerboard dinghy managed by Olympic medalist Charles Currey for Fairey Marine

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