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

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.

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

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.

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
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
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
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
O'Day Daysailer5.11 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA 1956 centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio that remains in production today

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.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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