BoatsSmall Craft Ltd. Wayfarer

Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1957

An Ian Proctor-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fiberglass

Designed by Ian Proctor.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

See her sail

The Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer, on the water

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

Footage from Practical Sailor

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.85 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 169 kg of hull, so roughly 750 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 169 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 0.20 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 beamy beam gives 3 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 3
CoastalBluewater

At 3.38 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.38
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 51
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 43.7

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

  • Draws more than ~75% of boats her size on file

Compared with 356 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 4 times across 3 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer on video

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
43.7
Displacement / length
50.9
Comfort ratio
3.4
Capsize screening
3.38
Hull speed
5.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
322
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Plywood
Production
Years built
First built 1957
Units built
8400
Designer
Ian Proctor
Builder
Small Craft Ltd, Abbott Boats

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.

Lido 144.27 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA fractional sloop dinghy designed by Barney Lehman, updated in 1995 with a modern mold for improved longevity and safety
Restoring covid-quarantine project boats - a Lido 14 sailboat and Seaflite 179SS ski boat0:03from Ravenswing
MacKay Boats Ltd. 49erfx4.88 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 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 familyNear-identical lengthAn 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
Finn (Monotype)4.50 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA Richard Sarby-designed Olympic single-handed dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig and a long history of competition
SEILmagasinet TV Episode 3 - 202551:39from SEILmagasinet
Aubin (Chantier Aubin) Snipe4.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA legendary William F. Crosby-designed fractional dinghy that remains one of the world's most active racing classes
Rio to Polynesia on a 25-Foot Boat, the Journey that Changed Sailing in Brazil Forever | #SAL #368:16from Hashtag Sal
Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.8 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

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.

CL Sailboats 16A fiberglass centerboard dinghy featuring the classic Wayfarer hull shape and sail plan, updated with a modified cockpitWanderer (Dinghy)An Ian Proctor-designed fractional sloop updated by Phil Morrison, featuring an optional ballasted centerboardPirate 17 (Proctor)An Ian Proctor-designed fractional sloop from 1972, featuring a fin keel and a lively sail area-to-displacement ratio

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer, 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 Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

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

Report an issue