BoatsEl Toro

El Toro

Cat (unstayed) · Pram (Daggerboard) · First built 1939

A 1939 Charles MacGregor design, this ultra-light pram features an unstayed cat rig and remains a West Coast staple

Designed by Charles McGregor, built by Moore Sailboats.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Pram (Daggerboard)

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.17 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 36 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 36 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draughtDraws 0.15 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
CoastalBluewater

At 3.56 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.56
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 42.2

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

  • Lighter than ~85% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~88% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~91% of boats her size on file

Compared with 34 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
Cat (unstayed)
Ratios
SA / displacement
42.2
Capsize screening
3.56
Hull
Hull type
Pram (Daggerboard)
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1939
Units built
11000
Designer
Charles McGregor
Builder
Moore Sailboats

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.

Newport Boats Flipper2.44 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn ultra-light 36kg cat-rigged dinghy designed by Carter Pyle and Joe Quigg for high-performance, unstayed sailing
A Knack for Sailing: Christen With on 60 years in the service of sailing2:40from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

US SabotTransitioned from a 1939 plywood home-build project to a modern fibreglass production boat by Catalina YachtsWin'ard SabotOriginally marketed as the Balboa Dinghy, this 2.41-metre pram features a daggerboard for improved windward performanceSabot (Australian)A lightweight 2.44-metre pram rig with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, designed for agile, single-handed sailing

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

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

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the El Toro

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