BoatsExpo 14 (Solar Sailer)

Expo 14 (Solar Sailer)

Cat (unstayed) · Daggerboard · First built 1993

An unstayed cat-rigged dinghy from Ted Hood and Garry Hoyt, featuring a high power-to-weight ratio for lively performance

Designed by Ted Hood & Garry Hoyt, built by Tpi.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Daggerboard

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.83 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 113 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 113 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.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 3 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 3
CoastalBluewater

At 3.81 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.81
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 54
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 32.3

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

  • Draws less than ~79% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~77% of boats her size on file

Compared with 367 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
32.3
Displacement / length
53.9
Comfort ratio
2.7
Capsize screening
3.81
Hull speed
4.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
273
Hull
Hull type
Daggerboard
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1993
Units built
200
Designer
Ted Hood, Garry Hoyt
Builder
TPI

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.

LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull family0.8 m longerAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
Benedicte Lind Bjørland, first woman to lead KNS10:37from SEILmagasinet
MacKay Boats Ltd. 49erfx4.88 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA high-performance Olympic skiff featuring the 49er hull paired with a specialised rig tailored for lighter crews
Pia Dahl Andersen and Nora Edland showed strength in the first World Cup of the year.2:03from SEILmagasinet
Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 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
Lido 144.27 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 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
Several Under License 29er4.40 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA high-performance skiff designed by Julian Bethwaite, featuring a powerful fractional rig for competitive racing
Marie Rønningen, Olympic gold contender7:24from SEILmagasinet
Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterThe 1948 Olympic single-handed class, this Uffa Fox design was the first sailboat ever produced by Fairey Marine
Mikkel Thommessen on a long life as a sailor0:53from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

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

Sunspot 15An Arthur C. Howard-designed twin-keel masthead sloop built for shoal-water stability and easy trailering

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 Expo 14 (Solar Sailer)

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