Fairey Marine Firefly

BoatsFairey Marine Firefly

See her sail

The Fairey Marine Firefly, on the water

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

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.42 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 118 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 118 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 0.25 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 4 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 4

CoastalBluewater

At 2.93 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.93

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 72

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 26.7

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

Heavier than ~77% of boats her size on file
Draws more than ~96% of boats her size on file

Compared with 300 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Fairey Marine Firefly, 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 Firefly is a 3.7-meter fractional sloop centerboard dinghy designed by Uffa Fox, first built by Fairey Marine in 1946. Originally named the SEA SWALLOW, it was the first sailboat produced by Fairey Marine. Intended as a two-person dinghy, the Firefly served as the single-handed class for the 1948 Olympics, where Paul Elvstrom won the gold medal. Fiberglass construction for the model became permissible in 1965.15:02 Aboard *SEILmagasinet*, John Lee Cotton progressed to a Firefly after building a Yachting World Cadet kit as a boy in England.1:08

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 2 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Fairey Marine Firefly on video

Mikkel Thommessen on a long life as a sailorVeteran sailor Mikkel Thommessen reflects on decades of racing, international sailing exchanges, and cruising the Amalfi Coast.SEILmagasinet

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

26.7

Displacement / length

71.5

Comfort ratio

4.4

Capsize screening

2.93

Hull speed

4.6 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

196

Hull

Hull type

Centerboard Dinghy

Construction

Wood (hot molded)/FG

Production

Years built

First built 1946

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.

Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 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 family0.7 m longerA high-performance skiff designed by Julian Bethwaite, featuring a powerful fractional rig for competitive racing

Marie Rønningen, Olympic gold contender7:24 from SEILmagasinet

Finn (Monotype)4.50 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA Richard Sarby-designed Olympic single-handed dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig and a long history of competition

SEILmagasinet TV Episode 3 - 202551:39 from SEILmagasinet

Lido 144.27 mSame hull family0.6 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 boat0:03 from Ravenswing

Cape Dory 103.20 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA lightweight Gunter-rigged centerboard dinghy from Andrew C. Vavolotis, built for nearly two decades of versatile sailing

The History of Cape Dory Sailboats0:50 from Practical Sailor

McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA one-design foiling dinghy featuring wings and an unstayed rig, built in the thousands for high-performance racing

Asker Sailing Club5:14 from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

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

Fairey Marine SwordfishA hot-molded centerboard dinghy built using WWII-era aircraft techniques until fiberglass production costs took over Fairey Marine FalconA 1957 fractional sloop centerboard dinghy managed by Olympic medalist Charles Currey for Fairey Marine South Devon Boatbuilders SeaflyA high-performance fractional centerboard dinghy designed by John Vincent Kelley as the successor to the Mayfly

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The fleet has more to say

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