Isca (Sunfish)

BoatsIsca (Sunfish)

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.25 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 59 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 59 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 0.18 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 narrow beam gives 2 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 2

CoastalBluewater

At 3.25 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.25

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 26

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 47.0

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

Lighter than ~85% of boats her size on file
Draws less than ~87% of boats her size on file
Narrower than ~93% of boats her size on file

Compared with 376 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

On the water

The Isca (Sunfish) on video

Everyone Should Own a Sunfish (Here’s Why) - Ep 360 - Lady K SailingLady K Sailing

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Rig & sail area

Rig

Lateen

Ratios

SA / displacement

47.0

Displacement / length

26.2

Comfort ratio

2.3

Capsize screening

3.25

Hull speed

4.8 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

190

Hull

Hull type

Daggerboard

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

First built 1952

Designer

Alexander Bryan, Cortland Heyniger, Carl Meinart

Builder

Zim Sailing

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.

Alcort Sunfish4.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthWith a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 47.02, this nimble 4.24-metre dinghy remains a benchmark for simple

Lewis Boat Works TETRIS 30 Apr 230:02 from kentblairl

Ilca 4 (Laser 4.7)4.23 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bruce Kirby-designed dinghy sharing the classic Laser hull, optimized with a smaller sail plan for lighter sailors

Theodor Middelthon: An "ILCA Viking" on a steady course for the world summit11:48 from SEILmagasinet

McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull family0.9 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

Topper International Topper3.40 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterAn Ian Proctor-designed polypropylene dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig and three versatile sail-area configurations

Isle of Dogs Sea Cadets race at London Regatta May 25 in blustery conditions,from City Sailing

Several Under License 29er4.40 mSame hull family0.2 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

Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.2 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

Boats like this

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

Alcort SunfishWith a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 47.02, this nimble 4.24-metre dinghy remains a benchmark for simple Super SunfishAn unstayed cat-rigged evolution of the classic Sunfish, designed for a more performance-oriented sailing experience Alcort SailfishThe original 1945 plywood kit boat that launched Alcort and sparked a recreational sailing boom Super Sailfish MKIIA fibreglass evolution of the original plywood kit boat, featuring a 44.5-kilogram hull and a simple lateen rig AMF Alcort MinifishA scaled-down version of the Sunfish, this lightweight lateen-rigged dinghy offers a nimble ride for solo sailors Minifish IIA lightweight 3.58-meter dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig on the classic Minifish hull

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 Isca (Sunfish)

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