BoatsChippendale Boats Kestrel

Chippendale Boats Kestrel

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1963

An Ian Proctor-designed fractional sloop built for fibreglass, offering a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio

Designed by Ian Proctor.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.62 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 120 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 120 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 moderate beam gives 3 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 3
CoastalBluewater

At 3.32 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.32
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 41
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 44.6

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

  • Draws more than ~84% of boats her size on file

Compared with 365 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
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
44.6
Displacement / length
40.9
Comfort ratio
3.0
Capsize screening
3.32
Hull speed
5.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
271
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1963
Units built
700
Designer
Ian Proctor
Builder
Chippendale Boats

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 familyNear-identical lengthAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
Anders Kristensen - building on last year's successes15:51from SEILmagasinet
MacKay Boats Ltd. 49erfx4.88 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-performance Olympic skiff featuring the 49er hull paired with a specialised rig tailored for lighter crews
Benedicte Lind Bjørland, first woman to lead KNS10:37from SEILmagasinet
CL Sailboats 144.32 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA 109-kilogram fractional sloop built since 1980, offering a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively handling
Sailing Is Way Scarier Than You Think - Ep 353 - Lady K Sailing6:44from Lady K Sailing
Hunter Marine 154.42 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA lightweight fractional centerboard dinghy designed for easy handling and high performance
What Happened to Hunter Sailboats? The History Most People Don't Know.from All About Sailing
Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.7 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
Several Under License 29er4.40 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA high-performance skiff designed by Julian Bethwaite, featuring a powerful fractional rig for competitive racing
Marie Rønningen, Olympic gold contender7:24from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

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

Chippendale Boats OspreyAn Ian Proctor-designed fractional sloop that outperformed the Flying Dutchman in the 1952 Olympic selection trialsChippendale Boats FireballA high-performance, two-person one-design dinghy featuring a trapeze and a scow-like hull for amateur plywood constructionKingfisher IIIA Philip Rhodes-designed centreboard dinghy offered in multiple rig configurations and famously sold as the American 12

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 Chippendale Boats Kestrel

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