BoatsRichmond Marine Ltd. Minisail

Richmond Marine Ltd. Minisail

Cat (unstayed) · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1959

An Ian Proctor-designed plywood dinghy that brought the American-style cat-rigged board boat concept to the UK in 1959

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 1.11 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 50 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 50 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 0.09 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
CoastalBluewater

At 3.04 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.04
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 55.1

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

  • Lighter than ~89% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~91% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~97% of boats her size on file

Compared with 351 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
55.1
Capsize screening
3.04
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Plywood
Production
Years built
First built 1959
Designer
Ian Proctor
Builder
Richmond Marine Ltd, 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.

Butler Boats Streaker3.88 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 3.88-metre cat-rigged dinghy featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and a fibreglass option introduced in 1998
Behind the scenes at the Wayfarer factory – a tour of Hartley Boatsfrom practicalboatowner
McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA one-design foiling dinghy featuring wings and an unstayed rig, built in the thousands for high-performance racing
Asker Sailing Club5:14from SEILmagasinet
Topper International Topper3.40 mSame hull family0.6 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
Ilca 7 (Laser-International)4.23 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Bruce Kirby-designed Olympic class dinghy featuring a simple unstayed cat rig and a lightweight, high-performance hull
Theodor Middelthon: An "ILCA Viking" on a steady course for the world summit18:40from SEILmagasinet
Alcort Sunfish4.24 mSame hull family0.3 m longerWith 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 230:02from kentblairl
Several Under License 29er4.40 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 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.

Minifish IIA lightweight 3.58-meter dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig on the classic Minifish hullAMF Alcort MinifishA scaled-down version of the Sunfish, this lightweight lateen-rigged dinghy offers a nimble ride for solo sailorsMinicat 520 ExplorerA 5.18-metre fractional sloop catamaran with a single centreboard, engineered for 2025 as a high-performance explorerMicrosail (Mull)A Gary Mull-designed Micro Class racer with a lifting keel, long a staple of the competitive French Micro Cup circuitMinicat 420A 4.2-metre twin-keel catamaran updated in 2019 and available in Instinct, Emotion, and Evoke configurations

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 Richmond Marine Ltd. Minisail

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