Fractional Sloop · Dbrd. Dinghy · First built 1975
A Jack Holt-designed fractional sloop originally offered as a plywood kit for home builders
Designed by Jack Holt, built by Bell Woodworking Ltd.
LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Dbrd. Dinghy
Is it for you?
Character
Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.
TrailerableBeam 1.59 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 77 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 77 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.
CoastalBluewater
At 3.77 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.
Capsize screening 3.77
EasygoingPowered-up
49.6 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.
Sail area / displacement 49.6
Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.
Draws less than ~77% of boats her size on file
Compared with 335 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
49.6
Capsize screening
3.77
Hull
Hull type
Dbrd. Dinghy
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1975
Units built
4000
Designer
Jack Holt
Builder
Bell Woodworking Ltd
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.
Several Under License 29er4.40 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA high-performance skiff designed by Julian Bethwaite, featuring a powerful fractional rig for competitive racing
Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA Hubert Vandestadt-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively, responsive sailing
Alcort Sunfish4.24 mSame hull family0.4 m longerWith a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 47.02, this nimble 4.24-metre dinghy remains a benchmark for simple
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
Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterThe 1948 Olympic single-handed class, this Uffa Fox design was the first sailboat ever produced by Fairey Marine
McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA one-design foiling dinghy featuring wings and an unstayed rig, built in the thousands for high-performance racing
