Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1948
America's first fibreglass sailboat, this fractional centreboard dinghy has been in production since 1948
Designed by Ray Greene & Alvin Youngquist.
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 2.02 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 318 kg of hull, so roughly 900 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 318 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 2.98 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.
Capsize screening 2.98
EasygoingPowered-up
33.3 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.
Sail area / displacement 33.3
Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.
Heavier than ~93% of boats her size on file
Beamier than ~89% of boats her size on file
Compared with 327 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
33.3
Capsize screening
2.98
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1948
Designer
Ray Greene, Alvin Youngquist
Builder
Ray Greene, Co, Nickels Boat Works Inc
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.
O'Day Daysailer5.11 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 1956 centreboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio that remains in production today
RS Venture4.98 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 4.98-metre fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, designed for agile, modern dinghy sailing
Fairey Marine Swordfish4.57 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA hot-molded centerboard dinghy built using WWII-era aircraft techniques until fiberglass production costs took over
