Alcort Sailfish

BoatsAlcort Sailfish

See her sail

The Alcort Sailfish, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 0.80 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 37 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 37 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 0.10 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.

CoastalBluewater

At 2.42 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.42

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 ~95% of boats her size on file
Draws less than ~77% of boats her size on file
Narrower than ~100% of boats her size on file

Compared with 278 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Alcort Sailfish, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Alcort Sailfish, designed by Alexander Bryan and Cortland Heyniger, is a 3.5-meter lateen-rigged sailboat with a daggerboard hull, built from 1945 to 1962. Originally constructed from plywood and available as a kit, its popularity surged after a *Life* magazine article, leading to increased production. The boat displaces 37 kg, has a beam of 0.8 meters, and a draft of 0.7 meters. Alcort later introduced variants such as the wood Super Sailfish and the fiberglass Super Sailfish MKII.2:38 Aboard kentblairl, a 1964 Alcort Sunfish restoration project involved reorganizing a boat shop, moving several Sunfish and Super Sailfish hulls to optimize workspace.1:47 The shop also maintained Grumman canoe rudders, lee boards, mast thwarts, and various spars for lateen and Gunter rigs.2:57

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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

55.1

Capsize screening

2.42

Hull

Hull type

Daggerboard

Construction

Plywood

Production

Years built

1945–1962

Designer

Alexander Bryan, Cortland Heyniger

Builder

Alcort

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

Topper International Topper3.40 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn 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

McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull family0.2 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

Butler Boats Streaker3.88 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 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 Boats from practicalboatowner

Ilca 7 (Laser-International)4.23 mSame hull family0.7 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 summit18:40 from SEILmagasinet

Alcort Sunfish4.24 mSame hull family0.7 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 230:02 from kentblairl

Several Under License 29er4.40 mSame hull family0.9 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

The family

Boats like this

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

Super Sailfish MKIIA fibreglass evolution of the original plywood kit boat, featuring a 44.5-kilogram hull and a simple lateen rig Alcort SunfishWith a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 47.02, this nimble 4.24-metre dinghy remains a benchmark for simple Isca (Sunfish)The most popular recreational sailboat in history, this simple lateen-rigged daysailer has been in production since 1952 Super SunfishAn unstayed cat-rigged evolution of the classic Sunfish, designed for a more performance-oriented sailing experience AMF Alcort MinifishA scaled-down version of the Sunfish, this lightweight lateen-rigged dinghy offers a nimble ride for solo sailors

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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