BoatsButler Boats Streaker

Butler Boats Streaker

Cat (Marconi) · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1975

A 3.88-metre cat-rigged dinghy featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and a fibreglass option introduced in 1998

Designed by Jack Holt.

LOA
Beam
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

See her sail

The Butler Boats Streaker, on the water

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

Footage from practicalboatowner

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.37 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 48 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 48 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 0.22 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 beamy beam gives 2 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 2
CoastalBluewater

At 3.80 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.80
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 26
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 50.0

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

  • Lighter than ~89% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~84% of boats her size on file

Compared with 336 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

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
Cat (Marconi)
Ratios
SA / displacement
50.0
Displacement / length
26.4
Comfort ratio
1.8
Capsize screening
3.80
Hull speed
4.7 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
195
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1975
Units built
1600
Designer
Jack Holt
Builder
Butler Boats

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.

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
Asker Sailing Club5:14from SEILmagasinet
Topper International Topper3.40 mSame hull family0.5 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
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
Lewis Boat Works TETRIS 30 Apr 230:02from kentblairl
Ilca 4 (Laser 4.7)4.23 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA Bruce Kirby-designed dinghy sharing the classic Laser hull, optimized with a smaller sail plan for lighter sailors
Theodor Middelthon: An "ILCA Viking" on a steady course for the world summit11:48from SEILmagasinet
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
Marie Rønningen, Olympic gold contender7:24from SEILmagasinet
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
Our Boat Got Stolen 😡… So We Built a New One (in just ONE Week)from WhiteSpotPirates

The family

Boats like this

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

Butler Boats SoloA 1956 cat-rigged dinghy designed for competitive single-handed racing and supported by a long-standing class associationStur-Dee CatA 1947 Edson Schock design, this lightweight Marconi-rigged catboat features a keel-centerboard hull for shoal draft

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