BoatsAlcort Sunfish

Alcort Sunfish

Lateen · Daggerboard · First built 1952

With a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 47.02, this nimble 4.24-metre dinghy remains a benchmark for simple

Designed by Alexander Bryan, Cortland Heyniger & Carl Meinart.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Daggerboard

See her sail

The Alcort Sunfish, on the water

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

Footage from The Sailing Doodles Podcast

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.25 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 59 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 59 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 0.18 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 narrow beam gives 2 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 2
CoastalBluewater

At 3.25 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.25
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 26
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 47.0

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

  • Lighter than ~85% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~87% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~93% of boats her size on file

Compared with 376 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Alcort Sunfish, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Alcort Sunfish is a 4.2-meter (13.8-foot) lateen-rigged sailboat with a daggerboard hull, first built in 1952 and continuously produced since. Designed by Alexander Bryan, Cortland Heyniger, and Carl Meinart, it became the most popular recreational sailboat in history after its fiberglass introduction in 1960. Early models were wood kits, and the design has been built by Alcort, AMF, Vanguard, and others. The boat displaces 58 kg (128 lbs) with a 0.6-meter (2-foot) draft and a 1.2-meter (4.1-foot) beam.1:47 Aboard kentblairl, a 1964 Alcort Sunfish restoration project involved cleaning its sail with OxiClean and preparing its hull and deck for repairs.5:15 Another kentblairl project modified a 10-foot trailer to transport a Sunfish by cutting a section for the transom to protrude.2:36 The Sailing Doodles Podcast host Bobby began his sailing experience on a Sunfish at Lake Tawakonee.1:02

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 8 times across 3 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Alcort Sunfish on video

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
47.0
Displacement / length
26.2
Comfort ratio
2.3
Capsize screening
3.25
Hull speed
4.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
190
Hull
Hull type
Daggerboard
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1952
Units built
300000
Designer
Alexander Bryan, Cortland Heyniger, Carl Meinart
Builder
Alcort, AMF, Vanguard

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.

Ilca 4 (Laser 4.7)4.23 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 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
McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull family0.9 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 family0.8 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
Several Under License 29er4.40 mSame hull family0.2 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 shorterA 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
MacKay Boats Ltd. 49erfx4.88 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA high-performance Olympic skiff featuring the 49er hull paired with a specialised rig tailored for lighter crews
Pia Dahl Andersen and Nora Edland showed strength in the first World Cup of the year.2:03from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

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

Isca (Sunfish)The most popular recreational sailboat in history, this simple lateen-rigged daysailer has been in production since 1952Alcort SailfishThe original 1945 plywood kit boat that launched Alcort and sparked a recreational sailing boomSuper SunfishAn unstayed cat-rigged evolution of the classic Sunfish, designed for a more performance-oriented sailing experienceAMF Alcort MinifishA scaled-down version of the Sunfish, this lightweight lateen-rigged dinghy offers a nimble ride for solo sailorsSuper Sailfish MKIIA fibreglass evolution of the original plywood kit boat, featuring a 44.5-kilogram hull and a simple lateen rigMinifish IIA lightweight 3.58-meter dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig on the classic Minifish hull

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