Topper International Topper

BoatsTopper International Topper

See her sail

The Topper International Topper, 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 1.20 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 45 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 45 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 0.08 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.

CoastalBluewater

At 3.41 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.41

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 42.6

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

Lighter than ~84% of boats her size on file
Narrower than ~91% of boats her size on file

Compared with 219 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Topper International Topper, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Topper International Topper is a 3.4-meter cat-rigged dinghy designed by Ian Proctor, built by Topper International since 1965. Constructed from polypropylene, it has been produced in three sail area variants: 4.2, 5.3, and 6.4 m². In 2023, its production method shifted from injection molding to rota-molding. The Topper is used in competitive dinghy racing; at the London Regatta, cadets competed in Toppers, with one securing second place in the Topper class despite wind gusts reaching 25 knots.1:35

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 (unstayed)

Ratios

SA / displacement

42.6

Capsize screening

3.41

Hull

Hull type

Dbrd. Dinghy

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

First built 1965

Units built

50000

Designer

Ian Proctor

Builder

Topper International

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 familyNear-identical lengthA one-design foiling dinghy featuring wings and an unstayed rig, built in the thousands for high-performance racing

Asker Sailing Club5:14 from SEILmagasinet

Ilca 7 (Laser-International)4.23 mSame hull family0.8 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 family0.8 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

Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.7 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

Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull family0.3 m longerThe 1948 Olympic single-handed class, this Uffa Fox design was the first sailboat ever produced by Fairey Marine

Mikkel Thommessen on a long life as a sailor0:53 from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

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

Topper International BuzzA 4.2-metre fractional sloop with a lightweight 79.8kg hull, originally produced by Reg White Limited Topaz World Wide SailorA lightweight sprit-rigged pram with a high sail area to displacement ratio, designed for nimble performance

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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