BoatsSmall Craft Ltd. Wayfarer

Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1957

An Ian Proctor-designed centreboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fibreglass

Designed by Ian Proctor.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

See her sail

The Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer, on the water

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

Footage from Practical Sailor

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.85 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 169 kg of hull, so roughly 750 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 169 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 0.20 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 3 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 3
CoastalBluewater

At 3.38 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.38
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 51
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 43.7

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

  • Draws more than ~75% of boats her size on file

Compared with 356 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 4 times across 3 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer 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
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
43.7
Displacement / length
50.9
Comfort ratio
3.4
Capsize screening
3.38
Hull speed
5.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
322
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Plywood
Production
Years built
First built 1957
Units built
8400
Designer
Ian Proctor
Builder
Small Craft Ltd, Abbott Boats

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Lido 144.27 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA fractional sloop dinghy designed by Barney Lehman, updated in 1995 with a modern mold for improved longevity and safety
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SEILmagasinet TV Episode 3 - 202551:39from SEILmagasinet
Aubin (Chantier Aubin) Snipe4.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA legendary William F. Crosby-designed fractional dinghy that remains one of the world's most active racing classes
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The family

Boats like this

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

CL Sailboats 16A fibreglass centreboard dinghy featuring the classic Wayfarer hull shape and sail plan, updated with a modified cockpitWanderer (Dinghy)An Ian Proctor-designed fractional sloop updated by Phil Morrison, featuring an optional ballasted centerboardPirate 17 (Proctor)An Ian Proctor-designed fractional sloop from 1972, featuring a fin keel and a lively sail area-to-displacement ratio

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