15' Elf
Description
The Elf is a compact, versatile faering-style sailboat designed by the renowned Scottish naval architect Iain Oughtred in the late 1990s, inspired by traditional Norwegian faerings with Viking-era roots. Featured in Oughtred's extensive portfolio of lapstrake wooden boats, it's detailed in resources like The Dory Book and his biography A Life in Wooden Boats by Nic Compton (2023). The Elf is a plans-built design for amateur or professional builders, emphasizing glued lapstrake plywood construction for affordability and ease, making it an excellent first-time project. At 15 feet, it's ideal for solo or short-handed (1–2 people) rowing, sailing, or light coastal cruising in protected waters like bays, lakes, or marshes—trailerable and portable (under 200 lb. rigged). The sprit or lug rig and centerboard provide forgiving handling for beginners, while its characterful lines offer responsive performance in moderate winds (up to 10–15 knots).
Construction Details
| Designer | Iain Oughtred |
|---|---|
| Builder | Home Built |
| Length | 15.000 ft |
| LOA | 15.000 ft |
| Beam | 4.417 ft |
| Displacement | 180 lb |
| Max Draft | 2.167 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.550 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
15' Elf - 4-SIDED SAIL
| Luff | 8 ft - (2438 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 6.75 ft - (2057 mm) |
| Leech | 9.33 ft - (2844 mm) |
| Head | 5.58 ft - (1701 mm) |
| Diagonal | 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 84.9 ° |
| Area | 52.52 ft² |
| Comments | Spritsail with one row of reef points, typically vertically cut. |
| Edit in Calculator |
15' Elf - 4-SIDED SAIL
| Luff | 8.5 ft - (2591 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 8.5 ft - (2591 mm) |
| Leech | 11.67 ft - (3557 mm) |
| Head | 6.33 ft - (1929 mm) |
| Diagonal | 10.25 ft - (3124 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 74.2 ° |
| Area | 67.12 ft² |
| Comments | This is a balance lug sail. Lace the head to the yard with marlin hitches. This particular sail is loose footed -- secured at the tack and the clew to a boom. Two reef points recommended. |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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