Flatfish
Description
The Flatfish is a classic 20'3" gaff-rigged or Marconi-rigged daysailer designed by Joel White in the early 1990s, serving as his thoughtful revision of Nathanael G. Herreshoff's iconic 1914 Fish Class sloop. Drawing from White's deep appreciation for Herreshoff's "big little boat" virtues—stability, rough-water performance, and elegant simplicity—the Flat Fish addresses the original's limitations for shoal-water exploration and trailering by incorporating a centerboard (reducing draft to 2'2" board-up from the Fish's fixed 3'3" keel), adding 6" of beam for better interior space and stability, and slightly widening the hull for beachability. This makes her a versatile, trailerable cruiser-daysailer hybrid, ideal for coastal picnics or family outings, while preserving the Fish's husky, roomy form and superior handling in a breeze.
Construction Details
| Designer | Joel White |
|---|---|
| Length | 20.000 ft |
| LOA | 20.250 ft |
| LWL | 16.083 ft |
| Beam | 7.500 ft |
| Displacement | 3094 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.250 ft |
| Min Draft | 2.160 ft |
| Year Built | 1960 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 18 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 6.50 ft |
| p | 27 ft |
| e | 15.67 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 ft | 6.50 ft | 27 ft | 15.67 ft | - | - | - | - |
Blueprints
Sails
Flatfish - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 15.67 ft - (4776 mm) |
| Leech | 29.58 ft - (9016 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 83.24 ° |
| Diagonal | * 29.58 ft - (9016 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 215.005 ft² |
| Comments | Marconi rig main. |
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Flatfish - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 17.83 ft - (5435 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 6.33 ft - (1929 mm) |
| Leech | 15.83 ft - (4825 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 85.69 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.57 ft - (1698 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 8.55 ° |
| Area | * 49.64 ft² |
| Comments | Club footed jib for both gaff and marconi rigs. |
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Flatfish - 4-SIDED SAIL
| Luff | 13.75 ft - (4191 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 15.67 ft - (4776 mm) |
| Leech | 25.25 ft - (7696 mm) |
| Head | 11.58 ft - (3530 mm) |
| Diagonal | 19.5 ft - (5944 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 82.8 ° |
| Area | 215.49 ft² |
| Comments | Gaff Main |
| 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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