Wayfarer 16
Description
The Wayfarer 16 (commonly known simply as the Wayfarer) is a British centerboard sailing dinghy designed by Ian Proctor in 1957 as a versatile, stable daysailer and cruiser suitable for teaching, family sailing, racing, and even extended coastal expeditions (famously demonstrated by sailor Frank Dye's North Sea voyages to Iceland and Norway). Originally conceived for plywood multi-chine construction (with kit availability for amateur builders), it was later produced in fiberglass (GRP) starting in 1965, with multiple marks (Mk1, Mk2, Mk3, etc.) featuring incremental interior and buoyancy updates while preserving the core hull shape; a Canadian variant called the CL 16 shares identical dimensions but differs in some interior details. No single primary "builder" dominates due to licensed production and kits, but notable producers include Small Craft Ltd. (UK), Abbott Boats and others in Canada, Hartley Boats (current UK builder), and various others worldwide. Production has been ongoing since 1957 with over 11,000 boats built (some sources cite ~8,400–11,500+ hulls as of recent years), making it one of the most successful and enduring one-design dinghies.
Construction Details
| Designer | Ian Proctor |
|---|---|
| Builder | Small Craft Ltd. (UK) |
| Length | 15.830 ft |
| LOA | 15.830 ft |
| LWL | 14.830 ft |
| Beam | 6.080 ft |
| Displacement | 372 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.830 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.670 ft |
| Year Built | 1957 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 15.17 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 5.17 ft |
| p | 19.25 ft |
| e | 10 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.17 ft | 5.17 ft | 19.25 ft | 10 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Wayfarer 16 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 19.25 ft - (5867 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 9.92 ft - (3024 mm) |
| Leech | * 21.13 ft - (6440 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.9 ° |
| Diagonal | 21.33 ft - (6501 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 98.25 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Wayfarer 16 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 12 ft - (3658 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 5.67 ft - (1728 mm) |
| Leech | 10.5 ft - (3200 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 95.94 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 4.96 ft - (1512 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 10.15 ° |
| Area | * 29.76 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Wayfarer 16 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 7.167 ft - (2185 mm) |
| Leech | 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 130.75 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 6.76 ft - (2060 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 0.69 ° |
| Area | * 45.6 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Wayfarer 16 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 5.75 ft - (1753 mm) |
| Leech | 12.75 ft - (3886 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 104.64 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.41 ft - (1649 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 1.04 ° |
| Area | * 36.5 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Wayfarer 16 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 16.25 ft - (4953 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Leech | 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 122 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Wayfarer 16 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | 15.5 ft - (4724 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | 11 ft - (3353 mm) |
| Foot | 11 ft - (3353 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 145 ft² |
| 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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