Sunfish Sailboat Length
The Sunfish is a small sailboat that’s designed for one or two people, though it’s most comfortable with a single operator. The overall length of the Sunfish is 13 feet and 9 inches, or 4.19 meters. This puts the Sunfish squarely in the “dinghy” length category, though it handles nothing like a dinghy.
Despite being the same length as a typical sailing dinghy, the Sunfish is significantly faster and more nimble. But why is there such a big difference, and what does length have to do with it? The key to the Sunfish’s performance lies in this shape and design.
Sunfish Sailboat Overall Dimensions
Despite being the same length as a typical sailing dinghy, the Sunfish is significantly faster and more nimble. But why is there such a big difference, and what does length have to do with it? The key to the Sunfish’s performance lies in this shape and design.
The sun Gish has a narrow beam of just 4 feet and 1 inch, or 1.24 meters. With the centerboard up, the Sunfish draws only about 6 inches of water—meaning it skims right on top of the water with very little drag. Compare this to a typical sailing dinghy, which draws much more water over a wider stance.
With the centerboard down, the Sunfish has a draft of 3.33 feet or 1.01 meters. However, 90% of that is simply because of the thin centerboard—which helps the boat track straight and creates virtually no forward drag.
Sunfish Cockpit
Sunfish sailors sit on the deck and secure their feet in the cockpit, which allows them to lean over the water when the boat catches the wind and begins to heel aggressively.
This is necessary, because remember, the Sunfish is a racing dinghy. The Sunfish cockpit is a little over three feet long and just a couple of feet wide, though precise dimensions vary slightly between years.
Sunfish Mast and Boom Length
Virtually all Sunfish masts are made of 2-inch diameter hollow aluminum tubing. The standard length of a Sunfish mast is 10 feet or around 3.05 meters. The Sunfish boom is longer than the mast and measures 13 feet 8 inches or 3.96 meters. The spar is also the same length as the boom, and both are made with about 1-inch thick aluminum tubing.
Is the Sunfish Faster than Longer Boats?
The Sunfish has the potential to be faster than some longer sailboats, despite the traditional limitations of hull speed. This is because the Sunfish is small and has a very minimal displacement.
It doesn’t plane like a speedboat per se, but its flat bottom allows it to get lift and glide across the water with minimal hydrodynamic interference. On a brisk and windy day, the Sunfish can beat many larger displacement sailboats in terms of speed.
The Sunfish’s speed advantage also comes from its large sail area, which is significant for its small size and displacement. This 13-foot sailboat has a sail area of 75 square feet or 7 meters squared.
These characteristics also make the Sunfish somewhat difficult for novices to control, as it’s easy to get overpowered by a strong gust.
Sunfish Trailer Dimensions
Many kinds of boat trailers have hauled around Sunfish sailboats over the years. Generally speaking, the best trailer size for a Sunfish is one that hauls a maximum-sized boat of 14 feet. These trailers usually have an 800-pound capacity and are made of steel or aluminum.
The minimum length of the bow eye to the transom on these trailers is between 7 feet 8 inches and 10 feet. These trailers also vary in length, but they’re usually between 16 feet and 18 feet long. The largest Sunfish trailers are about 22 feet long, and these are usually designed to carry larger and heavier boats.
