Boston Whaler Harpoon 4.6
Description
The Boston Whaler Harpoon 4.6 is a compact, fiberglass sailing dinghy introduced in 1977 by Boston Whaler (USA), designed by the renowned C&C Design team. As the smallest in the Harpoon series (followed by the 5.2 and 6.2), it's optimized as a trainer and recreational daysailer for beginners, families, or youth programs on lakes, ponds, or sheltered coastal waters. With its centerboard for shallow draft and fractional sloop rig, the Harpoon 4.6 emphasizes ease of handling, stability, and portability—ideal for club racing or casual outings. Production ran until 1983, with approximately 800 units built, making it a durable vintage favorite today. Its foam-filled hull provides unsinkability, a hallmark of Boston Whaler's engineering, though the open-cell foam can absorb water if neglected. The design prioritizes simplicity: quick rigging, a spacious cockpit for 1–3 people and forgiving performance in light-to-moderate winds. It's trailerable and car-toppable when empty, with a focus on teaching basic sailing skills without the intimidation of more responsive racers like the Laser.
Construction Details
| Designer | C&C Design |
|---|---|
| Builder | Boston Whaler |
| Length | 15.000 ft |
| LOA | 12.470 ft |
| Beam | 4.430 ft |
| Max Draft | 2.600 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.330 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Foot | 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Leech | * 21.56 ft - (6571 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.74 ° |
| Diagonal | 21.75 ft - (6629 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 92.95 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 14.25 ft - (4343 mm) |
| Foot | 5.83 ft - (1777 mm) |
| Leech | 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.5 ft - (1676 mm) |
| Area | * 39.21 ft² |
| Sail Type | DRIFTER |
|---|---|
| Luff | 15.25 ft - (4648 mm) |
| Foot | 7.75 ft - (2362 mm) |
| Leech | 14.25 ft - (4343 mm) |
| Length Perp | * 7.17 ft - (2185 mm) |
| Area | * 54.69 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | 14.337 ft - (4370 mm) |
| MidGirth | 9.842 ft - (3000 mm) |
| Foot | 11.81 ft - (3600 mm) |
| Area | * 144 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | 16 ft - (4877 mm) |
| MidGirth | 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Foot | 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Area | * 136 ft² |
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.