Falcon By Mcvay
Description
The Falcon 16 (also known as McVay Falcon 16) is a classic daysailing dinghy designed by G. William McVay in the mid-1950s. Introduced in 1954–1955, it was one of the earliest fiberglass production sailboats in North America, emphasizing simplicity, stability, and ease of handling for family outings, youth sailing, and casual racing. Built primarily by McVay Fiberglass Yachts Ltd. (Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia) and licensees, nearly 1,000 units may have been produced, making it a widespread "starter" sailboat of its era. Originally commissioned for the Wadawanuck Yacht Club in Stonington, CT, the Falcon 16 influenced early fiberglass dinghy trends and remains popular for its forgiving nature and trailerability. It's a fractional sloop with a swing centerboard, ideal for protected waters like lakes and bays.
Construction Details
| Designer | G. William McVay |
|---|---|
| Builder | McVay Yachts |
| Length | 16.000 ft |
| LOA | 15.750 ft |
| LWL | 14.250 ft |
| Beam | 5.200 ft |
| Displacement | 1650 lb |
| Ballast | 850 lb |
| Max Draft | 2.580 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 18 ft - (5486 mm) |
| Foot | 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Leech | * 19.78 ft - (6029 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 86.18 ° |
| Diagonal | 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 92.82 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 12.75 ft - (3886 mm) |
| Foot | 6.33 ft - (1929 mm) |
| Leech | 11.75 ft - (3581 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | 5.8 ft - (1768 mm) |
| Area | * 36.98 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 12.75 ft - (3886 mm) |
| Foot | 8.5 ft - (2591 mm) |
| Leech | 12.75 ft - (3886 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | 8.01 ft - (2441 mm) |
| Area | * 51.09 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | 14.5 ft - (4420 mm) |
| MidGirth | 12 ft - (3658 mm) |
| Foot | 12 ft - (3658 mm) |
| Area | * 148 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.