Flying Tern
Description
The Flying Tern is a classic European sailing dinghy designed by the renowned Dutch naval architect E.G. van de Stadt (design #56) in the mid-1950s, with production starting around 1955. Initially built as a hot-molded plywood vessel, it transitioned to fiberglass (GRP) construction for durability and ease of production, becoming one of the earliest and most popular mass-produced dinghies in Europe. Builders included Grampian Marine in Canada, Paceship Yachts (also in Canada), and possibly Butler Projects in England, with some wooden-decked fiberglass variants. It's a fractional sloop-rigged dayboat emphasizing speed, agility, and simplicity, suitable for racing (with spinnaker and trapeze options permitted under class rules) or recreational sailing. The design prioritizes lightweight performance for solo or two-person crews, making it ideal for youth training, club racing, or coastal day sails.
Construction Details
| Designer | Vandestadt and McGruer |
|---|---|
| Builder | Paceship Yachts |
| Length | 13.940 ft |
| LOA | 13.940 ft |
| Beam | 5.090 ft |
| Displacement | 287 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.120 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.490 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | 16.33 ft |
| e | 8.67 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | 16.33 ft | 8.67 ft | - | - | - | - |
Blueprints
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 16.33 ft - (4977 mm) |
| Foot | * 8.67 ft - (2643 mm) |
| Leech | * 18.02 ft - (5492 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 18.22 ft - (5553 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 73.17 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
| Foot | 6.083 ft - (1854 mm) |
| Leech | 11.75 ft - (3581 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.29 ft - (1612 mm) |
| Area | * 35.69 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.