Guppy 13
Description
The Guppy 13 is a compact, fiberglass pocket cruiser and daysailer designed in the mid-1970s by American naval architect Herbert E. "Herb" Stewart, offering an affordable entry into solo or micro-cruising with its cozy cabin for overnighting on calm waters. Often described as a "splashed" (molded) adaptation of the earlier Sparrow 12 by HMS Marine, it was built briefly (1974–1975) by Melen Marine Ltd. in the U.S., with only a few hundred produced—making it a rare find today. Its ultra-light design prioritizes portability (trailerable by a small car) and simplicity, ideal for lakes, bays, or short coastal hops, though it's not suited for rough seas. A cabin-less variant, the Guppy 130, served as a pure daysailer. Owners praise its "big heart" for empowering novice sailors, especially women, with stable handling and easy rigging.
Construction Details
| Designer | Herb Stewart |
|---|---|
| Builder | Melen Marine Ltd. |
| Length | 12.500 ft |
| LOA | 12.500 ft |
| LWL | 11.830 ft |
| Beam | 5.580 ft |
| Displacement | 480 lb |
| Max Draft | 1.580 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 16.16 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 5.08 ft |
| p | 13 ft |
| e | 5 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16.16 ft | 5.08 ft | 13 ft | 5 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
| Foot | * 5 ft - (1524 mm) |
| Leech | * 13.6 ft - (4145 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 13.76 ft - (4194 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 3.5 in - (89 mm) |
| Area | * 34.15 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 15.33 ft - (4673 mm) |
| Foot | 6.25 ft - (1905 mm) |
| Leech | 13.33 ft - (4063 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 106.3 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.4 ft - (1646 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12.75 ° |
| Area | * 41.41 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 19.33 ft - (5892 mm) |
| Foot | 9.83 ft - (2996 mm) |
| Leech | 17.75 ft - (5410 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 176.57 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 8.97 ft - (2734 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 6.66 ° |
| Area | * 86.72 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Foot | 7.33 ft - (2234 mm) |
| Leech | 14.167 ft - (4318 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 134.84 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 6.85 ft - (2088 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.33 ° |
| Area | * 51.4 ft² |
| Sail Type | DRIFTER |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 16.09 ft - (4904 mm) |
| Foot | * 8.51 ft - (2594 mm) |
| Leech | * 14.47 ft - (4410 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perp | * 7.62 ft - (2323 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 8.99 ° |
| Area | * 61.3 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 16.25 ft - (4953 mm) |
| Foot | 8.75 ft - (2667 mm) |
| Leech | 15.25 ft - (4648 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 107 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 16.09 ft - (4904 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 9.14 ft - (2786 mm) |
| Foot | * 9.14 ft - (2786 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 125 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.