Mallard
Description
The Mallard is a compact, versatile sailing dinghy designed by British naval architect Andrew Wolstenholme in 1994, originally commissioned by the now-defunct magazine The Boatman as a modern interpretation of the fictional Swallow from Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series. It's a 12-foot (3.66 m) dayboat emphasizing family-friendly sailing, rowing, and simplicity, with a balanced hull that provides good performance in light to moderate winds while being easy for amateurs to build. Constructed primarily using glued plywood (stitch-and-tape or glued-lapstrake methods) for affordability and accessibility, it's suitable for home builders and available in kit form. The design draws from Wolstenholme's earlier 11-foot Coot, incorporating a rockered keel for maneuverability, an efficient centerboard and rudder for upwind ability, and a skeg for tracking under oar.
Construction Details
| Designer | Andrew N. Wolstenholme |
|---|---|
| Length | 12.000 ft |
| LOA | 12.000 ft |
| Beam | 4.000 ft |
| Displacement | 250 lb |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 21.33 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 6 ft |
| p | 23.50 ft |
| e | 10 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.33 ft | 6 ft | 23.50 ft | 10 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 14.5 ft - (4420 mm) |
| Foot | 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Leech | * 15.73 ft - (4795 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 81.04 ° |
| Diagonal | 15.83 ft - (4825 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 2 in - (51 mm) |
| Area | * 65.5 ft² |
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 23.5 ft - (7163 mm) |
| Foot | * 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Leech | * 25.07 ft - (7641 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.02 ° |
| Diagonal | * 25.22 ft - (7687 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | 117.35 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Foot | 4.5 ft - (1372 mm) |
| Leech | 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Area | * 20.06 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 17.73 ft - (5404 mm) |
| Foot | * 7.79 ft - (2374 mm) |
| Leech | * 15.7 ft - (4785 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 6.9 ft - (2103 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 61.13 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 21.05 ft - (6416 mm) |
| Foot | * 9.56 ft - (2914 mm) |
| Leech | * 19.97 ft - (6087 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 94.73 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 21.05 ft - (6416 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 10.8 ft - (3292 mm) |
| Foot | * 10.8 ft - (3292 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 193.24 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.