Swifty 12
Description
The Swifty 12 (also stylized as Swifty 12) is a popular, classic 12-foot wooden daysailer / pocket sailboat designed by Fred Shell of Shell Boats (St. Albans, Vermont, USA). Introduced in the late 20th century, it's become one of the most built boats in their fleet, with hundreds constructed from kits or plans—praised for its docile handling, forgiving nature, and excellent all-around performance as a family trainer, solo daysailer, or light camp-cruiser. This design draws from traditional small-boat aesthetics (think graceful lines reminiscent of classic dinghies) but uses modern plywood construction for affordability and ease. It's ideal for protected waters like lakes, bays, or calm coastal areas—stable enough for beginners or kids, yet responsive and fun for experienced sailors. Many owners highlight its easy single-handing, good rowing capability (when the wind dies), and surprising speed in a breeze.
Construction Details
| Designer | Fred Shell |
|---|---|
| Builder | Shell Boats (St. Albans, Vermont, USA) |
| Length | 12.000 ft |
| LOA | 12.000 ft |
| Beam | 5.250 ft |
| Displacement | 300 lb |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
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| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
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| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Swifty 12 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 10.25 ft - (3124 mm) |
| Leech | * 16.42 ft - (5005 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 16.66 ft - (5078 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 71.52 ft² |
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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.