Trac 16
Description
The Trac 16 (also known as the TRAC-16 or AMF Trac 16) is a lightweight fiberglass catamaran sailing dinghy designed as a one-design racer and recreational daysailer. Developed by Richard and Jay McFarlane (designers of the earlier Trac 14) and built by AMF Corp. through its Alcort division in the United States starting in 1980, this 16-foot catamaran is trailerable and beach-launchable, ideal for beginners, families, or competitive sailors on lakes, bays, or calm coastal waters. It features a rotating mast sloop rig, dual transom-hung rudders, and no daggerboards or centerboards—relying on asymmetric hulls for lift and stability. With a wider beam (8 feet) than the Trac 14, it offers excellent stability for 2–4 people and is known for high performance, capable of planning at speeds up to 10–12 knots in ideal conditions. The design emphasizes simplicity, speed, and portability, with positive buoyancy and a self-bailing cockpit for safety, though it’s not suited for heavy weather or offshore use due to its lightweight construction. Approximately 2,500 units were built, making it more common than the Trac 18 but less so than the Trac 14, with parts availability challenging due to AMF’s exit from sailboat production
Construction Details
| Designer | Richard and Jay McFarlane |
|---|---|
| Builder | Alcort |
| Length | 16.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 15.75 ft - (4801 mm) |
| Foot | 5.58 ft - (1701 mm) |
| Leech | 15.5 ft - (4724 mm) |
| Percentage LP | 38.69 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.44 ft - (1658 mm) |
| Deck Angle | -4.75 ° |
| Area | * 42.85 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 15.75 ft - (4801 mm) |
| Foot | 5.58 ft - (1701 mm) |
| Leech | 15.5 ft - (4724 mm) |
| Percentage LP | 38.69 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.44 ft - (1658 mm) |
| Deck Angle | -4.75 ° |
| Area | * 42.85 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 15.75 ft - (4801 mm) |
| Foot | 5.58 ft - (1701 mm) |
| Leech | 15.5 ft - (4724 mm) |
| Percentage LP | 38.69 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.44 ft - (1658 mm) |
| Deck Angle | -4.75 ° |
| Area | * 42.85 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.