Us Cherub
Description
The Cherub is a high-performance, 12-foot (3.66 m) two-person planning dinghy designed in 1951 by New Zealand naval architect John Spencer (d. 1996). Originating as a development class (or "box rule" class) for competitive racing in protected waters like harbors and bays, it allows significant design variation within strict parameters—such as maximum sail area and hull weight—fostering innovation and evolution over time. With its lightweight construction, asymmetric spinnaker, and trapeze(s), the Cherub delivers exhilarating speeds (up to 15+ knots planning) and "on-the-edge" handling, making it a thrilling skiff for youth, families, and experienced sailors. Active fleets thrive in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, with a resurgence in popularity since the 2010s, including new builds and restorations. Over 1,000 hulls exist worldwide, many home-built or modified, and it's celebrated for sparking lifelong sailing passions.
Construction Details
| Designer | John Spencer |
|---|---|
| Length | 12.000 ft |
| LOA | 12.160 ft |
| Beam | 5.920 ft |
| Displacement | 110 lb |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 15.83 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 4.75 ft |
| p | 20.25 ft |
| e | 7.50 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.83 ft | 4.75 ft | 20.25 ft | 7.50 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 22 ft - (6706 mm) |
| Foot | 10.5 ft - (3200 mm) |
| Leech | 18 ft - (5486 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 173 ft² |
| Sail Type | MAIN (LG ROACH) |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 20.25 ft - (6172 mm) |
| Foot | * 7.5 ft - (2286 mm) |
| Leech | * 21.19 ft - (6459 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | * 21.35 ft - (6507 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 3.5 in - (89 mm) |
| Area | * 78.48 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.