Blue Jay
Description
The Blue Jay is a timeless American one-design sailing dinghy designed by Drake H. Sparkman of Sparkman & Stephens as a junior trainer for the larger Lightning class. Introduced in 1947, it's celebrated for its simplicity, stability, and versatility—serving as an ideal entry-level boat for youth programs, family outings, and adult racing. With over 7,200 hulls built worldwide, it remains active in clubs from Florida to Maine, though it's gradually being phased out in some fleets in favor of modern designs like the Pixel. Originally plywood for easy home construction, fiberglass became standard in the 1960s, ensuring durability and low maintenance.
Construction Details
| Designer | Sparkman and Stephens |
|---|---|
| Builder | Allen Boat Co. |
| Length | 13.500 ft |
| LOA | 13.500 ft |
| LWL | 11.250 ft |
| Beam | 5.170 ft |
| Displacement | 275 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.670 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.500 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Blueprints
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 15.83 ft - (4825 mm) |
| Foot | 7.92 ft - (2414 mm) |
| Leech | 17.19 ft - (5240 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 86.4 ° |
| Diagonal | 17.25 ft - (5258 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 65.38 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 12.208 ft - (3721 mm) |
| Foot | 5.25 ft - (1600 mm) |
| Leech | 10.083 ft - (3073 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 4.26 ft - (1298 mm) |
| Area | * 26 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 14.5 ft - (4420 mm) |
| Foot | 8.25 ft - (2515 mm) |
| Leech | 12 ft - (3658 mm) |
| Area | * 90 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | 13.75 ft - (4191 mm) |
| MidGirth | 8.2 ft - (2499 mm) |
| Foot | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Area | * 111 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.