Copperhead
Description
The Copperhead 14 (also known simply as the Copperhead) is a classic American one-design centerboard dinghy from the early 1970s, designed by renowned British/American duo J.R. (Rod) Macalpine-Downie and Dick Gibbs. Built by MFG Boat Company (a major fiberglass producer of the era, known for affordable small sailboats like the Pintail and Sidewinder), it was produced starting around 1970–1971 through the late 1970s/early 1980s. It's a lightweight, cartoppable daysailer/racer emphasizing simplicity, speed, and fun in light to moderate conditions — popular for club racing, family daysailing, or as a trailerable "pocket rocket" alternative to boats like the Sunfish or Laser. The design draws from Macalpine-Downie/Gibbs' experience with high-performance small boats (they also collaborated on the Hobie 14/16 cats and others). It was marketed as quick, stable, and easy to handle, with a Gunter rig for compact spar storage and good performance.
Construction Details
| Designer | Macal-pine-Downie and Gibbs |
|---|---|
| Builder | MFG |
| Length | 13.750 ft |
| LOA | 13.750 ft |
| Beam | 4.420 ft |
| Displacement | 135 lb |
| Max Draft | 2.330 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.330 ft |
| Year Built | 1970 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | 15.33 ft |
| e | 9.33 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | 15.33 ft | 9.33 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Copperhead - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 15.5 ft - (4724 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 9.33 ft - (2844 mm) |
| Leech | * 16.4 ft - (4999 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 79.03 ° |
| Diagonal | 16.5 ft - (5029 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 2 in - (51 mm) |
| Area | * 72.09 ft² |
| Comments | Loose footed. Sleeve at luff from 2.5 to 3" when measured flat. Three battens: 25", 31", 25". 3-inch foot roach permitted. This unusual rig features a gooseneck on the luff which is raised to the vertical. |
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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.