Cottontail 16
Description
The Cottontail (often called the Cottontail 16) is a rare, vintage fiberglass trailerable dinghy / daysailer from the United States, produced for a very short period in the late 1960s or early 1970s. It was built in Long Island, New York (USA), in limited numbers — likely fewer than 100 (possibly much fewer), making it a niche or obscure design today with sporadic mentions in old classifieds, Portsmouth Yardstick tables, and sailing forums. The designer/builder is not well-documented in major sources, and it appears to have been a small-scale production effort rather than a widely marketed boat. It's described as a lightweight, planing sloop-rigged centerboard dinghy suitable for fun, responsive sailing on lakes, bays, or protected waters. It was marketed as fast and exciting for its size, with planing potential in good conditions. A unique feature highlighted in old sales literature was an inboard rudder combined with a modified skeg.
Construction Details
| Designer | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Length | 15.830 ft |
| LOA | 15.830 ft |
| LWL | 14.000 ft |
| Beam | 5.080 ft |
| Displacement | 286 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.920 ft |
| Year Built | 1969 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 14 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 5.25 ft |
| p | 16.25 ft |
| e | 8.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 ft | 5.25 ft | 16.25 ft | 8.25 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Cottontail 16 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 16.25 ft - (4953 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 8.25 ft - (2515 mm) |
| Leech | * 17.8 ft - (5425 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 17.97 ft - (5477 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 3.5 in - (89 mm) |
| Area | * 69.11 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Cottontail 16 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 13.75 ft - (4191 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 6.75 ft - (2057 mm) |
| Leech | 12.25 ft - (3734 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 114.48 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 6.01 ft - (1832 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 6.54 ° |
| Area | * 41.31 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
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.
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