Fairey Duckling
Description
The Fairey Duckling (also known as Duckling or Fairey Marine Duckling) is a classic British small sailboat designed by Uffa Fox and built by Fairey Marine Ltd. in the 1950s. Introduced around 1952, it was part of a series of affordable, versatile dayboats aimed at beginners, youth sailors, and dinghy racing. The Duckling measures about 11 feet in length and is known for its simple plywood construction, planing hull, and lively performance in light to moderate winds. Only a limited number were produced (~50–100 units), making it a rare collector's item today. It influenced later designs like the International Cadet and was popular in UK sailing clubs for training and casual racing. The boat's name evokes its "duck-like" buoyancy and ease of handling, with a focus on fun and accessibility.
Construction Details
| Designer | Uffa Fox |
|---|---|
| Builder | Fairey Marine Ltd. (also known as Fairey Marine) |
| Length | 8.500 ft |
| LOA | 30.830 ft |
| LWL | 30.000 ft |
| Beam | 22.420 ft |
| Max Draft | 5.500 ft |
| Min Draft | 1.330 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Blueprints
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 11.083 ft - (3378 mm) |
| Foot | 6.67 ft - (2033 mm) |
| Leech | * 11.72 ft - (3572 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 80.17 ° |
| Diagonal | 11.92 ft - (3633 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 38 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 6.083 ft - (1854 mm) |
| Foot | 4.208 ft - (1283 mm) |
| Leech | 5.58 ft - (1701 mm) |
| Area | * 11.36 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.