Isotope
Description
The Isotope 16' catamaran, designed by Frank Meldau in 1962 and still hand-built by Custom Fiberglass International (now Sharp Fiberglass LLC), is a lightweight, high-performance one-design racing dinghy renowned as the world's fastest single-handed 16-foot sloop-rig catamaran per the US Portsmouth Yardstick (rating ~74). Featuring symmetric hulls (LOA 16', beam 7'4"–7'6", draft 6"/22" board up/down), a balanced 185 sq ft sail plan (main + jib), pivoting centerboards, and an all-up weight of just 275–280 lbs, it excels in upwind pointing and planing speeds while remaining fully single-handed—easy to launch, rig, right (via an integrated righting bar), and trailer with an optional dolly system. The open-class development rules allow custom rigging tweaks, making it versatile for club racing, Formula 16 events (including spinnaker options for crewed sailing), or casual fun, with a forward-thinking design that predates many modern cats yet holds its own globally from the US to Australia.
Construction Details
| Designer | Frank Meldau |
|---|---|
| Builder | Custom Fiberglass International |
| Length | 16.000 ft |
| LOA | 16.000 ft |
| Beam | 7.500 ft |
| Displacement | 275 lb |
| Max Draft | 2.500 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Isotope - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 23.67 ft - (7215 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 8.312 ft - (2533 mm) |
| Leech | * 24.37 ft - (7428 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 86.98 ° |
| Diagonal | 24.67 ft - (7519 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 6.5 in - (165 mm) |
| Area | * 103.77 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Isotope - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 17.29 ft - (5270 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 5.92 ft - (1804 mm) |
| Leech | 15.92 ft - (4852 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.44 ft - (1658 mm) |
| Area | * 47.05 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.