Tanzer 16
Description
The Tanzer 16 is a classic Canadian sailboat designed by Johann Tanzer as a stable, family-friendly daysailer that's also well-suited for racing. It's a small recreational dinghy known for its simplicity, speed, and forgiving handling, making it ideal for beginners and experienced sailors alike. Originally launched in 1963 as the Constellation 16 before being renamed the Tanzer 16, it was manufactured by Tanzer Industries in Canada until the company closed in 1986, with around 1,900 units produced. A variant, the Overnighter 16, was introduced in 1964 with a small cuddy cabin for overnighting, and about 550 of those were built. After the closure, the Tanzer 16 Class Association acquired the original molds, though it's unclear if any additional boats were produced afterward.
Construction Details
| Designer | Johann Tanzer |
|---|---|
| Builder | Tanzer Industries, Canada |
| Length | 16.330 ft |
| LOA | 16.330 ft |
| LWL | 15.250 ft |
| Beam | 6.170 ft |
| Displacement | 450 lb |
| Max Draft | 2.750 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.580 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Tanzer 16 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 19.25 ft - (5867 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 9.37 ft - (2856 mm) |
| Leech | * 21.31 ft - (6495 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 90.62 ° |
| Diagonal | 21.5 ft - (6553 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 93.11 ft² |
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Tanzer 16 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 14.67 ft - (4471 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 5.92 ft - (1804 mm) |
| Leech | 12.083 ft - (3683 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 4.73 ft - (1442 mm) |
| Area | * 34.73 ft² |
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Tanzer 16 - GENOA
| Luff | 16.083 ft - (4902 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 7.25 ft - (2210 mm) |
| Leech | 15.33 ft - (4673 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 6.85 ft - (2088 mm) |
| Area | * 55.1 ft² |
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Tanzer 16 - GENOA
| Luff | 15.92 ft - (4852 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 8.5 ft - (2591 mm) |
| Leech | 15.33 ft - (4673 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 8.01 ft - (2441 mm) |
| Area | * 63.75 ft² |
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Tanzer 16 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | 17.25 ft - (5258 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
| Foot | 14 ft - (4267 mm) |
| Area | * 205 ft² |
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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.