The Wayfarer is a wooden or fibreglass hulled fractional Bermuda rigged sailing dinghy of great versatility; it can be used for short 'day boat' trips, for longer cruises and for racing. Over 11,000 have been produced as of 2016.

The boat is long, and broad and deep enough for three adults to comfortably sail for several hours. Longer trips are undertaken by enthusiasts, notably Frank Dye who sailed W48 'Wanderer' from Scotland to Iceland and Norway, crossing the North Sea twice. The Wayfarer's size, stability and seaworthiness have made it popular with sailing schools, and led it to be used as a family boat in a wide variety of locations.

A cruising dinghy, Wayfarers are also raced with a (2026) Portsmouth Number of 1107.

From the original wooden design by Ian Proctor in 1957 many subsequent versions of the Wayfarer have been produced. There is also a double-hulled Canadian clone, known as the CL 16, featuring a simplified rig but otherwise identical. Genuine Wayfarers can be identified by the "W" symbol on their sails.

The sail plan consists of a Bermuda rig with a main, jib, and symmetrical spinnaker. The boat uses a retractable centreboard. An optional asymmetric spinnaker and spinnaker chute is available; also available is a "sail patch" which provides flotation for the mast in the event of a capsize (and particularly to prevent the boat inverting Turtling).

One-design racing is active and competitive regionally, nationally and internationally.

Versions

Over its history several versions of the Wayfarer have been developed, as follows.

Mark I Wood

thumb|Wanderer - sail No W48, the open sailing dinghy of the Wayfarer class that [[Frank Dye sailed to Iceland in 1963 and Norway in 1964. Now in UK National Maritime museum, Falmouth, Cornwall.]]

thumb|Wooden Wayfarer

This was the original wooden Wayfarer designed in 1957 to be manufactured by Small Craft Limited and also by amateur builders working from authorised kits, using the measured templates and jigs supplied, with a hull and deck made from plywood. Frank Dye's famous W48 Wanderer was of course of this type, a testament to its robust construction. The boat is now in the collection of the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth. Other boats of this model are still racing after 60 years. The hull is of a 'three plank' construction, that is with two chines. This provides a good compromise between stability and ease of construction. Both forward and aft buoyancy compartments are fitted with large watertight hatches and this provides ample stowage space for cruising. The large floor space with flat floorboards and good clearance under thwart makes the Mark I a comfortable boat for two people to sleep in, when a boom-tent is erected for shelter. The mast is held in a tabernacle, which when rigged with a tackle on the forestay allows the mast to be lowered to pass beneath bridges. This feature was retained in subsequent models, as was the hull shape.

Mark I GRP

alt=A Mark 1 GRP rigged for heavy weather sailing. Its main sail has two reefs, its jib is furled, and it is equipped with a mast float.|thumb|A Mark 1 GRP rigged for heavy weather sailing. Its main sail has two [[Reefing|reefs, its jib is furled, and it is equipped with a mast float. ]]

A Glass Reinforced Plastic version was introduced in 1965 and was similar in layout to the wooden boat. Over two thousand copies of this model were made and many are still in use through the world. In contrast to other GRP models, this version has a large hatch to the forward buoyancy compartment useful for stowage when cruising, and a forward bulkhead extending right up to the foredeck level. The Mark I has no side buoyancy, and consequently does not suffer from a tendency to invert when capsized that plagued later models. The Mark I was also available as a composite model with a GRP hull and bulkheads but plywood fore- and side-decks. The company sustained a multimillion-dollar loss.

An updated version (incorporating the 2008 design improvements by Phil Morrison of the Mark IV) is scheduled to begin future production in Canada; the "Wayfarer Cruiser" includes an optional asymmetrical spinnaker, which would not be allowed in racing.

Mark IV (Hartley Wayfarer)

Introduced in 2007 the MkIV was a significant redesign by Phil Morrison. The design is intended to be more modern and spacious inside, and easier to right and drain after a capsize. This version was also designed to be "as fast as but no faster than the fastest" of the older Wayfarers. The Mark IV is also available in the United States. This is the reason many cruising sailors prefer the older Wayfarer versions.

See also

  • CL 16
  • Mistral 16
  • National Maritime Museum Cornwall

References

Footnotes

Endnotes

Books

Further reading

  • Official website