Original Seafly Design

Dec Layout

The builders plate from this “Original” Seafly Dinghy inspired our page banner!

As originally developed by South Devon Boatbuiders, the Seafly was designed for construction in wood. As an example, these photographs from about 1963 show C59 which was constructed from a “Stage 2”  kit consisting of a set of plans, a hull shell, and wood to complete.

The original design featured a deck level mast step and wave deflectors on the foredeck. The forward buoyancy tank occupied the full fore-peak height. In contrast to many dinghy designs at that time, the Seafly used integral fore-aft floor boards to avoid the need for cross frames to stiffen the hull. In the photo of the under-side of the hull, note the small rectangular self-bailers which were “state of the art” in the early 1960’s.

[Next: Seafly Designer (or view the original Seafly plans)]