F | |
 | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Uffa Fox |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1946 |
| No. built | 4,270 |
| Builder(s) | Fairey Marine Knight and Pink Marine Omega Boats Ovington Boats Porter Boats Rondar Raceboats Vic Lewis Boats Whitecap Composites |
| Role | One designracer |
| Name | Firefly |
| Boat | |
| Crew | two |
| Displacement | 260 lb (118 kg) |
| Draft | 4.25 ft (1.30 m) withcentreboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | monohull |
| Construction | glassfibre |
| LOA | 12.00 ft (3.66 m) |
| LWL | 11.75 ft (3.58 m) |
| Beam | 4.67 ft (1.42 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | centreboard |
| Rudder | transom-mountedrudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | fractional riggedsloop |
| Total sail area | 68.00 sq ft (6.317 m2) |
| Racing | |
| D-PN | 99.6 |
| RYA PN | 1168 |
TheFirefly is a Britishsailboat that was designed byUffa Fox as aone designracer and first built in 1946. The boat was originally named theSea Swallow. It was anOlympic class and raced at the1948 Olympics.[1][2][3][4]
The design was initially built byFairey Marine in the United Kingdom, starting in 1946 until the end of 1972. It was then built byVic Lewis Boats from 1973, in glassfibre, using moulds byCraft Mouldings. In 1976Knight and Pink Marine re-started the production of wooden boats.Omega Boats built a foam sandwich version of the design and thenPorter Boats produced it up to 1995. From 1997 to 2023, production was byRondar Raceboats in the UK.Whitecap Composites in the United States also built Fireflies. As of the summer of 2023, it is now built byOvington Boats in the UK and remains in production. More than 4,270 Fireflies have been completed.[1][2][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
The Firefly is a recreationalsailing dinghy, initially built predominantly of hot-mouldedplywood,glassfibre construction was authorized by the class starting in 1965. A rotating mast was introduced in 1970.[1][2][15]
The design has afractionalsloop rig, aplumb stem andtransom, a transom-hungrudder controlled by atiller and a retractablecentreboard. It displaces 260 lb (118 kg).[1][2]
The boat has a draft of 4.25 ft (1.30 m) with the centreboard extended and 10 in (25 cm) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water,beaching or ground transportation on atrailer.[1][2]
The design is raced without aspinnaker.[16]
The Firefly has aPortsmouth Yardstick handicap of 1168[17] (in theRYA scheme) and a D-PN of 99.6 in theUS Sailing system.[18]
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The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, theNational Firefly Association.[19][20][21]
The first four production boats built by Fairey were purchased by the commodore of theItchenor Sailing Club, Sir Geoffrey Loules and named Fe, Fi, Fo and Fum.[15]
Even though it was designed for a crew of twosailors, the boat was selected for the1948 Olympics as a single-handed boat. The Olympic sailing events that year were held atTorbay and the gold medal was won by Danish sailor,Paul Elvstrøm. It was replaced as an Olympic class in 1952 by theFinn.[1][2][15]
TheNational Maritime Museum Cornwall notes, "the Firefly was one of the first production dinghies ever built in large numbers, long before the days of glass reinforced plastic boats, and there is no doubt that it put dinghy sailing within financial reach of many people – the initial cost of a boat was £65."[15]
