Alcort Sailfish Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for an Alcort Sailfish means looking at a board boat whose production ran from 1945 under Alcort, Inc. and ended under AMF in 1975. Two lengths exist—the 11' 7½" Standard and the 13' 7" Super—with the fiberglass Super Sailfish MK-II from 1959 the model most sellers and buyers simply call a Sailfish. Knowing which construction era a boat represents tells you most of what you need before inspection.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Standard and Super Sailfish are sit-upon hulls with no cabin or berths; the sailor sits on the deck and handles a single lateen sail. Wooden boats use A-A exterior Douglas fir plywood or Harborite plastic-surfaced fir plywood, while the MK-II uses a fiberglass hull with deck and bottom bonded by a flange that adds an inch to length. The MK-II's aluminum mast and spars and color-matched five-panel Dacron sail distinguish it from earlier wood boats with Sitka spruce spars and silk or lashed sails. Later rudder blades from 1972 carry the streamlined Sunfish shape but retain bronze hardware.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Documented factory options are limited, and the used fleet leans on original simplicity rather than added systems. The one consequential factory item is the patented rudder release that drops the blade horizontal for beaching; confirm it functions. Sail color evolved from white-only to red or blue nylon or Dacron by the late 1950s, and MK-II decks came in red, white, blue, green, and yellow. Beyond those, buyers should expect minimal installed equipment and treat any added hardware as owner work, not standard fit.
What to Inspect
The lateen rig's two-line simplicity means few failure points, but check the 1972-vintage rudder blade and its bronze rudder hardware, which was not redesigned when the blade was streamlined. On wood boats, examine the Douglas fir or Harborite plywood hull for delamination or core issues at the bonded seams. Verify the rudder release mechanism operates and that the mast and spars match the expected material for the model year—spruce on early boats, aluminum on the MK-II.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats appear in the United States. A short checklist for the walk-around: confirm hull material and length match the claimed model, test the rudder release, inspect wood core or fiberglass flange joints, and verify spar material. Buy on simplicity and originality rather than upgrades, since the Sailfish's value is its unchanged learn-to-sail character.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Alcort Sailfish. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25 | 1 | $850 | — |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $600 | -29.4% |
Where they're listed
Alcort Sailfish listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $600 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |