AMF Trac-16 Buyer's Guide
The AMF Trac-16 is a 1983-origin American catamaran day sailer designed by Steve Nichols and built by AMF Alcort, with only 600 completed before the type left production. On the used market it presents as a lightweight trailerable twin-hull dinghy rather than a cruiser, and shoppers should approach it as a no-frills dayboat whose value rests on hull integrity and rig completeness.
Layouts on the Used Market
Every Trac-16 is a catamaran sailing dinghy with two solid fiberglass hulls, raked stems, and plumb transoms, carrying no keels and no cabin. The boat's 16.4-foot length and 8-foot beam make it a single-purpose day sailer with tiller-steered twin transom rudders and a fractional sloop rig. Because the design was built only by AMF Alcort in this configuration, used buyers will not encounter alternative trunk-cabin or cruising layouts — the class is uniform in being open and minimal.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Given the bare dinghy specification, the meaningful used-market considerations are the rig and steering rather than installed systems. The boat carries a Bermuda-rigged fractional sloop, so a buyer should confirm the mast, boom, and 194 square-foot sail set are present and serviceable. Twin transom-hung rudders on a single tiller are the only control gear of consequence; any replacement rudder or tiller extension is an owner-level item rather than a factory option. No engine, fuel, or water systems are fitted, so energy or navigation upgrades are entirely aftermarket and should be judged on their own merits.
What to Inspect
The construction is solid fiberglass hulls with no keels, so the principal inspection is for hull distortion or damage in the asymmetrical "banana" form that provides leeway resistance. Verify the dual transom-mounted rudders and tiller linkage move freely and that the plumb transoms show no structural cracking around the rudder mounts. With no board trunks or keel bolts to leak, the known points of attention are the fiberglass hulls and the rudder attachments themselves.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Trac-16 is a scarce 600-unit design found through general used-boat channels rather than a steady brokerage staple.
- Confirm both fiberglass hulls are undistorted and the asymmetrical shape is intact
- Check twin transom rudders and tiller for free, slop-free movement
- Verify the fractional sloop rig and sail area are complete
- Expect no cabin, engine, or tankage on any example