Bombardier Invitation Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design Brief & Intent

The Bombardier Invitation was conceived as a multi-purpose daysailer and one-design club racer. While the Laser was a strict, highly athletic single-hander that punished weight and offered little comfort, the Invitation was designed to be significantly more stable and approachable. C&C achieved this by widening the beam to five feet and carrying more volume into the bow, resulting in a fuller, spooned raked stem that resists diving in heavy chop.

Another primary design differentiator is the Invitation's cockpit. Unlike the notoriously cramped, shallow footwells of its competitors, the Invitation features a deeper, wider, and more ergonomic cockpit that easily accommodates up to three individuals. This layout made the boat highly appealing to sailing schools and families who wanted a high-performance dinghy that could also serve as a comfortable, multi-crewed daysailer.

Construction relied on a hand-laid fiberglass hull lined with built-in foam for positive buoyancy. Rather than modern composite trim, C&C outfitted the Invitation with traditional marine varnished wood, including a retractable wooden daggerboard and a transom-hung, kick-up wooden rudder.

Sailing Performance & Handling

At the heart of the Invitation's performance is a massive Sail Area to Displacement (SA/Disp) ratio of 45.0, paired with an extremely light 181-pound hull. Carrying a generous 90 square feet of sail on a cat-rigged, unstayed mast—compared to the Laser’s 76 square feet—the Invitation possesses a tremendous power-to-weight ratio that allows it to pop up onto a plane effortlessly on a reach.

Its Capsize Screening ratio of 3.54 highlights its athletic, tender nature under load. Capsizing is an expected element of sailing this class of boat, though its low Comfort Ratio of 2.26 indicates that it is highly sensitive to crew weight placement and waves.

Despite these high-performance dynamics, the C&C hull shape provides a remarkably smooth ride. The wider hull tracking prevents the "twitchiness" common to narrow racing dinghies. Upwind, the deep daggerboard allows the boat to point aggressively, while the unstayed, two-piece aluminum mast is designed to flex. This built-in mast bend acts as a natural gust-absorber, twisting open the upper head of the loose-footed mainsail and automatically de-powering the rig to keep the boat controllable for intermediate sailors. In heavier air, the sail can also be easily wrapped around the rotating mast to reduce area.

Market Snapshot & Economics

The Bombardier Invitation trades at a deep value and is highly localized to the Canadian Great Lakes, Quebec, and the American Northeast. Because Bombardier's trademark for the "Invitation" expired in 1990 and was never renewed, and because the boat lacks a modern active racing class, it has become an "orphan" design.

As a result, the Invitation is an extremely affordable entry-level boat on the secondary market. It commands a fraction of the price of a used Laser, often changing hands for a few hundred dollars or less. For a recreational cottage buyer, it offers exceptional performance per dollar, but buyers must recognize that it is not a highly liquid asset and has virtually no competitive fleet racing options.

Known Issues & Triage

Potential buyers of vintage Invitations should look out for several age-related weaknesses:

Mast Pocket and Sleeve Leakage: Like many unstayed dinghies, the fiberglass tube housing the mast step is a major stress point. Hairline cracks at the base of the mast step can allow water to seep into the hull's internal buoyancy chamber, soaking the flotation foam, adding deadweight, and compromising structural integrity.
Wooden Foils and Rot: The wooden daggerboard and rudder are highly prone to delamination, splitting, and rot if left in wet environments. Restoring these elements requires stripping, epoxy sealing, and re-varnishing.
Hull-to-Deck Joint Failure: The joint where the deck mold meets the hull is vulnerable to flexing stress over decades of use. Separation can occur, particularly near the bow or transom, requiring a fiberglass tape or marine adhesive refit to restore a watertight seal.
Parts Scarcity: Original spars, sails, and rudder gudgeons are no longer manufactured. Standard Laser sails do not fit perfectly due to different sleeve dimensions, though some owners modify aftermarket practice sails to keep these boats sailing.

The Verdict

The Bombardier Invitation is a well-engineered, historical alternative to mainstream racing dinghies. Its C&C pedigree shines through in its forgiving hull lines and superb planing performance, making it one of the most comfortable and fast cottage boats of its era. While it cannot compete with the Laser in terms of parts availability or racing fleets, it remains an exceptional budget-friendly daysailer.