Design and Construction
The Dart 16's hulls are molded from Tecrothene, a thermoplastic that the reference record describes as highly resistant to impact and scratching yet a bit heavier and more difficult to fix than fiberglass anchor. That trade-off defines the boat's character: it is a beach cat you can haul up a shingle without flinching, yet any crack demands more workshop effort than a polyester lay-up would. The lower hulls carry skegs typical for a beach catamaran, and the boat omits daggerboards entirely, relying on hull form and skeg for lateral resistance. With a capsize ratio of 4.64 and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio near 55.86, the design is plainly tuned for lively performance rather than passive stability.
Rig and Handling
What strikes the experienced eye is how little hardware the Dart 16 carries. The rigging consists of a rotating, aerodynamically shaped aluminum mast held by a forestay and two shroud wires, with no spreaders and no complicated trimming mechanisms anchor. The mainsail is fully battened and, unusually, has no boom at all; it is controlled by a mainsheet offering a 6:1 mechanical advantage through a ball-bearing block system with a ratchet and jamming cleat. A trapeze is fitted for the crew, and a gennaker remains an available option for those wanting downwind punch. Racing pedigree is anchored by a Portsmouth Yardstick of 863, placing the boat in credible club-competition company. Kick-up rudders similar to the Hobie 16 round out a package engineered for quick rigging and forgiving beach launches.
Accommodations
There are no accommodations in the yacht sense. The Dart 16 is a two-person beach catamaran with a stated crew of two and no enclosed space; its brief is daylight speed and simplicity, not cruising shelter. The 148 square feet of total sail area across main and jib, expanding to a spinnaker of roughly 124 square feet when the gennaker option is taken, is the entirety of its "interior" conversation — open air, trapeze wire, and tiller extension.
Known Issues
The single material caveat is the Tecrothene hull's greater repair difficulty relative to fiberglass, a practical ownership consideration rather than a defect.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership centers on keeping the minimal rig honest: the rotating mast, trapeze, and ball-bearing mainsheet are the wear points. Because the boat lacks daggerboards and boom, there is little to upgrade beyond choosing the gennaker and maintaining the kick-up rudder pivots. The thermoplastic hull rewards careful ground handling given its scratch resistance but punishes neglect with harder fixes.
The Verdict
The Dart 16 Race is a purist's beach cat: light, quick, and almost defiantly simple, trading the easy repair of fiberglass for a shell that shrugs off impacts. It rewards sailors who value a low-hassle ramp-to-race loop over creature comfort or tunable complexity.
Pros
- Impact- and scratch-resistant Tecrothene hulls suited to beach use
- Boomless, fully battened main with 6:1 ball-bearing mainsheet for clean control
- No spreaders or complex trim gear; fast to rig and launch
- Credible one-design racing via Portsmouth Yardstick 863
Cons
- Tecrothene is heavier and harder to repair than fiberglass
- No daggerboards or enclosed accommodations; day-use only
