Design and Construction
Streuer gave the Cruiser S a hull of solid fiberglass on a beam of 6.56 feet, yielding a length-to-beam ratio of 2.56 — a comparatively broad plan for a boat this size, and one the designer appears to have widened deliberately for roominess rather than all-out speed. The centreboard itself is a pivoting lifting keel, and with only 110 pounds of lead ballast against a 772-pound displacement the boat sits light; her immersion rate runs about 384 pounds per inch, so she settles gently under crew and gear. That broad, shallow-minded hull is what lets her sail close to the beach with a draft of just 0.66 to 0.96 feet depending on load.
Rig and Handling
As a masthead sloop of 128.63 square feet of sail area on a 16.8-foot hull, the Cruiser S is squarely in dinghy territory rather than pocket-cruiser scale. Her 5.15-knot hull speed and 107.4 displacement-to-length ratio describe a tender, easily driven hull that rewards light handling. The lifting centerboard is the defining seamanship feature: with the board up she draws barely two feet, and the outboard rudder keeps steering authority simple in the shallows where she is meant to roam.
Accommodations
Within her class the Cruiser S is a comparatively generous hull. Period comparison with similar dinghies found her more spacious than 62% of all other designs, and the source attributes that to a slightly roomier hull form chosen by the designer. There is no enclosed accommodation in the yachting sense — she is a sailing dinghy — but the beamy plan gives two or three people room to move without the cramped thigh-to-thigh seating of narrower rivals.
The Verdict
The Flying Cruiser S is a purpose-built small dinghy whose entire character flows from the lifting centerboard and a deliberately beamy hull. Streuer and BWC produced a boat that trades absolute minimalism for usable space and beachable draft, and the numbers back that intent: a 2.56 length-to-beam ratio and a 384-pound-per-inch immersion rate describe a stable, forgiving little sailer rather than a racer.
Pros
- Pivoting lifting centerboard gives 0.66–0.96 ft draft for beach and shallow access
- Beamier than most similar dinghies, with greater interior room than 62% of comparable designs
- Light 772 lb displacement and simple outboard rudder make for easy handling and trailering
Cons
- Minimal ballast (110 lb) and dinghy scale limit offshore or heavy-weather ambition
- No enclosed accommodation; strictly a daysailing and beachable dinghy
