Flying Cruiser S Buyer's Guide
The Flying Cruiser S is a 16.8-foot sailing dinghy designed by Heribert Streuer and built by BWC Bootswerft u. Charterbetrieb Illmensee GmbH from 1970. On the used market she appeals to sailors wanting a light, trailerable daysailer that can be floated off a sandbar on a falling tide thanks to her lifting centreboard.
Layouts on the Used Market
Because the Cruiser S is a small dinghy rather than a cabin boat, there is no cruising interior to compare across used boats. The variable worth weighing is hull beam: at 6.56 feet wide on a 16.8-foot length she is broader than most rivals in her size class, and used buyers should look for the open, roomy cockpit plan that gave these boats their reputation for carrying two or three people without crowding. The centreboard trunk is the one structural feature that defines the layout below the waterline, and its pivot and pennant should be intact.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
With a masthead sloop rig of roughly 129 square feet, the meaningful used-market questions are about the spars, the lifting keel hardware, and the trailer rather than creature comforts. A buyer should confirm a serviceable centerboard pivot and pennant, a sound mast and boom, and a matched trailer for a 772-pound hull. Beyond those, any added buoyancy bags, beach wheels, or a small outboard bracket are owner-level conveniences rather than factory-defined systems.
What to Inspect
Verify the hull is solid fibreglass with no soft spots, and check that the centreboard pivots freely as a lifting keel should. Confirm the stated immersion rate of about 384 lbs/inch is consistent with a sound hull and that the 110-pound lead ballast remains in place.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
No regional market data is available for these boats, so shoppers should treat availability as opportunistic through general used-dinghy and trailer-sailer channels rather than a concentrated brokerage category. For the right buyer the Cruiser S remains a low-commitment entry to shallow-water sailing.
- Confirm free-pivoting centreboard and intact pennant
- Check solid fiberglass hull for softness or repair
- Verify 110 lb lead ballast and 384 lb/inch immersion behavior
- Inspect mast, boom, and trailer for a 772 lb, 16.8 ft dinghy
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Flying Cruiser S. 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26 | 1 | $3,485 | — |
| May 26 | 1 | $2,091 | -40.0% |
Where they're listed
Flying Cruiser S listings appear across 2 countries. Austria has the most listings with 1 (50.0%), followed by Germany.