Fusion 15 Buyer's Guide
At 15 feet 8 inches length overall, the Fusion 15 is a dinghy designed by Steve Killing and built between 2000 and 2004, with about 100 examples produced before the boat was discontinued. It was conceived as a friendly performance bridge between racing skiffs and older daysailers, and its self-tacking jib and asymmetric spinnaker make it a practical short-handed trainer or club racer rather than a specialist’s toy. Buyers on the used market are looking at a small, light, durable dinghy rather than a cruiser, and the right questions are about rig wear and hull honesty.
Layouts on the Used Market
Every Fusion 15 shares the same one-design hull: a 5-foot 6-inch beam, a deep centerboard in a trunk that rises only six inches above the cockpit floor, and an open transom that drains fast. Crew capacity is one, two, or three, and the hiking straps are mounted on the centerboard trunk at a comfortable angle. There is no cabin or enclosed space; the boat is a daysailer and trainer with a rolled deck edge and a rudder hump forced by the open stern. Strict one-design controls mean layouts do not vary between hulls, so a buyer is comparing condition and rig age rather than configuration.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, spinnakers are commonly fitted, with both symmetric and asymmetric types seen; the factory originally supplied an asymmetric chute on a simple launcher and Quantum Mylar sails as standard. For a buyer, the load-bearing items are the anodized aluminum mast, Harken and Ronstan hardware, and the computer-routed kick-up rudder and pivoting centerboard—these define rig and steering integrity. Beyond that, the self-tacking roller-furled jib with its mast-led single sheet and swivel jam cleat is the system to exercise; a smooth car and cleat matter more than any audio or galley extra that may have been added.
What to Inspect
The open transom and self-draining cockpit are design strengths, but check the rudder hump where the open stern forces the mount for stress or repair, since it is a structural consequence of the layout. Inspect the centerboard trunk where it protrudes six inches above the sole: it is the footrest and strap anchor, so cracks or movement there affect both comfort and safety. The mylar sails and Harken car self-tacking gear should be cycled; a sticky ball-bearing car or furler defeats the boat’s easy-handling brief. A thorough hull look for impact damage remains wise on any 290-pound dinghy.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Fusion 15 is typically found in the United States. Because production was limited and the boat is discontinued, patience is useful. For a shopper, the short list is: confirm the centerboard trunk and rudder hump are sound, verify the self-tacking jib and asymmetric launcher run free, check the mylar sails for delamination, and accept that no enclosed accommodation exists. A clean one-design hull with working Harken hardware is the boat as intended—fast, fun, and friendly without hidden systems to fail.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Fusion 15. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 1 | $4,000 | — |
| Aug 25 | 1 | $3,000 | -25.0% |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $500 | -83.3% |
Where they're listed
Fusion 15 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $500 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |