Design and Construction
The Raider’s distinctive flared sections are not hollow lockers but are filled with flotation, and that buoyancy not only makes the boat extremely light and stable but also unique in its ability to self-right after a full knockdown anchor. The construction quality is excellent, with a laminate schedule calling for biaxial E-glass and vinylester resin, and the curved hull sections require sophisticated tooling — the result is a boat that is both visually appealing and structurally sound anchor. Drawe’s automotive background shows in the engineered approach to a hull form that looks more like a folded paper plane than a traditional dinghy.
Rig and Handling
The standard Raider 16 is fitted with a two-piece aluminum mast and does not fly a headsail, relying instead on a loose-fitted main released by a simple hook arrangement on the clew and outhaul anchor. Despite the unstayed single sail, the boat is easily driven and very close-winded, and it tracks well with the board down. The board up draft is just 6 inches and the rudder kicks up, while the board down draft is 3 feet 5 inches, giving the skiff shallow-water access and real windward grip when lowered. A 48-inch tiller extension lets the crew sit outboard and drive from the wing-like aft beam. The fractionally rigged asymmetrical chute, with its sleeve and clever halyard and downhaul arrangement, adds downwind range, and hardware throughout is by Harken and Ronstan anchor.
Accommodations and Daysailing Use
There are no berths or cabin — this is a pure daysailer — but the cockpit is built around the broad aft beam and the Raider Sport version adds a built-in cooler and storage with a spacious, comfortable cockpit for crew daysailing anchor. The 400-pound rated capacity and 200-pound displacement mean two adults and gear sit within the flared, flotation-filled hull without compromising the self-righting margin.
Known Issues
The moving board and kick-up rudder are mechanical systems whose pivot bedding should be sound to preserve the 6-inch and 3-foot-5-inch draft figures.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership is light-touch by nature of the 200-pound hull and trailerable form. The Raider Sport offers a larger rig and carbon spar with all lines led aft, plus an asymmetrical spinnaker option, and sail and rig development for that version was done by Waters Sail Loft in Columbia S.C. anchor. Raider Sailboats is now based in Sebastian, Florida, a relocation from the original Vero Beach build site.
The Verdict
The Raider 16 is a genuinely unusual daysailer: a 200-pound, cat-rigged skiff with flared, flotation-filled wings that give it a self-righting capability almost unknown in the size class. Drawe’s auto-engineer logic produced a boat that is both structurally sound and visually distinct, and the standard boat’s simplicity makes it an easy trailer-sailer. The Sport version trades the two-piece aluminum mast for a carbon spar and adds downwind and cockpit comforts.
Pros
- Unique self-righting after full knockdown via flared flotation sections
- 200-pound displacement, towable behind any four-wheel vehicle
- Excellent construction with biaxial E-glass and vinylester resin
- Close-winded, easily driven cat rig with kick-up rudder and centerboard
Cons
- No headsail and minimal accommodation beyond cockpit storage
- Sophisticated hull tooling may make amateur repair of flare damage difficult
