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Sprite Dinghy Sailboats for Sale

Robert N. Stone·1934 – 1949·~82 hulls·D. Stone & Son (UK)
Approximate drawing

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Hull Type
Monohull · centerboard
Rig
Fractional Sloop
LOA
14' · 4.27 m
Disp.
425 lbs · 193 kg
First year
1934

The Sprite Dinghy is a 14foot onedesign that Robert N. Stone drew in 1934 for the shallow, tidal rivers of the East Coast. West Mersea Yacht Club in Essex launched it as their principal dinghy class that same year, and the family yard of D. Stone & Son of Brightlingsea carried the bulk of construction through 1949 launched in 1934 by West Mersea Yacht Club in Essex as their main dinghy class. What emerged was a small wooden centreboarder that proved well balanced and easily handled by a crew of two, a character that kept it racing for decades.

Specs & Review

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Sprite Dinghy Buyer's Guide

The Sprite Dinghy is a 14-foot wooden one-design that Robert N. Stone created in 1934 for the Colne and Blackwater estuaries, and it remains a creature of those East Coast rivers. Built largely by D. Stone & Son of Brightlingsea through 1949, around 82 were produced, and the class survives today through a Blackwater-based revival. For a shopper, the appeal is a light, pair-crewed centreboard racer with a real history — and the catch is that every example is a wooden boat whose condition hinges on past care.

Layouts on the Used Market

The Sprite is a single-open-cockpit wooden centreboard daysailer and racer with no cabin, built for a crew of two. The clinker-built, round-bilge hull and fractional sloop rig with symmetric spinnaker define every surviving example regardless of which yard constructed it.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Restoration and epoxying by class captain Chris Nichols is the most consequential upgrade a Sprite may carry, meaning a buyer should favor boats with that history for structural peace of mind. Otherwise equipment is minimal: a Bermuda sloop rig with jib, centreboard, and symmetric spinnaker gear are the systems to confirm complete.

What to Inspect

The Sprite is a clinker-built wooden hull, so the first question on any viewing is whether the boat has been restored and epoxied, as many were by class captain Chris Nichols during the 1990s revival restored and epoxied many boats. Probe the plank seams and bilge for softness, and look for a brittle or flaking finish that signals an untreated survivor. The class's decline came from the arrival of glassfibre and newer dinghies rather than from a recorded structural fault, but the practical risk is that an unrestored example has spent decades in estuary mud. Confirm the centreboard trunk is sound and the round-bilge planking is tight before assuming the boat is a sailer rather than a project.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

A revived class with about 25 sailing boats at one club means available Sprites will be infrequent and local to the estuary community. For a buyer, the short list is clear:

  • Verify the hull has been epoxied or recently restored
  • Check plank seams and bilge for rot
  • Inspect centreboard trunk for soundness
  • Confirm rig and symmetric spinnaker gear are complete
  • Join the Blackwater class association for fleet support