Whiting 1/4 Ton Sailboats for Sale & Market Overview

Hull type

Monohull · fin

Rig

Fractional Sloop

LOA

25.58' · 7.8 m

Displ.

2,271 lbs · 1,030 kg

First year

1977

The Whiting 1/4 Tonner, immortalized by the legendary prototype Magic Bus, remains a hallmark of New Zealand’s dominance in the International Offshore Rule (IOR) era during the mid1970s. Designed by the late Paul Whiting—a visionary whose career was tragically cut short at sea—this model was engineered to exploit the nuances of the Quarter Ton rating with a focus on lightair performance and surfing capabilities. The design famously challenged the international status quo at the 1976 Quarter Ton World Championship in Corpus Christi, where its "skifflike" performance secured a historic victory. The production evolution of this racing pedigree is most commonly found in the Whiting 26, which utilized the same highperformance hull lines while making concessions for clublevel racing and limited coastal cruising.