More than ten thousand Butterflies have been built. The boat remains a nationally established one-design governed by the National Butterfly Association, with annual singlehanded and doubles national regattas supported by a deep network of local fleets.
Design and Construction
Barnett’s design is a chine-less scow with a sealed hull and deck, plus internal flotation. The footwell is molded into the deck, leaving the hull completely airtight. As a result, the boat is swamp-proof and carries enough foam to float the boat and crew together.
A spray rail runs across the deck to keep water out of the footwell. The generous 54-inch beam and 15-inch hull depth help keep the boat notably dry while adding capacity. The glass finish is careful, while the woodwork has hand-rubbed varnish. Mahogany handrails provide secure handholds and toe grips.
The class has received incremental updates over the years. According to the builder, these changes made newer boats stronger and longer-lived without altering their performance.
Rig and Handling
The Butterfly has a cat rig with no jib. Its stayed, rotating mast steps on a rounded deck hardpoint and is held by three steel cables with quick-connect adjustable fittings.
The 18-foot mast separates into two nine-foot sections, so its packed length is shorter than the hull. Everything else can be stowed in the footwell. One person can step or strike the mast in a couple of minutes. The sail runs on a bolt rope in a mast slot, which lets even younger children hoist it and allows the mast to remain stepped when sailing pauses for the day.
A daggerboard and spring-assisted alloy rudder make it possible to launch and recover from sand, grass, or a trailer. The toe rails can also serve as a makeshift mainsheet traveler by looping the sheet around their rounded forward ends. The mast includes provision for a custom boom vang.
Cockpit and Everyday Use
The Butterfly is a daysailer and trainer, not a cruiser. Its footwell measures a roomy 25 by 15 inches and is 15 inches deep—deeper than those of most boats in its size and weight class. Adults well over six feet can sail it comfortably, and it can carry several people within its 600-pound crew capacity.
At roughly 135 pounds of hull weight, the Butterfly is light enough for one person to launch. Two people can lift it from a car roof, and it can be carried on a car top or towed on a small trailer.
Many yacht clubs and camps use the Butterfly as a junior training boat. Old and new boats also continue to race side by side, and the boat remains a regatta favorite.
Known Issues and Capsize Recovery
The one documented weak point is the toe rails. A close inspection of a 1977 example found them loose and badly repaired, and the reviewer called this the most common issue with these boats.
Otherwise, the sealed construction and foam flotation make a capsize uneventful. The hull rides high, the boat is easy to recover, and it comes upright with the footwell still dry.
Maintenance and Ownership
The Butterfly is designed to be virtually maintenance-free. Updates over the years have improved build quality, while the one-design rulebook has kept the class identical enough that a well-kept older hull can remain competitive with a new one.
The factory-supplied wooden tiller incorporates a folding metal hiking stick. Together with the kick-up alloy rudder and solid wooden daggerboard, these are the parts worth retaining or replacing like-for-like.
The Verdict
The Butterfly is a rare thing: a one-design more than fifty years old that still suits both a child learning to hike and a serious racer. The class has never drifted from Barnett’s 1962 specification, so old and new boats can compete together.
It is dry, unsinkable in practice, easy to transport, and inexpensive to maintain. Its only recurring fault is repairable loosening of the toe rails.
Pros
- Sealed, foam-filled hull is swamp-proof and easy to right
- Deep, roomy footwell suits tall adults and small crews
- Two-piece mast and 135-pound hull make solo trailering and launching realistic
- Stable class rules keep old and new boats genuinely competitive
Cons
- Toe rails are prone to loosening and poor repairs
- No jib and, by the nature of the design, minimal accommodation beyond the footwell
