Back

The little boat that does it all

Here's the Fliptail 6 sailing in Port Grimaud despite the fact that there is hardly any breeze at all. See how it tacks and sails under the bridge making headway with apparently no wind at all!

You get a lot of looks when you sail a Fliptail dinghy, people always want to know more about it. Sometimes it takes ages to launch because so many people come and ask questions about it.

In calm water or in waves, the Fliptail excels. It is a well proven and much loved design.

Just like the other boats in the range, the Fliptail 9 also sails with just a breath of air and yet it is incredibly stable and spacious enough for a whole family to enjoy.

Obviously it weighs more than the smaller versions and is longer but it folds just as flat and just as quickly.

This is the Fliptail 9. It is the largest of the Fliptail family. As you can see it too can plane at high speed. Its hull is so efficient that it can get up on the plane with just a tiny 2.5 hp outboard motor.

The Fliptail 9 has proven a very popular design. The most popular Fliptail is the 7 foot version but the 9 footer is not far behind. The 7 foot sells about 40%, the 9 about 35% and the 6 accounts for about a quarter of all sales.

The Fliptail 6 is so light that it can sail even with almost no wind at all. Just the merest breath is enough to sail a Fliptail dinghy.

They sail well up and down wind, tack quickly and are stiff and able to stand up to quite a breeze.

For beginners and experienced sailors alike, the Fliptail is a very competent and satisfying boat to sail. With its simple sprit sail rig and drop in unstayed mast it's quick to set up.

That same flat bottom which delivers such stability allows another unusual feature and that is the ability to plane. Yes, the Fliptail can plane at speeds of up to 14 knots which is very impressive.

This is the Fliptail 6 and it is planing with a 3.3 hp outboard engine. There are no other boats with this kind of capability. There are none that assemble so fast, manage to row, plane and sail and be so simply towed or stowed.

And on top of all this functionality is that fact that they are just great fun to play with. Stable, safe and fun!

This is the Fliptail 6 being rowed. It is very easy to row because it is so light. Despite its small dimensions it is actually a lot more practical and feels larger than many larger dinghies. This is because the rounded shape means more interior volume.

When using the Fliptail you sit on the drop down floors which means you never get a wet bottom unlike most boats who do not have this feature. Sitting down low keeps you out of the elements better and lowers the boat's centre of gravity making it even more stable than it is already.

The tremendous stability always surprises people and it is fair to say that great stability is a rare thing in very small boats.

These videos show the Woodenwidget Fliptail dinghy which is fundamentally the same as the Foldina only made with a wooden frame. They perform almost exactly the same. The Fliptail is Woodenwidget's most popular dinghy design selling almost 1500 units since its introduction in 2011. It is available in 6,7 and 9 foot vesions.

The video here shows the Fliptail 6 sailing in a stiff breeze. As you can see it is very stable and despite its short length moves very nicely. The mast is unstayed which allows the boat to be set up for sailing very quickly. The keel is bolted to one side of the boat. This ensures no leaks and a bigger interior volume. The keel kicks up automatically should it touch bottom or hit something.