YachtDatabase.com

Review of Firebug


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Firebug is a small sailing dinghy designed by the New Zealander maritime architect John Spencer together with Peter Tait in the late eighties. Several hundred boats have been produced.

Here we would have liked to show you nice photos of the Firebug.
If you have a photo you would like to share: Upload Image

Looking for a new boat? Find a Firebug or similar boat for sale

Hull

The hull is made of plywood.


Keel

DaggerBoard aka Sword

The Firebug is equipped with a daggerboard keel. A daggerboard is a lifting keel that can be lowered and raised, allowing the boat to enter shallow waters as well.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.46 - 0.56 meter (1.51 - 1.81 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Firebug is about 19 kg/cm, alternatively 111 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 19 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 111 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Firebug is 2.00.


Sorry, we do not have sufficient statistical information available for this boat to provide a significant reliable analysis.

Maintenance

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Firebug it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.



References