Firebug (dinghy)

The Firebug is a class of sailing dinghy that was designed by John Spencer and Peter Tait of Auckland, New Zealand in 1995.

It is a 2.4 m (8 foot) long sailing dinghy designed to be built quickly and easily by builders with no previous experience of boatbuilding.

Unusually among modern dinghy designs, the rig is provided with reef points to allow lighter or less experienced sailors to continue to participate, when stronger winds are forecast.

[3] Since then, active fleets have been established in Australia[5] and New Zealand and over 1,000 boats have been built in places as diverse as Malta, Samoa and Georgia on the Black Sea.

[6] The New Zealand Ministry of Education funds schools to build FireBugs for the full cost of the boat, plus an extra 5% to allow for tools.