[29] The Flying Dutchman is a racing sailboat, initially built of wood, with many modern boats made from fiberglass sandwich construction with a plastic deck.

[1][2][5][6] The boat has a fractional sloop rig, a spooned raked stem, a plumb transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable centerboard.

[1][2][5][6] The boat has many adjustable settings available while sailing, including the genoa halyard, shroud tension and the mast rake.

[6] A Classic Sailboats review noted that "the 'fastest double-handed dinghy in the world' made its Olympic debut in Naples in 1960.

The ideal crewman should be tall, heavy, nimble and smart – not a simple recipe to follow.