The Wayfarer is a wooden or fibreglass hulled fractional Bermuda rigged sailing dinghy of great versatility; it can be used for short 'day boat' trips, for longer cruises and for racing.

Longer trips are undertaken by enthusiasts, notably Frank Dye who sailed W48 'Wanderer' from Scotland to Iceland and Norway, crossing the North Sea twice.

[4][5] The Wayfarer's size, stability and seaworthiness have made it popular with sailing schools, and led it to be used as a family boat in a wide variety of locations.

This was the original wooden Wayfarer designed in 1957 to be manufactured by Small Craft Limited and also by amateur builders working from authorised kits, using the measured templates and jigs supplied, with a hull and deck made from plywood.

Both forward and aft buoyancy compartments are fitted with large watertight hatches and this provides ample stowage space for cruising.

The large floor space with flat floorboards and good clearance under thwart makes the Mark I a comfortable boat for two people to sleep in, when a boom-tent is erected for shelter.

Side buoyancy compartments gave this model a tendency to invert, and those owned by sailing schools soon sported socks filled with polystyrene to provide a righting moment when capsized.

[10] This GRP model was introduced in 1987, combining the structural improvements of the Mark II with greater storage space in the bow.

A horizontal bulkhead divides the bow buoyancy tank, and both the upper and lower sections have large access hatches creating secure stowage spaces.

Made in GRP with no woodwork it has a removable aft storage tank, a self draining cockpit, and a spinnaker chute.

[12] An updated version (incorporating the 2008 design improvements by Phil Morrison of the Mark IV) is scheduled to begin future production in Canada; the "Wayfarer Cruiser" includes an optional asymmetrical spinnaker, which would not be allowed in racing.

[14][15] It has been pointed out by some experienced sailors that designs closer to the original Mark 1 boats are more suitable for cruising because of their better stability and storage spaces.