| FIREFLY |
Firefly is an adaptation of Dragonfly, and at the time of writing, only the prototype has been built. The boats look almost identical, though there are a few differences. Firefly is 9 inches longer, and her amas are just over a foot longer. The extra length is at the transoms in an effort to reduce squatting. Her akas are round aluminum extrusions rather than spar sections. The after aka goes through the boat abaft the cockpit rather than forward of the helmsman, so there's more cockpit space.
The large rig, the same as that of the now-defunct Stiletto 23, covers 410 square feet, rotates, and has the only boomless main among the boats here. The lack ,of a boom is always a pleasure, and because of its short foot, I didn't notice much sacrifice of performance off the wind.
Firefly is the only boat in the group to carry a centerboard, which may account for its feeling slower than the Dragonfly. The builder, Brian Eiland, will put flaps on the boats if the slot proves to be a major problem. The absence of a daggerboard does open up the cabin considerably; the trunk fits under the starboard settee. Eiland is also working on ways to shorten the set up and breakdown time for trailer sailors.
