Price comparison

What does a new Javelin cost in 2025, and how does that stack up against history and rival classes?

The Javelin’s new boat price is about £25,000. In 1979 a brand-new Javelin was £3,500. Using the Bank of England’s inflation calculator, £3,500 in 1979 equates to roughly £22,600 in 2025, so today’s list is only about 10-11% above long-run UK inflation.

That is a tight spread for a high performance two-person trapeze dinghy that has had significant materials and fit-out improvements over the decades, which strongly suggests good value. 

An Osprey, ready to sail lists £26,995.99 including VAT. That is slightly above the Javelin’s £25,000 indication. Wheras the International 505, Ovington lists the hull at £15,357.30 including VAT, and a North American dealer quotes about $50,000 plus for a fully rigged, turn-key 505. Once you add carbon spars, foils, hardware, sails, covers, trolley and trailer, a complete 505 package typically lands well above the bare-hull price and, in many real-world builds, in the same ballpark or higher than a new Javelin.

Flying Dutchman, the class remains active with modern composite builds, but new-boat pricing is usually on request from specialist builders. As a rough anchor, a forum post cited a full Mader boat at about €30,430 including VAT in 2014 and current US classifieds show recent all-carbon boats from about $19,500 to $22,000 used, implying that a brand-new FD today would sit well into premium territory. 

Takeaway, compared with peers, a new Javelin at about £25,000 looks keenly priced next to an Osprey ready to sail, and competitive once you cost a complete 505, while the Flying Dutchman tends to occupy a more expensive niche.

To give indicative guide prices, apply compound depreciation at 3 percent per year to a notional £25,000 new price. Real boats vary with hull condition, sail wardrobe, foils, covers, electronics, trailer, provenance and results, so treat this as a starting point for buyer and seller discussions.

Provided that your Javelin has been looked after and kept up to date with the modern systems and reasonably good condition sails and a ready to use road trailer, the second hand market prices shown below are a good guide for buying or selling a Javelin. Javelins offer better value second hand as they often have more than one set of sails and spare parts, wheras buying the separately can be more expensive.