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Ponzi class, Antigua

Discussion in ' Boat Design ' started by Tiny Turnip , Apr 29, 2019 .

Tiny Turnip Senior Member

Found on Facebook. The class rules seem to be 'measure the pink one.' Whatever rig you like, as far as I can acertain. Sorry, only fb videos, can't find anything on YT: Log into Facebook | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cammi.burgess/videos/2241885892560116/ Log into Facebook | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cammi.burgess/videos/2241882892560416/ Log into Facebook | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cammi.burgess/videos/2241887799226592/ Log into Facebook | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cammi.burgess/videos/2241884392560266/  

Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

Thanks Adrian ! Sail - World - April 25 2019 - Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta: Classics with colour - ( same article on Antigua Nice ) ( ↑ the top red Ponzi Class boat in the post #1 first picture, P6 = Ponzi 6, I'll guess ... ) ‘‘ Joining the mini Regatta for the first time were the Ponzi Class sailboats — Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 17 - 23 April 2019 Joining the mini Regatta for the first time were the Ponzi Class sailboats, the brainchild of Robbie Fabre. Rumour has it he built one for a swimming pool then schemed friends to grow the fleet. Six were in attendance, providing a crayon box of color with rig combinations from a designer's wildest dream. Performance wise, the fleet did well despite the need to paddle during tacking and some random sinking manoeuvres. ’’  

Tiny Turnip said: ↑ The class rules seem to be 'measure the pink one.' Click to expand...

messabout Senior Member

The Name Ponzi does infer that some sort of chicanery is expected and possibly acceptable. Does anyone have the dimensions of that boat. Looks to be about 8 feet ...240 cm long. None of the pictures give a clue as to how wide it is or what the sections look like.  

Haha! Thanks Angel! Yes I thought they must be named after Charles Ponzi, and your photos prove it! definitely. It seems theres 6 or 7 boats in the class and they've been going since late February. Already got sponsored by a rum company.  

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Messabout, I can't find any measurements, apart from worryingly small - the size of a coffin perhaps? They do seem to deploy a safety boat, presumably for carrying the rum, and I suspect they're having a dangerous amount of fun. The Facebook group is public and only goes back to late February. Ponzi Class Racing. There's some constructing pictures if you scroll back. Rectangular cross section perhaps 2 feet wide at most. Also a couple of underwater photos from swimming pool trials. pictures both with centreboards and lee boards. I wonder how they'd go up against puddle duck racers?  

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Joining the mini Regatta for the first time were the Ponzi Class sailboats - Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2019

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State officials awarded a $600,000 grant on Thursday to develop plans for the future preservation of Frank and Joan Randall Preserve.

The 387-acre space just east of the Santa Ana River and north of Pacific Coast Highway is near the borders of Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. The former oil-field is considered one of the last undeveloped plots of coastal real estate in Orange County, and is a habitat for burrowing owls, fairy shrimp, peregrine falcons and other wildlife.

“The Preserve is home to more than 18 sensitive, threatened or endangered species, has the significant potential to serve as a buffer for coastal climate-related impacts, and is adjacent to nearby disadvantaged communities ready for passive recreational use on this land,” Melanie Schlotterbeck of the nonprofit Power In Nature’s Southland Regional stated in a news release announcing the award. “This planning grant is a huge win!”

The Banning Ranch property was acquired and set aside for preservation by two nonprofits, the Trust for Public Land and the organization currently known as the Coastal Corridor Alliance, in 2022. The funding awarded by the state’s Wildlife Conservation Board on Thursday will help the Alliance and the preserve’s current title-holder, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, plan for the future of the open space.

“It also provides the non-federal match required by the $1 million previously award to the Alliance by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,” according to Schlotterbeck.

The grant contributes to a total of $1.785 million the nonprofits have secured to develop strategies to manage resources, protect beachfront portions of the preserve from erosion and maintain sustainable access to the public.

“Creating a nature preserve in an area with so many rare species requires the best possible plan,” stated Terry Welsh, president of Coastal Corridor Alliance’s board. “The Wildlife Conservation Board grant will help fund the necessary work to design a world-class nature park at Randall Preserve/Genga that allows human access, traditional Tribal practices, and rare and sensitive species to thrive.”

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Earwigoagin

Friday, december 4, 2015.

• OD-OY Review: The Peanut Dinghy

"I was just able to obtain 2 Peanuts from The Augusta Sailing Club! I will be taking lines off these boats and restoring both of them. I will be offering plans, kits and complete boats to new members. We will be hosting a National Championship in 2021. You can reach me at the US Peanut Class Association, Jeff Moses, President, 490 N. Stewart St., North Liberty, Iowa 52317. Jmoses9967 (with our good friends over here at) gmail.com and 319 530 9967."

"Arnold R. JOHNSON and his wife Lydia lived in Westo (revive the t!) Islip. She was the class secretary. Plans were $8.50. Fleets raced in the Nationals at West Islip YC and Babylon YC. Arnold worked at Grumman as an engineer. We had a fleet here in Iowa. Bernie Kuse, a professor at ISU in Ames, built several. I owned two. Fleets were in Florida also. Several hundred boats were built.

"My memories of the Peanut were that it was versatile but you needed time to understand how your weight placement in the boat affected its performance. Once you became ‘one’ with the boat (and learned how to hike out properly on the rail), it wanted to go fast but you always had to be prepared for that sudden gust that would tip you over. It could beat the crap out of anything upwind and was pretty easy to get up on a plane while reaching. We raced against a lot of Sunfish/Sailfish back then and we would fall behind on downwind legs and always catch them upwind. They were a lot of fun to race as a class! As a trainer, my dad used the ‘Junior’ rig and a weighted centerboard for stability – as I said, versatile."

"I learned to sail on [a Peanut] as a kid... My dad got the plans and built a Peanut for me. Must have been the mid 60s. I raced it out of the Otsego Sailing Club on Lake Otsego in upstate New York. Also sailed in the National Championships a couple of times in West Islip. So we knew the designer, Arnold Johnson, pretty well. The Johnsons left Long Island and moved to New Hampshire at some point. I remember some of the other sailors - Lou Jones and Axel Paulsen - believe they were TWA pilots and friends of the Johnsons. My boat has been sitting in a friend's barn in Massachusetts for years. It was a great boat to learn how to sail in. Pretty tender. You had to stay on your toes in gusty conditions or it was easily capsized. One comment about some of the photos: the boat didn't initially have a double bottom. It was a good addition given how wet the boat was and how often it went over."

Ed. Note: There is also a Norwegian Peanut sailing dink which was hot-molded and imported into the U.S during the 1960's - another instance of a class sharing a name.

13 comments:

Is it the same as this Peanut sailboat? https://my2fish.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/peanut-sailboat/

my2fish That's the Norwegian Peanut in your post, not the Long Island Peanut. The Norweginan version is a neat sailing dinghy that would varnish up real pretty. I looked at one over at Eastport Yacht Club's dinghy rack. That one was somewhat tattered but still has plenty of yottie character.

As a US Sailing Instructor I have taught several classes in Long Island, NY at the Centerport YC. Recently I found a Norwegian Peanut in a barn in Oklahoma. I plan to restore it. Only thing missing is the sail. If anyone out there has the measurements. Rick Shaw, Sea Scout Ship 5790

Rick, Take a good look at the spars and see if you can determine where the top gaff intersects the main spar (should be some chafing visible to the eye). This should give you the luff measurement. You can get the boom measurement. From My2Fish's article and photo you should be able to guesstimate the leach length. Two battens, not too much roach. Should get you close enough.

Thanks. This is the most info I've seen re:the peanut in many years. I grew up in West Islip and was friends with one of the Johnson kids. They helped me find and buy #10. Alas it is long gone. Would like to hear more as you go forward.

I am in the process of restoring my in-law's Peanut sailing dinghy. Stripped the varnish, applied Deks Oljie 1 and applied marine vanish over. It turned out well. It also came with the original sail. I changed the layout of the sheet by going to a single block with a traveler versus the double block in the center of the boom to open up the center of the boat for passengers. I sailed it for a number of days last year before the restoration and it performed nobly.

Thanks Pat. I always welcome photos. If they are good enough they eventually make their way into my blog. You can find my email over in my profile.

A fleeting thought while sitting at the computer about the boat I learned to sail on as a kid brought me to this page. My dad got the plans and built a Peanut for me. Must have been the mid 60s. I raced it out of the Otsego Sailing Club on Lake Otsego in upstate New York. Also sailed in the National Championships a couple of times in West Islip. So we knew the designer, Arnold Johnson, pretty well. The Johnsons left Long Island and moved to New Hampshire at some point. I remember some of the other sailors - Lou Jones and Axel Paulsen - believe they were TWA pilots and friends of the Johnsons. My boat has been sitting in a friend's barn in Massachusetts for years. It was a great boat to learn how to sail in. Pretty tender. You had to stay on your toes in gusty conditions or it was easily capsized. One comment about some of the photos: the boat didn't initially have a double bottom. It was a good add given how wet the boat was and how often it went over. Roger Errington, Houston, TX, [email protected]

I am one of the Johnson kids (Phil) and thanks to Jeff Moses I found this page. I do indeed have original plans for the Peanut. My dad passed away in 1993 and much history was passed down to me in the form of movies, pictures and plans from the early years, all of which I plan to share with Jeff for the Facebook group. I raced the Red Baron (#7) as a kid, while my brother Paul (Also deceased) raced Snoopy and my dad had #1, Charlie Brown. Roger Errington has a good memory to come up with Lou Jones and Axel Paulson (#9 I believe) - those are a few I remember also. Sadly, I don't have a Peanut in my possession either but would love to find one for my son to sail. I can post some images here as well if the blog approves. Phil Johnson - NH

Phil, Great to hear from you. Would be glad to post some photos. Best to send to my email. From the main page, scroll down to the About Me section on the right side. Click on "View complete profile". On the next page, hover your mouse over "Email" and my email will show up in the lower left corner [email protected].

Is possibile costruction plans peanut for sale

My dad was a Lido 14 sailor, and I was his crew. He built a Peanut class sailboat for us kids in the early-1960s. It was beautiful; all Philippine mahogany and a Sitka spruce mast and rails. Bought the plans by mail order, as well a red and white sail. It was issued the Peanut #32. My sister and I sailed it on the local reservoir in Pomona, CA, and raced in Pomona Valley Sailing Association races. It was fast, easy to get up onto a plane, but also very tippy. Capsized many times. Loved that boat, but when we moved to an area where all the sailing was outside a harbor in open ocean, he sold it as he didn't think it was safe for use anymore in those conditions. I wonder who has it now? Many good memories though of sailing that little boat.

Come posso acquistare i piani del peanut!?

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My Blog List

Most Popular One-Design Sailboats

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

May 23, 2023

‍ Key Takeaways

• A class-legal boats race is for you to compete without special modifications to the boat
• Small boats are typically one-design but some can be up to 30 feet in length
• The two most popular one-design boat brands are Laser and Sunfish
• Each class association is governed by the US Sailing organization
• Youth sailors greatly benefit from one-design classes to help shape sailing skills

‍ One-design class sailboats come in a variety of shapes and sizes. But what are the most popular one-design sailboats?

Popular one-design sailboats include Laser, 49er, I-420, and Ideal 18. Some popular multihull one-design boats are A-Cat, Isotope, and Hobie 16. Various one-design boat brands will cater to specific races and sailor’s needs in order to provide the best experience.

In my experience the Laser is one of the popular one-design brands in existence due to its rich history and sailors loyalty to the brand. Many other brands are right up there with it in terms of quality and performance.

Table of contents

‍ Top 15 Popular One-Design Sailboats

One-design sailboats are an international class of boats meant for solo sailing and racing. One-design racing incorporates virtually identical boats and some of the popular brands today have the best representation of the design class.

The Laser is the most popular racing dinghy across the world. It is a one-design sailboat they use in Olympic regatta and other world sailing events. There have been over 200,000 of these sold worldwide and they feature three rig setups to accommodate anyone that enjoys dinghy sailing.

The 49er is another sailboat that is considered among the best of world class racing sailboats. This small sailboat is a double handed skiff and requires that you have plenty of skill to handle it. The popularity has exploded since its debut in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The I-420 is a one-design class sailboat that is sailed around the world. It is commonly used in sailing schools and clubs for sailors that want to hone their skills as a dinghy racer. This boat is classified as an Olympic Development Class for all athletes trying to join the Olympics.

If you are wanting a blend of high performance competitive sailing without being too difficult then the 470 is the perfect boat. This incredible boat was introduced in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and is still currently used today for many of the races for design classes in the Olympics. These boats are used for the men’s and women’s double handed racing.

A popular one-design keelboat is the Ideal 18 that requires skill rather than any special rigging to win a race. It is one of the easiest boats to rig and is best for single handed sailing. You can use either a roller furling jib or self tacking jib to accommodate your sailing needs.

The A-Cat is part of the International A-Class and is an international developmental class for multihull one-design sailboats. It is 18 feet in length and is regarded as one of the fastest dinghy sailboats in existence. They mirror the quality used in the America’s Cup and are used in many races across North America.

Another one-design multihull that many sailors are switching to is the Isotope . This one-design class is a registered Formula 16HP class boat. At just 16 feet it is one of the fastest one-design multihulls out there.

The Hobie 16 is a one-design multihull sailboat that is one of the most iconic sailboats. It is in the Sailing Hall of Fame and is easy to sail. Sailors have loved this boat for over 45 years with over 100,000 sold worldwide.

The 29er is the younger sibling to the 49er one-design sailboat. This boat is a bit more advanced and perfect for youth that are wanting to take the next step up to the 49er. It has a race class devoted to it and is a great alternative to the Laser series if you have difficulty finding one.

A one-design boat that is geared towards a variety of uses does not get any better than the J/30 . It has the appeal of a racer cruiser and can accommodate all different types of sailing experience. This is perfect for those that want to race but not be tied down to limited options on the boat.

For youth that need a great starter one-design boat the Nacra 15 is a perfect option. It is a semi-foiling multihull that requires teamwork and is perfect for those that are building up the skills to one day be in the Olympics. At just under 16 feet it offers the ease of transportation anywhere the water is available.

The Atlantic is a classic one-design sailboat that is 30 feet in length and is fast. It has a keel and offers stability while remaining fast on the water. For nearly 100 years this 30 foot one-design has been at the top of its class.

Catalina 22

The Catalina 22 was one of the first boats inducted in the 1995 Sailboat Hall of Fame for good reason. It helped revolutionize the trailerable sailboat market and is a great one-design boat for sailing. It is great for the entire family and can be passed on for generations if taken care of properly.

A popular one-design sailboat that typically needs three or four people to sail is the J/22 . Hundreds of J/22 boats have sailed over the years since it was used in the 2004 Olympics. Its design allows it to remain competitive against older boats due to the strict one-design class.

The most iconic one-design sailboat out there is arguably the Sunfish . There are over 500,000 Sunfish boats around the world since the 1950’s and are used in roughly a thousand races a year. The beauty of this one-design is that it can be used as a racing boat or for casual day sailing.

Why One-Design Boats are Used for Racing

Sailing has been primarily used over the course of history to ship goods across waterways. Over time designs changed and people were interested in seeing who was faster than one another.

This led to the design of racing sailboats and were first used in the 1800’s in Greece. Fast forward over 200 years later and there are thousands of boats racing across the world in various competitions.

One-design boats are not only meant for racing and can be used for daysailing depending on the brand. If you want to be on the same playing field and for everyone else to do the same then one-design boats are ideal.

Need for Speed

There is a unique feeling when you see another sailboat just like yours and you have the itch to race it. This has always been a driving force behind racing and it is fueled by sailors that have a competitive outlook.

One-designs are meant to allow your skill shine and not the boat aiding in your ability to win. Dinghy sailing are boats that are under 20 feet and are typically handled by less than three people.

Importance of Design

One-designs are a balance of sport and comfort. Some boats are geared entirely for racing but there are plenty that balance perfectly as a daysailer and a racing boat.

Many will also have keels to provide added stability. A small keelboat is great for those wanting to have a bit more stability if they have a fear of tipping over in the water. Small keelboats are also great for those that are new to sailing and require a little help remaining stable.

Best for Training

If you are an inexperienced sailor or you want your kids to lean how to sail then one-design boats are the best option. Since these design classes all have to be similar depending on the boat length it is easier to learn on these than another type of boat.

This allows youth to easily adapt to the boat without being too overwhelmed or discouraged. It also helps if you start out on a one-design boat and then move up to a more advanced boat with a similar skill set needed to operate it.

In addition you can try out different types of one-design sailboats without having to buy one. This will allow you to get your feet wet with yacht clubs or other solo sailing organizations and have fun trying new boats.

What are One-Design Races?

One-design sailing is where an event of racing takes place and all of the boats that are competing are identical or very similar. The reason that these boats are nearly identical is so that no one competitor has an edge based on their boat rigging or any other special influences.

These races are entirely based on skill with minor help from the boat you are using so that everyone gets a fair shot. Everyone starts at the same time and the first to go across the finish line is the winner.

There is an estimated 200 or more one-design race classes around the US and vary in boat length from eight to 40 feet. These races are narrowed down among various racing organizations and clubs across the world.

Different Types of One-Design Races

There are many versions of one-design racing that sailors can join. This all depends on your experience or potentially a club that you are a part of. In the Olympics you will also see various one-design races.

Match races are quite common among one-design sailing. This is where two sailboats are of the same design or very similar are competing against one another to determine a winner.

The only major difference between the two boats sailing against each other is the crews on board each boat. Depending on the experience of the crew will greatly affect the outcome of the race.

Arguably the most common one-design racing is fleet. This is where either a small handful of boats or even up to 100 at a time can compete to cross a finish line in a given location.

These are great because you have a lot of sailors starting at one spot at the same time in very similar or identical boats. This is the same setup used in the Olympics and is why it is the most common race type.

Sailing clubs are great for building experience and camaraderie among your sailing peers. These can vary on one-design use but most will outline exactly what type of racing is going to be conducted.

These typically use various forms of racing types or one-design sailboats depending on location. In addition you can race to be the best of your club and earn a trophy.

Team racing is a bit different than other races that deliver a winner as soon as they cross the finish line. These are usually a few one-design boats with a few people on board and will award points to those teams depending on how they finish the race. The team that has the lowest amount of points after each race is the winner and it will require a few races to determine a winner.

Regatta races can vary based on location and will use different types of one-design sailboats. These races typically last a few days and will need teammates if the event is geared towards a team event. Most people enjoy regattas since they offer one of the best social interactions lasting a few days.

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to travel hundreds of miles or sail for days on end to reach a destination first then offshore one-design sailing is right for you. These races require extensive knowledge in order to remain safe. They typically have one-design requirements so that everyone is on the same playing field.

If you have disabilities and still want to enjoy sailing then paralympic sailing competitions are right for you. These are one-design sailboat races meant to handle skill and can accommodate to anyone attempting to sail.

Related Articles

I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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2020 Donzi 38 ZRC

• By Charles Plueddeman
• Updated: March 6, 2020

The passion of a lifetime is what might explain our attraction to the Donzi 38 ZRC. Beautiful and powerful, but easy to handle, this fabulous 38-foot speedboat vanished from our lives more than a decade ago. So, finding one bobbing at a boat show this spring is like spying that old flame at the end of the bar. The desire is undeniable.

And for good reason. The 38 ZRC proved fast, fun and attractive, a combination that made it a big hit—and a champion stock-class race boat—during its initial production run, from 2002 until the turmoil of the Great Recession. Yet a great hull remains a great hull, and its performance is even more potent thanks to new powertrain options and technology. So, the return of the Donzi 38 ZRC to production under the Iconic Marine Group banner put a wry smile on this boat tester’s face.

Iconic chose to splash an example of the original two-step 38 ZRC hull to make the new mold, a better option for recreational use than the four-step race version that Donzi also built back in the day. The hull has a 15.5-degree pad at the keel aft that carries the boat at speed (overall deadrise is 23 degrees) and an 8-inch transom notch. Iconic says the hull form has been “blueprinted,” or optimized for its anticipated weight, power, drive and prop application, all of which are new. Adjustments to the shape and location of a strake, for example, can be measured in fractions of an inch and are guided by experience and intuition. “There’s no software program that can re-create the properties of strakes, a pad and steps, and factor in power and aero- and hydrodynamics,” says Jeff Harris, Iconic Marine Group’s chief operating officer.

The 38 ZRC hull and deck are hand-laid using vinylester resin with high-density foam coring. The transom is cored with high-density Coosa composite, and composite sandwich material is used for stringers and bulkheads. We got a good look at the stringers when we opened the foredeck hatches, since there’s no cabin or liner in this boat.

Interior and Accessories

The Donzi 38 ZRC helped popularize the sit-down cockpit for performance boats, which permits a lower-profile top deck and cowl than are required for a boat with stand-up bolsters, lowering the center of gravity a bit. The skipper and helm mate must slither into floor-mounted seats with bolsters that wrap around the thighs to lock each securely in place. The seats, the rather narrow cockpit, and the curved dual canopy-style windscreens combine to create a sensation akin to being tucked into a high-performance sports car. The wheel on our boat was to port with Mercury Racing Digital Zero Effort controls on a center console. A set of digital/analog Livorsi gauges are mirrored port and starboard on the dash, with a Garmin 8610 screen atop the center stack over rows of trim switches. A Mercury VesselView 502 display is mounted on the steering wheel located to starboard. Footrests are adjustable; the seats are not. The cockpit is finished with three bucket seats aft and tall padded inwales. Small stowage compartments are located below each seat, and a pair of insulated and drained compartments are directly abaft the rear seats.

Our test boat boasted maximum power—a pair of normally aspirated 860 hp Mercury Racing 860 9-liter (552 cid) V-8 engines with the quad-cam four-valve cylinder heads—in a staggered installation, mated to Mercury Racing M6 sterndrives. As high-performance engines go, these 860s are pretty easy to live with. They are covered by a two-year warranty, require 89-octane fuel, and won’t need a factory refresh for 300 hours, according to Mercury Racing.

With champion racer Billy Moore at the throttles, we ran the Donzi on a cool day with flat water on the Pamlico River in North Carolina. The boat hopped on plane with minimal prop slip, and from a cruising speed of 50 to 70 mph, leaped ahead when fed more throttle. The boat felt rock-solid as we clocked a top speed of 116 mph. Moore was still fine-tuning the props and setup, and has since reported a routine 120 mph top speed with the same boat. Our previous reviews of this boat praised its confident and controlled handling in confused chop (think Lake of the Ozarks), conditions we did not experience on this test. We can say that the sit-down cockpit and canopies combine to enhance the sensation of speed; the wind blast roars overhead while the helm area remains calm.

Alternatives in this sit-down performance segment are limited (unless you shop pre-owned), but you might consider the open-cockpit 43-foot-5-inch Outerlimits SV-43 ($799,000 base price with twin Mercury Racing 860 engines), a semi-custom speedster that is longer, wider and lighter than the Donzi, and has a cabin. It’s also much more expensive.

While the 38 ZRC was on hiatus, some performance boaters migrated to sport cats and luxury center-consoles. Maybe the 38 ZRC will spur a revival of classic V-bottom speedboats—rigs that go fast, ride and handle well, and look flat-out sexy doing it.

How We Tested

• Engines: Twin staggered Mercury Racing 860s/Mercury Racing M6 outdrives
• Prop: Mercury Racing CNC Cleaver 17″ x 31″ 5- blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 1.496:1 Fuel Load: 140 gal. Crew Weight: 430 lb.

High Points

• Pop-off steering wheel eases access to the helm seat.
• Canopy windscreens are distortion-free.
• This fast poker-run machine handles better than a cat and looks sexier than a center-console.
• Loud exhaust will earn dirty looks in the marina.
• Canopies funnel a wind blast right onto the rear-seat passengers.
• No cabin and minimal storage.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

Donzi Marine/Iconic Marine Group – Washington, North Carolina; 252-975-2000; donzimarine.com

• More: 30-40ft , boat tests , Boats , donzi , March 2020 , Performance Boats , Sterndrives

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17 Sailboat Types Explained: How To Recognize Them

Ever wondered what type of sailboat you're looking at? Identifying sailboats isn't hard, you just have to know what to look for. In this article, I'll help you.

Every time I'm around a large number of sailboats, I look around in awe (especially with the bigger ones). I recognize some, but with most of them, I'll have to ask the owner. When they answer, I try to hide my ignorance. The words don't make any sense!

So here's a complete list with pictures of the most common sailboat types today. For each of them, I'll explain exactly where the name comes from, and how you can recognize it easily.

So here's my list of popular sailboat types, explained:

Bermuda sloop, sailing hydrofoil, dutch barge, chinese junk, square-rigged tall ship, in conclusion, how to recognize any sailboat.

Before we get started, I wanted to quickly explain what you should look for when you try to identify a sailboat.

The type of sailboat is always determined by one of these four things:

• The type of hull
• The type of keel
• The number of masts
• And the type of sails and rig

The hull is the boat's body. There are basically three hull types: monohull, catamaran, and trimaran. Simply said: do I see one hull, two hulls (catamaran) or three hulls (trimaran)? Most sailboats are monohulls.

Next, there is the keel type. The keel is the underwater part of the hull. Mostly, you won't be able to see that, because it's underwater. So we'll leave that for now.

The sail plan

The last factor is the number of masts and the sail plan. The sail plan, simply put, is the number of sails, the type of sails, and how the sails are mounted to the masts (also called rigging ).

Sailboat are mostly named after the sail plan, but occasionally, a sail type is thrown in there as well.

So now we know what to pay attention to, let's go and check out some sailboats!

Dinghies are the smallest and most simple sailboats around.

They are your typical training sailboats. Small boats with an open hull, with just one mast and one sail. Perfect for learning the ways of the wind.

On average, they are between 6 and 20 ft long. Mostly sailed single-handed (solo). There's no special rigging, just the mainsail. The mainsail is commonly a Bermuda (triangular) mainsail. Dinghies have a simple rudder stick and no special equipment or rigging.

Dinghies are great for learning how to sail. The smaller the boat, the better you feel the impact of your trim and actions.

How to recognize a sailing dinghy:

• short (8ft)
• one Bermuda sail
• open hull design
• rudder stick

Common places to spot them: lakes, near docks

If you'd ask a kid to draw a sailboat, she'll most probably draw this one. The Bermuda Sloop is the most popular and most common sailboat type today. You'll definitely recognize this one.

How to recognize a Bermuda Sloop:

• triangular mainsail (called a Bermuda sail)
• a foresail (also called the jib)
• fore-and-aft rigged
• medium-sized (12 - 50 ft)

Fore-and-aft rigged just means "from front to back". This type of rigging helps to sail upwind.

Any sailboat with one mast and two sails could still be a sloop. Even if the sails are another shape or rigged in another way. For example, here's a gaff-rigged sloop (more on the gaff rig later):

If you want to learn all about sail rigs, check out my full Guide to Understanding Sail Rig Types here. It has good infographics and explains it in more detail

The Bermuda sloop has a lot of advantages over other sailboat types (which is why it's so popular):

• the Bermuda rig is very maneuverable and pretty fast in almost all conditions
• it's really versatile
• you can sail it by yourself without any problems
• it's a simple setup

Common places to spot a sloop: everywhere. Smaller sloops are more common for inland waters, rivers, and lakes. Medium-sized and large sloops are very popular cruising boats.

Cutters have one mast but three or more sails. Most cutters are Bermuda rigged, which means they look a lot like sloops.

How to recognize a cutter:

• looks like a sloop
• two or more headsails instead of one
• commonly one mast
• sometimes an extra mast with mainsail

Cutters have more sail area, which makes them faster, but also harder to sail single-handed. There's also more strain on the mast and rigging.

Common places to spot a cutter: everywhere. Cutters are very popular for cruising.

They mostly have a Bermuda rig, which means triangular sails. But there are also gaff cutters and naval cutters, and some have two masts.

Here's an example of a two-masted naval cutter with an extra gaff mainsail and top gaff:

The Hydrofoil is a pretty new sailboat design. It's a racing sailboat with thin wing foils under the hull. These lift up the hull, out of the water, reducing the displacement to nearly zero. The foils create downforce and keep it from lifting off entirely.

This makes the hydrofoil extremely fast and also impressive.

The hydrofoil refers to the keel type. There are both monohull and multihull hydrofoils.

How to recognize a hydrofoil:

• it flies above the waterline and has small fins

Common places to spot a hydrofoil: at racing events

Famous catamaran: La Vagabonde from Sailing La Vagabonde

A catamaran is a type of cruising and racing multihull sailboat with two hulls. The hulls are always the same size.

Most catamarans have a standard Bermuda rig. The catamaran refers to the hull, so it can have any number of masts, sails, sail types and rig type.

How to recognize a catamaran:

• any boat with two hulls is called a catamaran

Common places to spot catamarans: coastal waters, The Caribbean, shallow reefs

The advantages of a catamaran: Catamarans heel less than monohulls and are more buoyant. Because of the double hull, they don't need as deep a keel to be stable. They have a smaller displacement, making them faster. They also have a very shallow draft. That's why catamarans are so popular in the Caribbean, where there's lots of shallow water.

Catamarans are nearly impossible to capsize:

"Compared with a monohull, a cruising catamaran sailboat has a high initial resistance to heeling and capsize—a fifty-footer requires four times the force to initiate a capsize than an equivalent monohull." Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize a trimaran:

• any boat with three hulls is called a trimaran

Trimarans have three hulls, so it's a multi-hull design. It's mostly a regular monohull with two smaller hulls or floaters on the sides. Some trimarans can be trailered by winching in the auxiliary hulls, like this:

This makes them very suitable for long-term cruising, but also for regular docking. This is great for crowded areas and small berths, like in the Mediterranean. It sure is more cost-effective than the catamaran (but you also don't have the extra storage and living space!).

Common places to spot Trimarans: mostly popular for long-term cruising, you'll find the trimaran in coastal areas.

Gaffer refers to gaff-rigged, which is the way the sails are rigged. A gaff rig is a rectangular sail with a top pole, or 'spar', which attaches it to the mast. This pole is called the 'gaff'. To hoist the mainsail, you hoist this top spar with a separate halyard. Most gaffers carry additional gaff topsails as well.

Gaff rigs are a bit less versatile than sloops. Because of the gaff, they can have a larger sail area. So they will perform better with downwind points of sail. Upwind, however, they handle less well.

How to recognize a gaffer:

• sail is rectangular
• mainsail has a top pole (or spar)

Since a gaffer refers to the rig type, and not the mast configuration or keel type, all sailboats with this kind of rigging can be called 'gaffers'.

Common places to spot a gaffer: Gaffers are popular inland sailboats. It's a more traditional rig, being used recreationally.

Schooners used to be extremely popular before sloops took over. Schooners are easy to sail but slower than sloops. They handle better than sloops in all comfortable (cruising) points of sail, except for upwind.

How to recognize a schooner:

• mostly two masts
• smaller mast in front
• taller mast in the back
• fore-and-aft rigged sails
• gaff-rigged mainsails (spar on top of the sail)

Common places to spot a schooner: coastal marinas, bays

How to recognize a ketch:

• medium-sized (30 ft and up)
• smaller mast in back
• taller mast in front
• both masts have a mainsail

The ketch refers to the sail plan (mast configuration and type of rig). Ketches actually handle really well. The back mast (mizzenmast) powers the hull, giving the skipper more control. Because of the extra mainsail, the ketch has shorter masts. This means less stress on masts and rigging, and less heel.

Common places to spot a ketch: larger marinas, coastal regions

How to recognize a yawl:

• main mast in front
• much smaller mast in the back
• back mast doesn't carry a mainsail

The aft mast is called a mizzenmast. Most ketches are gaff-rigged, so they have a spar at the top of the sail. They sometimes carry gaff topsails. They are harder to sail than sloops.

The yawl refers to the sail plan (mast configuration and type of rig).

Common places to spot a yawl: they are not as popular as sloops, and most yawls are vintage sailboat models. You'll find most being used as daysailers on lakes and in bays.

Dutch Barges are very traditional cargo ships for inland waters. My hometown is literally littered with a very well-known type of barge, the Skutsje. This is a Frisian design with leeboards.

Skutsjes don't have a keel but use leeboards for stability instead, which are the 'swords' or boards on the side of the hull.

How to recognize a Dutch Barge:

• most barges have one or two masts
• large, wooden masts
• leeboards (wooden wings on the side of the hull)
• mostly gaff-rigged sails (pole on top of the sail, attached to mast)
• a ducktail transom

The clipper is one of the latest sailboat designs before steam-powered vessels took over. The cutter has a large cargo area for transporting cargo. But they also needed to be fast to compete with steam vessels. It's a large, yet surprisingly fast sailboat model, and is known for its good handling.

This made them good for trade, especially transporting valuable goods like tea or spices.

How to recognize a Clipper:

• mostly three masts
• square-rigged sails
• narrow but long, steel hull

Common places to spot a clipper: inland waters, used as houseboats, but coastal waters as well. There are a lot of clippers on the Frisian Lakes and Waddenzee in The Netherlands (where I live).

This particular junk is Satu, from the Chesapeake Bay Area.

The Chinese Junk is an ancient type of sailboat. Junks were used to sail to Indonesia and India from the start of the Middle Ages onward (500 AD). The word junk supposedly comes from the Chinese word 'jung', meaning 'floating house'.

How to recognize a Chinese junk:

• medium-sized (30 - 50 ft)
• large, flat sails with full-length battens
• stern (back of the hull) opens up in a high deck
• mostly two masts (sometimes one)
• with two mainsails, sails are traditionally maroon
• lug-rigged sails

The junk has a large sail area. The full-length battens make sure the sails stay flat. It's one of the flattest sails around, which makes it good for downwind courses. This also comes at a cost: the junk doesn't sail as well upwind.

The cat rig is a sail plan with most commonly just one mast and one sail, the mainsail.

Most sailing dinghies are cats, but there are also larger boats with this type of sail plan. The picture above is a great example.

How to recognize a cat rig:

• smaller boats
• mostly one mast
• one sail per mast
• no standing rigging

Cat-rigged refers to the rigging, not the mast configuration or sail type. So you can have cats with a Bermuda sail (called a Bermuda Cat) or gaff-rigged sail (called a Gaff Cat), and so on. There are also Cat Ketches and Cat Schooners, for example. These have two masts.

The important thing to know is: cats have one sail per mast and no standing rigging .

Most typical place to spot Cats: lakes and inland waters

Famous brig: HMS Beagle (Charles Darwin's ship)

A brig was a very popular type of small warship of the U.S. navy during the 19th century. They were used in the American Revolution and other wars with the United Kingdom. They carry 10-18 guns and are relatively fast and maneuverable. They required less crew than a square-rigged ship.

How to recognize a brig:

• square-rigged foremast
• mainmast square-rigged or square-rigged and gaff-rigged

How to recognize a tall ship:

• three or four masts
• square sails with a pole across the top
• multiple square sails on each mast
• a lot of lines and rigging

Square-rigged ships, or tall ships, are what we think of when we think of pirate ships. Now, most pirate ships weren't actually tall ships, but they come from around the same period. They used to be built from wood, but more modern tall ships are nearly always steel.

Tall ships have three or four masts and square sails which are square-rigged. That means they are attached to the masts with yards.

We have the tall ship races every four years, where dozens of tall ships meet and race just offshore.

Most common place to spot Tall Ships: Museums, special events, open ocean

This is a bonus type since it is not very common anymore. As far as I know, there's only one left.

The Trabaccolo is a small cargo ship used in the Adriatic Sea. It has lug sails. A lug rig is a rectangular sail, but on a long pole or yard that runs fore-and-aft. It was a popular Venetian sailboat used for trade.

The name comes from the Italian word trabacca , which means tent, referring to the sails.

How to recognize a Trabaccolo:

• wide and short hull
• sails look like a tent

Most common place to spot Trabaccolo's: the Marine Museum of Cesenatico has a fully restored Trabaccolo.

So, there you have it. Now you know what to look for, and how to recognize the most common sailboat types easily. Next time you encounter a magnificent sailboat, you'll know what it's called - or where to find out quickly.

I loved this article. I had no idea there were so many kinds of sailboats.

i have a large sailing boat about 28ft. that im having a difficult time identifying. it was my fathers & unfortunately hes passed away now. any helpful information would be appreciated.

Jorge Eusali Castro Archbold

I find a saleboat boat but i can find the módem…os registré out off bru’x, and the saleboat name is TADCOZ, can you tell me who to go about this matter in getting info.thank con voz your time…

Leave a comment

You may also like, guide to understanding sail rig types (with pictures).

There are a lot of different sail rig types and it can be difficult to remember what's what. So I've come up with a system. Let me explain it in this article.

The Ultimate Guide to Sail Types and Rigs (with Pictures)

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