Designers Choice

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Designers Choice
Designers Choice Sail Badge.png
Class symbol
Development
Designer Sparkman & Stephens
Location United States
Year1978
No. built1500
Builder(s) Howmar Boats
Role Sailing dinghy
NameDesigners Choice
Boat
Boat weight 315 lb (143 kg)
Draft 3.00 ft (0.91 m) with the centerboard down
Hull
Type Monohull
Construction Fiberglass
LOA 14.87 ft (4.53 m)
LWL 12.75 ft (3.89 m)
Beam 6.08 ft (1.85 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typecenterboard
Rudder(s)transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type Bermuda rig
Sails
Sailplan Fractional rigged sloop
Mainsail area82 sq ft (7.6 m2)
Jib/genoa area38 sq ft (3.5 m2)
Total sail area120 sq ft (11 m2)
Racing
D-PN 101.3
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The Designers Choice is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a sail training and racing boat and first built in 1978. It was Sparkman & Stephens' design #2349. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The Designers Choice was later developed into the Shadow, by making the cockpit longer and deeper and adding internal seating. [1]

Production

The design was built by Howmar Boats in the United States starting in 1978. A total of 1,500 boats were produced, but the company went out of business in 1983 and the boat went out of production at that time. [1] [3] [4]

Design

The Designers Choice is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fiberglass. The hull design is flat aft, so the boat will plane. It has a fractional sloop rig with anodized aluminum spars and a loose-footed mainsail. The hull has a slightly raked stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung, kick-up rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable centerboard. The forward part of the boat is open, without a foredeck. The aft deck includes a small stowage locker. The cockpit is self-draining. The boat displaces 315 lb (143 kg). [1] [3]

The boat has a draft of 3.00 ft (0.91 m) with the centerboard extended and 5 in (13 cm) with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. [1]

For sailing the design is equipped with an outhaul, boom vang, a Cunningham and a jib window. It is also fitted with foam flotation for buoyancy, hiking straps and may also be optionally equipped with a spinnaker for sailing downwind. [3]

The boat may be fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. [3]

The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 101.3 and is raced with a maximum crew weight of 900 lb (408 kg). [3]

Operational history

In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "this is a combination boat, meant for training, racing, or general sailing. The Designers Choice has curved sections forward and is relatively dry. With flat surfaces aft, she planes." [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Javelin, also called the Javelin 14 and O'Day Javelin is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Uffa Fox as a one-design racer and first built in 1960.

Lightning (dinghy) Sailboat class

The Lightning is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens, as a one-design racer and first built in 1938.

The Blue Jay is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Drake Sparkman of Sparkman & Stephens as a trainer for the Lightning one-design racer. The Blue Jay was first built in 1947.

Shields (keelboat) Sailboat class

The Shields, also called the Shields 30 and the Shields One-Design, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens as a one design racer and first built in 1962.

The Rhodes 19 is an American trailerable day sailer or sailing dinghy, that was designed by Philip Rhodes as a one-design racer and first built in 1958.

The Sabre 38 is an American sailboat that was designed by Roger Hewson and the Sabre Design Team as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1981.

The Irwin 41 is an American sailboat that was designed by Ted Irwin as a cruiser and first built in 1982.

The Interclub Dinghy is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a one-design racer and first built in 1946. It is sailed in frostbite racing on the US east coast, particularly on Long Island Sound. Frostbite races are the series held after the normal sailing season is finished.

The Howmar 12, sometimes written Howmar Twelve, is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Craig V. Walters of Sparkman & Stephens as a one-design racer, trainer and day sailer and first built in 1983.

The Skipjack 15 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Harry R. Sindle and Carter Pyle and first built in 1965.

The Precision 16 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Stephen Seaton and first built in 1982.

The Dolphin 17 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Glenn Corcoran and Murray Corcoran and first built in 1970.

The Cape Cod Mercury 15, also called the Mercury Sloop and just the Mercury, is an American trailerable sailboat and sailing dinghy, that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens and first built in 1940.

The Weekender 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser and first built in 1965. It was Sparkman & Stephens design number 1701-C1.

The D&M 22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as an International Offshore Rule Quarter Ton class racer and first built in 1971. The boat is Sparkman & Stephens' design #2090.

The Elite 25, also called the Feeling 720 NV, is a French trailerable sailboat that was designed by Michel Joubert of Joubert-Nivelt as a cruiser and first built in 1982.

The Eolia 25 is a French trailerable sailboat that was designed by Philippe Briand as a coastal cruiser and first built in 1983.

The New Horizons 26 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser and first built in 1958. It was Sparkman & Stephens design #1235.

The Sailmaster 22 is a Dutch and American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser and daysailer and first built in 1963. It was Sparkman & Stephens design #1743.

The Seafarer 23 Kestrel is an Dutch trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens in daysailer and cruiser models, first built in 1963.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Designers Choice sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  2. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Sparkman & Stephens". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 48-49. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN   0-395-65239-1
  4. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Howmar Boats Inc. 1970 - 1983". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
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