Amphibi-Con 25

Amphibi-Con 25

Development
Designer	E. Farnham Butler and Cyrus Hamlin
Location	United States
Year	1954
No. built	125
Builder(s)	Mount Desert Yachts Sailstar Boat Company Burr Brothers Boats
Role	Racer-Cruiser
Name	Amphibi-Con 25
Boat
Displacement	3,500 lb (1,588 kg)
Draft	4.25 ft (1.30 m) with centerboard down
Hull
Type	monohull
Construction	wood strip or fiberglass
LOA	25.42 ft (7.75 m)
LWL	21.67 ft (6.61 m)
Beam	7.75 ft (2.36 m)
Engine type	outboard motor
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	modified long keel and centerboard
Ballast	1,100 lb (499 kg)
Rudder(s)	keel-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	24.00 ft (7.32 m)
J foretriangle base	9.50 ft (2.90 m)
P mainsail luff	26.75 ft (8.15 m)
E mainsail foot	12.17 ft (3.71 m)
Sails
Sailplan	fractional rigged sloop
Mainsail area	162.77 sq ft (15.122 m2)
Jib/genoa area	114.00 sq ft (10.591 m2)
Total sail area	276.77 sq ft (25.713 m2)
Racing
PHRF	234

The Amphibi-Con 25, often just called the Amphibi-Con, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by E. Farnham Butler and Cyrus Hamlin as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1954. The design was one of the first "trailer sailers" and helped popularize this class of boat. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Production

The design was built by Butler's Mount Desert Yachts, Sailstar Boat Company and Burr Brothers Boats in the United States, starting in 1954. Some were also built in Finland. A total of 125 boats were completed, but it is now out of production. ^{[1] [4] [5] [6]}

Design

The Amphibi-Con 25 is a recreational keelboat, initially built predominantly of glued wooden strip construction. In 1964 the Sailstar Boat Company constructed a mold and built some from fiberglass, with wood trim and these were sold as kits, semi-finished or ready-to-sail. ^{[1] [4]}

The boat has a fractional sloop rig, with a masthead sloop rig optional. The hull has a raked stem, a plumb transom, reverse sheer, a keel-mounted rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed long keel with a cutaway forefoot, plus a retractable centerboard. The wooden version displaces 3,500 lb (1,588 kg) and carries 1,100 lb (499 kg) of lead ballast, while the fiberglass version displaces 4,000 lb (1,814 kg). ^{[1] [4]}

The boat has a draft of 4.25 ft (1.30 m) with the centerboard extended and 2.33 ft (0.71 m) with it retracted, allowing ground transportation on a trailer. ^{[1] [4]}

The boat is normally fitted with a small 6 to 10 hp (4 to 7 kW) outboard motor mounted in an aft lazarette well, for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank is a portable type, while the fresh water tank has a capacity of 20 U.S. gallons (76 L; 17 imp gal). ^{[1] [4]}

The design includes a canvas-covered cabin that allows sunshine and fresh air in fine weather or covering in inclement weather. The boat has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settees in the main cabin. The galley is located on both sides, just aft of the forward cabin. The galley is equipped with a two-burner stove on the starboard side and a sink and icebox on the port side. The head is located just aft of the bow cabin on the port side. Cabin headroom is 68 in (170 cm). ^{[1] [4]}

For sailing the design is equipped with a topping lift that runs from a V-shaped boomkin and may also be fitted with a spinnaker for downwind sailing. ^[4]

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 234 and a hull speed of 6.2 kn (11.5 km/h). ^[4]

Operational history

The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, the Amphibi-con Association. ^[7]

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "among her comp[etitor]s, the A/C 25 is the lightest boat with the least ballast and close to the highest SA/D ratio, indicating that she will be among the liveliest in light air, but with her relatively low Motion Index, will tend to be jumpy in a seaway. We recall spending some time on one of these boats with another couple, and we found it to be comfortable, light, and airy." ^[4]

See also

• List of sailing boat types

References

1. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Amphibi-Con sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
2. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "E. Farnham Butler". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
3. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cyrus Hamlin". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
4. Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 321. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN   978-0-07-163652-0
5. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Mount Desert Yacht Yard". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
6. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Sailstar Boat Co. (USA) 1960-1971". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
7. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Amphibi-Con (Mount Desert Yachts, Controversy)". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.