Bay Hen 21

Bay Hen 21

Development
Designer	Reuben Trane
Location	United States
Year	1984
Builder(s)	Florida Bay Boat Company 1984-1987 Mirage Fiberglass 1988-1991 Custom Fiberglass 1992-1997 Sovereign America 1997 Nimble Boats 1998-2003
Role	Cruiser
Name	Bay Hen 21
Boat
Displacement	900 lb (408 kg)
Draft	3.50 ft (1.07 m) with a centerboard down
Hull
Type	monohull
Construction	fiberglass
LOA	21.00 ft (6.40 m)
LWL	18.25 ft (5.56 m)
Beam	6.25 ft (1.91 m)
Engine type	outboard motor
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	centerboard
Ballast	none
Rudder(s)	transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	Gaff rigged catboat
Sails
Sailplan	catboat
Mainsail area	175.00 sq ft (16.258 m2)
Total sail area	175.00 sq ft (16.258 m2)

The Bay Hen 21 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Reuben Trane as a pocket cruiser and first built in 1984. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Production

The design was built by a series of builders in the United States, but it is now out of production. These include the Florida Bay Boat Company 1984–1987, Mirage Fiberglass 1988–1991, Custom Fiberglass 1992–1997, Sovereign America 1997 and Nimble Boats 1998–2003. ^{[1] [3] [5]}

Design

The boat is based upon the Lightfoot Sharpie open boat daysailer that was designed by Bob Johnson, creator of the Island Packet Yachts series of boats. The Florida Bay Boat Company, owned by Trane bought the molds and Trane designed a new deck and cabin for the hull to create the Bay Hen 21. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

The Bay Hen 21 is a recreational sharpie, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It is a gaff rigged catboat with a single mainsail; a plumb stem; an angled transom; a shallow-draft, transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and twin, retractable centerboards, mounted side by side in separate trunks. It displaces 900 lb (408 kg) and carries no ballast. ^{[1] [3]}

The boat has a draft of 3.50 ft (1.07 m) with a centerboard extended and 9 in (23 cm) with both retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. ^{[1] [3]}

The boat is normally fitted with a small 2 to 5 hp (1 to 4 kW) outboard motor, mounted in a stern well, which is forward of the rudder, for docking and maneuvering. ^{[1] [3]}

The design has sleeping accommodation for two people, with a double berth in the cabin, that can be folded into a settee. The galley is located under the companionway ladder and is a pull-out design. A hatch is provided forward for ventilation. Cabin headroom is 39 in (99 cm). ^{[1] [3]}

The design has a hull speed of 5.7 kn (10.6 km/h). ^[3]

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel praised the large cockpit and the aft outboard motor well. He wrote, "the boat handles like a typical flat-bottomed sharpie, pounding a bit going upwind, and her shallow sharpie rudder can result in considerable weather helm in a breeze. Construction quality may vary from one model year to another, since several different builders came and went." ^[3]

See also

• List of sailing boat types

Related development

• Marsh Hen
• Peep Hen 14

References

1. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Bay Hen 21 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
2. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Reuben Trane". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
3. Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 85. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN   978-0-07-163652-0
4. "Sovereign Yachts Models". sovereignyachtcorp.com. 7 December 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
5. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Sovereign Yachts (Custom Fiberglass Products) 1978 - 1998". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.