 Class symbol | |
 | |
| Boat | |
|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
| Hull | |
| Hull weight | 125 kg |
| LOA | 4.80 m |
| Beam | 2.30 m |
| Rig | |
| Mast length | 7.50 m |
| Sails | |
| Mainsail area | 10.40 m2 |
| Jib/genoa area | 2.70 m2 |
| Spinnaker area | 11.53 m2 |
| Racing | |
| RYA PN | 863 |
The Dart 16 is a one-design 4.80 m long sailing catamaran. It is designed to be sailed by two people. It races off a Portsmouth Yardstick of 863. [1]
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The Dart 16 Race was first built in 1997. [2]
The Dart 16 is a modern beach catamaran that is fast, affordable, and seaworthy. Like most Dart catamarans except for the Dart 20 EXP it lacks the main boom, as well as daggerboards, spreaders, and complicated trimming mechanisms.
The lower part of the hulls have skegs typical for a beach catamaran. The most noticeable difference to the popular Dart 18 and Sprint 15 catamarans is that the hulls are made out of Tecrothene, a thermo plastic. This material is very impact- and scratch-resistant, but somewhat heavier and harder to repair than fiberglass. The kick-up rudders are similar to the Hobie 16.
The rigging consists of a rotating aero-dynamically shaped aluminum mast held by a forestay and two shroud wires. There is a trapeze for the crew.
The mainsail does not have a boom. It is fully battened and is controlled by a main sheet with a 6:1 mechanical advantage. The main sheet system has ball-bearing block system with a ratchet and jamming cleat.
The option of a gennaker sail is available.
A catamaran is a watercraft with two parallel hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is required. Catamarans typically have less hull volume, smaller displacement, and shallower draft (draught) than monohulls of comparable length. The two hulls combined also often have a smaller hydrodynamic resistance than comparable monohulls, requiring less propulsive power from either sails or motors. The catamaran's wider stance on the water can reduce both heeling and wave-induced motion, as compared with a monohull, and can give reduced wakes.
The Albacore is a 4.57 m (15 ft) two-person planing dinghy with fractional sloop rig, for competitive racing and lake and near-inshore day sailing. Hulls are made of either wood or fiberglass. The basic shape was developed in 1954 from an Uffa Fox design, the Swordfish. Recent boats retain the same classic dimensions, and use modern materials and modern control systems.
The Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by young people up to the age of 15.
The ISAF International Class Hobie 16 (H16) is a popular catamaran manufactured by the Hobie Cat Company for racing and day sailing. The craft was the driving force behind the popularization of beachcats and was recently inducted into the Sailing Hall of Fame.
Hobie Cat is a company that manufactures watercraft and other products as the Hobie Cat Company. "Hobie Cat" can also refer to specific products of the company, notably its sailing catamarans. Its fiberglass catamaran models range in nominal length between 14 feet (4.3 m) and 18 feet (5.5 m). Rotomolded catamaran models range in length between 12 feet (3.7 m) and 17 feet (5.2 m). Other sailing vessels in the Hobie Cat lineup include, monocats, dinghies, and trimarans, ranging in length between 9 feet (2.7 m) and 20 feet (6.1 m). Its largest product was the Hobie 33, 33 feet (10 m) in length. The company's non-sailing product line includes surfboards, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, pedalboards, eyeware, and e-bikes. It was founded in 1961 by Hobart (Hobie) Alter, who originally manufactured surfboards.
The A-Class Catamaran, often abbreviated to A-Cat, is a development class sailing catamaran for singlehanded racing.
The Formula 16 (F16) sport catamaran is an ISAF recognised 5 m long beach catamaran with an asymmetric spinnaker setup.
The term beachcat is an informal name for one of the most common types of small recreational sailboats, minimalist 14 to 20 foot catamarans, almost always with a cloth "trampoline" stretched between the two hulls, typically made of fiberglass or more recently rotomolded plastic. The name comes from the fact that they are designed to be sailed directly off a sand beach, unlike most other small boats which are launched from a ramp. The average 8 foot width of the beachcat means it can also sit upright on the sand and is quite stable in this position, unlike a monohull of the same size. The Hobie 14 and Hobie 16 are two of the earliest boats of this type that achieved widespread popularity, and popularized the term as well as created the template for this type of boat.
A mast-aft rig is a sailboat sail-plan that uses a single mast set in the aft half of the hull. The mast supports fore-sails that may consist of a single jib, multiple staysails, or a crab claw sail. The mainsail is either small or completely absent. Mast-aft rigs are uncommon, but are found on a few custom, and production sailboats.
A sailing hydrofoil, hydrofoil sailboat, or hydrosail is a sailboat with wing-like foils mounted under the hull. As the craft increases its speed the hydrofoils lift the hull up and out of the water, greatly reducing wetted area, resulting in decreased drag and increased speed. A sailing hydrofoil can achieve speeds exceeding double and in some cases triple the wind speed.
The Dart 15 is a one-design 15-foot-long (4.6 m) glassfibre sailing catamaran, principally sailed in the UK. It is designed to be sailed by one or two people and has a furling jib and trapeze. It can be raced with or without the jib and trapeze, and there are national championships held in both categories. Between 2005 and 2022 the class was known as the Sprint 15.
The 2000(formerly the Laser 2000) is a performance sailing dinghy designed by Phil Morrison and currently sold by RS Sailing. It combines a traditional GRP hull and foam sandwich deck moulding with a modern asymmetric rig including a furling jib, reefing mainsail and single line gennaker hoist system.
The Hurricane 5.9 is a one design racing catamaran. It was designed by Reg White in Brightlingsea in the 1980s in response to a Tornado catamaran owner's request that White Formula design a cat with equal or superior performance to the Tornado of roughly the same boat length and sail area that did not need to be dismantled for trailing, this was to be the Hurricane 5.9.
The Dart 18 is a one-design 18-foot (5.5 m) long glassfibre sailing catamaran. It is designed to be sailed by two people and can achieve speeds of up to 20 knots. This is reflected in its Portsmouth Yardstick of 805 and D-PN of 76.3
The Topcat is a one-design sailing catamaran boat class which is divided into several boat sizes.
The Splash Dinghy is 3.5 m in length and all boats are identical, thus, as is typical in One-Design classes, the sailor's ability rather than equipment is emphasised fleet racing. The boats employ an un-stayed mono rig with a sail area of 6.3 m2, which makes the class easy to handle by sailors ranging from 45 to 80 kg. This, combined with the low hull weight of 55 kg, allow the class to serve as a stepping stone between the Optimist Dinghy and boats such as the Laser Radial, suiting sailors in the age range from 13 to 21 years.
The Hobie 17 is an American catamaran that was designed by John Wake as a single-handed racer and first built in 1985.
The Cheshire 14 is an American catamaran sailing dinghy that was designed by Frank Meldau as a racer and first built in 1962.
The Trac 14 is an American catamaran sailing dinghy that was designed by Australians Richard McFarlane and Jay McFarlane as a one-design racer and first built in 1980.
The Prindle 18 is an American catamaran sailing dinghy that was designed by Geoffrey Prindle as a racer and first built in 1977.