Isotope (catamaran)

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Isotope
Isotope sail badge.png
Class symbol
Development
Designer Frank Meldau
Location United States
Year1962
No. built710
Builder(s) Fiberglass Unlimited
Role One-design racer
NameIsotope
Boat
Crewone
Displacement 275 lb (125 kg)
Draft 2.50 ft (0.76 m) with the centerboards down
Hull
Type Catamaran
Construction Fiberglass
LOA 16.00 ft (4.88 m)
Beam 7.50 ft (2.29 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typetwin centerboards
Rudder(s)transom-mounted rudders
Rig
Rig type Bermuda rig
Sails
Sailplan Fractional rigged sloop
Mainsail area140 sq ft (13 m2)
Jib/genoa area45 sq ft (4.2 m2)
Total sail area185 sq ft (17.2 m2)
Racing
D-PN 74.0
[ edit on Wikidata]

The Isotope is an American catamaran sailing dinghy that was designed by Frank Meldau as a one-design racer and first built in 1962. [1] [2]

Contents

The design is the larger stablemate of the Cheshire 14 catamaran. [2]

Production

The design is built by Fiberglass Unlimited (now called Custom Fiberglass International) in Wake Forest, North Carolina, United States. A total of 710 have been built and the design remains in production. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Design

The Isotope is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fiberglass. It has a fractional sloop rig, with aluminum spars, a sealed rotating mast and fully battened mainsail, with eight ash wood or fiberglass battens. The hulls have spooned raked stems, vertical transoms, transom-hung, kick-up rudders controlled by a tiller and retractable, self-tending centerboards. The hulls are joined with three cross-members. There are two stowage compartments, with hatches. The boat displaces 275 lb (125 kg) and has flotation for positive buoyancy, plus a righting bar. [1] [2] [4]

The boat has a draft of 2.50 ft (0.76 m) with the centerboards extended and 6 in (15 cm) with them retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. [1]

For sailing the design may be equipped with options such as a mast limiter, roller furling jib and a trapeze. [2] [4]

The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 74.0. It is normally raced with a crew of one sailor although it can carry three people. [2]

Operational history

In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "sister to the Cheshire, the Isotope is two feet longer and five Portsmouth numbers faster." [2]

See also

Related development

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Isotope sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 68-69. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN   0-395-65239-1
  3. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Custom Fiberglass International". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Custom Fiberglass International (2013). "Isotope Catamaran". intl-fiberglass.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
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