 + | |
| Boat | |
|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
| Draft | 4 in (100 mm) 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m) |
| Hull | |
| Hull weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| LOA | 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) |
| LWL | 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m) |
| Beam | 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m) |
| Rig | |
| Mast length | 19 ft 4 in (5.89 m) |
| Sails | |
| Spinnaker area | 130 sq ft (12 m2) |
| Upwind sail area | 128 sq ft (11.9 m2) |
| Racing | |
| RYA PN | 88 (in 1970) |
The Jacksnipe is a two-man racing sailing dinghy with a single trapeze for the crew and symmetrical spinnaker.
In the late 1960s, Jack Holt was asked by Peter Harris of the British Snipe Class Association to design an up-to-the-minute boat with a hull the same overall length as the International Snipe, which would carry the Snipe rig with the addition of a trapeze and spinnaker. The Snipe having failed to be selected for Olympic Games, it was hoped that a modern, high-performance boat might succeed. [1]
At the time, scows were very much the thing, especially the Fireball, and so Holt drew up a flat-bottomed planing design, considerably lighter than the International Snipe, with a pivoting centreboard and a bold new cockpit design that still looks contemporary 40 years later. The name was suggested by Peter Scott. [2]
The cockpit includes a double bottom (or false floor) which extends through almost to the bow, with deep, self-bailer equipped footwells each side of the centreline; a detachable foredeck was developed but has not been a feature of production boats. While the production deck, which extends well forward of the forestay fitting, would lend itself very well to incorporation of a spinnaker chute, none was ever fitted by the manufacturers, spinnaker stowage relying instead on an elasticated pocket or 'turtle' before the mast, under which the spinnaker could readily be stuffed.
At the time, the Class Secretary commented:
This exciting new design incorporates all modern features. The easily driven, lightweight hull planes readily yet possesses fantastic stability. Fully equipped she is priced considerably below other high-performance dinghies. Her round bilged hull, designed with glass fibre in mind, has a double bottom, self-draining through transom flaps and wells for helmsman and crew equipped with self bailers. The ample built-in buoyancy and reserve foam buoyancy is designed to make self rescue easy in the case of capsize. [3]
The claims made were by no means excessive. The buoyancy arrangements are exemplary, allowing the boat to float low on its side when capsized making it easy for the crew to climb onto the centreboard and, in combination with a foam-filled mast, making it rare for the boat to fully invert. Yet the double floor provides for very rapid expulsion of any water in the cockpit after the boat is righted; a combination of virtues that few other designs can match. The deep footwells improve the boat's stability by positioning the crew low during manoeuvres, such as gybing, greatly adding to confidence.
A singlehanded option was envisaged, with a forward mast step position, a second, forward set of chainplates, and corresponding set of anchor points for the mainsheet bridle. With a longer tiller extension, the boat could then be sailed using just the mainsail and trapeze, Contender-style.
By comparison with its main rivals, the Fireball and Hornet, the Jacksnipe is lightly canvassed, which makes it ideal for lighter crews, but this combined with the large underwater planing surfaces leads to a boat which performs better in stronger than in lighter winds - a characteristic of many later 'skiff' designs. In overall performance terms, the Portsmouth Yardstick in 1970 was 88, which compared to 85 for the Fireball and 88 for the Hornet (at the time in its original form with jib rather than genoa, and a small spinnaker).
Some 32 examples were built by Jack Holt Limited, moulded by Lakeland Plastics before the design was passed to a chandlery which tried fitting 505 rigs to the hulls, resulting in a very fast (talk at the time was of speeds approaching those of an A-Class catamaran) but presumably over-canvassed boat, bearing in mind the narrow overall beam. A Fireball rig would surely have been more appropriate.
That the class failed to sell in large numbers can be attributed to stiff competition offered by the already well-established Fireball, and, ironically, to antipathy from within the British Snipe Class which had sponsored the new design but was split as to whether it would be detrimental to the popularity of the existing design (see ref 1).
Of current designs, the closest in terms of dimensions, cockpit layout, performance, ideal crew weight and sailing qualities is the 3000.
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats by using five essential controls:
The Mirror is a popular sailing dinghy with more than 70,000 built.
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The International 420 Dinghy is a sailing dinghy popular for racing and teaching. The hull is fiberglass with internal buoyancy tanks. The 420 has a bermuda rig and an optional spinnaker and trapeze. It has a large sail-area-to-weight ratio, and is designed to plane easily. It can be rigged to be sailed single-handed or double-handed. The 420 is an International class recognized by the International Sailing Federation. The name refers to the boat's length of 420 centimetres.
The Fireball is a British sailing dinghy that was designed by Peter Milne as a one-design racer and first built in 1962.
The Laser 4000 is a racing dinghy designed by Phil Morrison crewed by two persons. Its one-design weight-equalised system enables physically differing sailors to compete on a level playing field. It is most popular in Europe, particularly the UK, France and Italy.
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The International 14 is a 14-foot double-handed racing dinghy. The class originated in England in the early part of the 20th century. It is sailed and raced in many countries around the world and was one of the first true international racing dinghy classes recognised by International Sailing Federation. It is a development class, being controlled by a set of rules that allow for innovation and changes in hull and rig design as long as they fall within a set of specific limitations such as length, weight, beam, and sail area. The class has permitted its rules to be revised at various times in its history in order to keep the class at the forefront of dinghy racing development and can now best be described as an ultralight dual-trapeze sailing dinghy with large sail area. It is often raced with boats of similar design in one-design, or non-handicap races.
Otter is a classification referring to a particular design for a two-man sailing dinghy with a glass fibre hull. Its rig consists of a main, a jib and an optional symmetric spinnaker. The hull dimensions are 11 ft 11 in length and 4 ft 10 in beam. The boat has a draft of 3 ft 6 in with the centreboard down. The sail area is 75 sq. ft. The class symbol is a stylised glass bubble; due to the original lightweight "cigar box cedar" construction of the prototypes, the name 'Bubble' was first used for the boat. John Baker obtained the plans for an expanded version of the boat in G.R.P. and hence renamed the boat 'Glass Bubble'. After being put into production by Baker, the name 'Otter' was adopted; coming from the river of the same name in East Devon, close to where the boat was manufactured.
The Cherub is a 12 feet long, high performance, two-person, planing dinghy first designed in 1951 in New Zealand by John Spencer. The class is a development class, allowing for significant variation in design between different boats within the rule framework. The minimum hull weight was originally 110 lbs.
The Adventuress sailing dinghy class was designed by Ian Proctor and built by Anglo Marine of Essex. It is no longer in production.
The Laser 3000 is a racing sailing dinghy crewed by two persons with a trapeze for the crew. Launched in 1996, the 3000 was developed from the Laser 2, using the original Frank Bethwaite-designed planing hull combined with a brand new self-draining deck by Derek Clark. Clark also re-designed the rig, using spars and sails from premium proprietary sources and replacing the symmetric spinnaker of the Laser 2 by a larger asymmetrical spinnaker. The gennaker is chute-launched and retrieved using a single halyard line, and is set on a retractable bowsprit. Helm balance and handling were improved using a shorter-footed mainsail with two full-width battens giving a larger roach. A mast with conventional spreaders replaced the now-unusual diamond arrangement of the Laser 2.
The 3000 is a racing sailing dinghy crewed by two persons with a trapeze for the crew. Launched in 1996 as the Laser 3000, the 3000 was developed from the Laser 2, using the original Frank Bethwaite-designed planing hull combined with a new designed self-draining deck by Derek Clark. Clark also re-designed the rig, using spars and sails from premium proprietary sources and replacing the symmetric spinnaker of the Laser 2 by a larger asymmetric spinnaker (gennaker). The gennaker is chute-launched and retrieved using a single halyard line, and is set on a retractable bowsprit. Helm balance and handling were improved using a shorter-footed mainsail with two full-width battens giving a larger roach. A mast with conventional spreaders replaced the now-unusual diamond arrangement of the Laser 2.
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 Norfolk Punt is a type of yacht, derived from the flat-bottomed gun punts that roamed the Broadland waters in the mid-to-late 19th century. However, at the turn of the 20th century, in order to get to and from the hunting grounds more quickly, the punters developed their highly unstable craft to carry a basic mast and sail for travelling with the wind. It is from these humble beginnings that one of the country's most exciting and powerful racing dinghy classes was born.
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