Company type | Privately held company |
---|---|
Industry | Boat building |
Founded | 1945 |
Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | CEO: Harry Melges III President: Andy Burdick |
Products | Sailboats |
Website | melges |
Melges Performance Sailboats, is an American sailboat manufacturer founded by Harry Melges, father of former Olympic sailor Buddy Melges.
Melges Boat Works, Inc. was founded by Harry C. Melges, Sr. in 1945. The company was originally named Mel-Ban Boat Works and became Melges Boatworks in 1948. The company became a leader in scow boat design in the U.S., particularly in the Midwest. Harry, Sr. initially built boats out of wood. [1] [2]
The company's headquarters is in Zenda, Wisconsin. The current CEO is Harry Melges III and President is Andy Burdick. [3]
Reichel/Pugh designed many of the Melges-produced boats, including the Melges 14, 15, 17, 20, 24, 30, and 32.
Boats produced by the company include: [2]
Harry C. "Buddy" Melges Jr. was an American competitive sailor. He earned national and international championships in several classes in conventional sailing and ice-boating and is widely regarded as one of the top racing sailors of all time.
The Melges 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Reichel/Pugh as a one-design racer and first built in 1993.
One-design racing is a racing method which may be adopted in sports using complex equipment, whereby all vehicles have identical or very similar designs or models, avoiding the need for a handicap system.
Johnson Boat Works was a builder and developer of racing sailboats of the scow design in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. It was founded in 1896, by John O. Johnson who had emigrated from Norway in 1893. After working with Gus Amundson for three years, Johnson started his own boat-building business in 1896. His first major success was the "Minnezika" a 38 ft scow design which won the championship on White Bear Lake in 1900. This sailboat was the beginning of the A-Class. As more classes were founded, Johnson moved on to B's, C's, D's, and E's.
The A Scow is an American scow-hulled sailing dinghy that was designed by John O. Johnson as a racer and first built in 1901.
The Melges 17 is an American scow-hulled sailing dinghy that was designed by Reichel/Pugh as a one-design racer and first built in 2005.
The I-20 is a modernized version of the M-20. It is a 20 ft (6.1 m) sloop rigged scow with a spinnaker. The boat was first built at Melges Boat Works, now Melges Performance Sailboats. The boat has two bilgeboards and two small rudders. After a couple years of experimentation, the class settled on its current rules in 2002. The new rules permitted a larger, asymmetrical spinnaker and a carbon fiber rig. It is currently made by Windward Boatworks. In 2005, Melges brought out a new Melges 17 to compete with the I-20.
The MC Scow is an American sailing dinghy that was designed as a one-design racer and first built in 1956.
The C Scow is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by John O. Johnson as a one-design racer and first built as early as 1905. Sources disagree as to the first-built date, with claims of 1905, 1906 and 1923.
The M Scow, also called the M-Scow and the M-16 Scow, is a Canadian/American sailing dinghy that was designed by Johnson Boat Works and Melges Boat Works as a one-design racer and first built in 1950.
The E Scow is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Arnold Meyer Sr as a one-design racer and first built in 1924.
Pacific Seacraft Corporation is a Washington, North Carolina–based sailboat manufacturer specializing in fiberglass monohull cruising boats. Pacific Seacraft is best known for producing the Crealock line of sailboats. These are heavy, overbuilt offshore cruising designs designed by William Crealock. Crealocks are distinctive due to their overhanging 'canoe' sterns and traditional lines. Their sailboats have been featured in both volumes of Ferenc Máté's The World's Best Sailboats, and Fortune Magazine twice selected Pacific Seacraft as a producer of America's 100 best products.
This article attempts to give an overview of the design and manufacturing of sailboats and the evolution of this industry. Details should be found and contributed through other/linked pages
The Melges 32 is an American sailboat that was designed by Reichel/Pugh as a one-design racer and first built in 2004.
The X Boat, also called the Cub, is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by John O. Johnson as a one-design racer and first built in 1932.
The O'PEN Skiff, or O'pen Skiff, is a sailing dinghy that was designed by Vitali Design of Italy for children's sail training and as a one design racer. It was first built in 2006.
The Bristol Channel Cutter, also called the Bristol Channel Cutter 28, is an American sailboat that was designed by Lyle Hess as a "character boat" cruiser and first built in 1976.
The Melges 15 is an American sailboat that was designed by Reichel/Pugh as a two-crew, one-design racer and sail trainer. First built in 2020, it is Reichel/Pugh's design #289.
The Melges 14 is an American planing sailboat that was designed by Reichel/Pugh as a one-design racer and first built in 2016.
The Melges 30 is an American sailboat that was designed by Reichel/Pugh as a racer and first built in 1996.