North Star 500

North Star 500

Development
Designer	Sparkman & Stephens
Location	Canada
Year	1973
Builder(s)	North Star Yachts
Role	Racer
Name	North Star 500
Boat
Boat weight	4,298 lb (1,950 kg)
Draft	5.00 ft (1.52 m)
Hull
Type	monohull
Construction	fibreglass
LOA	24.98 ft (7.61 m)
LWL	20.23 ft (6.17 m)
Beam	9.00 ft (2.74 m)
Engine type	Universal Atomic 4 25 hp (19 kW) gasoline engine
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	fin keel
Ballast	1,710 lb (776 kg)
Rudder(s)	skeg-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	33.00 ft (10.06 m)
J foretriangle base	10.25 ft (3.12 m)
P mainsail luff	27.50 ft (8.38 m)
E mainsail foot	8.75 ft (2.67 m)
Sails
Sailplan	masthead sloop
Mainsail area	120.31 sq ft (11.177 m2)
Jib/genoa area	169.13 sq ft (15.713 m2)
Total sail area	289.44 sq ft (26.890 m2)
Racing
PHRF	228
North Star 600  →

The North Star 500 is a Canadian trailerable sailboat that was designed by the American firm of Sparkman & Stephens as an International Offshore Rule Quarter Ton class racer and first built in 1973. The boat was Sparkman & Stephens' design #2135. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

The North Star 500 was also built in Finland as the Blue Bird 25. ^{[1] [3]}

Production

The design was built by North Star Yachts in Canada starting in 1973, but it is now out of production. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

Design

The North Star 500 is a racing keelboat, built predominantly of fibreglass. It has a masthead sloop rig, a raked stem, a slightly reverse transom, a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel. It displaces 4,298 lb (1,950 kg) and carries 1,710 lb (776 kg) of ballast. ^{[1] [3]}

The boat has a draft of 5.00 ft (1.52 m) with the standard keel. ^{[1] [3]}

The boat is fitted with a Universal Atomic 4 25 hp (19 kW) gasoline engine for docking and manoeuvring. ^{[1] [3]}

The design has sleeping accommodation for four people. Cabin headroom is 54 in (137 cm). ^{[1] [3]}

For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with a symmetrical spinnaker. ^[1]

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 228 and a hull speed of 6.0 kn (11.1 km/h). ^[3]

Operational history

The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, the Quarter Ton Class. ^[5]

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "in 1969, U.S. Steel, anxious to take part in the boom in leisure market goods, bought Hughes Boatworks Ltd. of Centralia, Ontario, Canada, and began selling boats under the North Star Yachts brand name. In 1971, the company contracted with Sparkman & Stephens to design the North Star 500 (25) with the notion of competing in Quarter Ton races. The new design promptly won the quarter ton World Championship. However, production of the boat was discontinued in 1973, perhaps partly because she was a comparatively well built but expensive toy with a single purpose, namely to win quarter ton races. The recession of 1973-1974 also may have been a factor in her demise. Best features: She's a fast quarter tonner. Worst features: The North Star has the least headroom in her comp group, and the deepest draft, both of which limits her utility as a cruising boat. For example, one of her competitors, the C&C 25 ... which came out in 1972, has less draft, more headroom, and a lot more space below, and according to her PHRF rating, may be a faster boat." ^[3]

See also

• List of sailing boat types

References

1. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "North Star 500 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
2. McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Sparkman & Stephens". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
3. Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page XX. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN   978-0-07-163652-0
4. McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Hughes Boat Works 1963 - 1991". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
5. McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Quarter Ton Class". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.