Penguin (dinghy)

Last updated

Penguin
Penguin (dinghy) sail badge.png
PenguinDinghy.jpg
Development
Designer Philip Rhodes
LocationUnited States
Year1939
No. built10,000
Builder(s) W. D. Schock Corp
Jack A. Helms Co.
Ron Rawson, Inc.
Customflex
Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co.
Role One design-racer
NamePenguin
Crewone
Boat
Crewone
Boat weight 140 lb (64 kg)
Draft 3.83 ft (1.17 m) with centerboard down
Hull
Type monohull
Constructionwood or fiberglass
LOA 11.42 ft (3.48 m)
Beam 4.67 ft (1.42 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typecenterboard
Rudder(s)transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type cat rig
P mainsail luff16.00 ft (4.88 m)
E mainsail foot8.67 ft (2.64 m)
Sails
Sailplan catboat
Mainsail area69.36 sq ft (6.444 m2)
Total sail area69.36 sq ft (6.444 m2)
Racing
D-PN 111.5
[ edit on Wikidata]

The Penguin is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Philip Rhodes in 1933 as a one design racer for frostbite racing on the US east coast and first built in 1939. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Production

Rhodes drew the original design in 1933 for a competition to define a new boat for the frostbite racing fleets sailed in Manhasset Bay and at Larchmont, New York. Rhodes' design lost to a boat by Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens and as a result Rhodes shelved the plans until 1938 when some Potomac River sailors were looking for a new frostbite racing boat. They home-built 12 boats and racing was started on winter weekends. Yachting magazine covered a race series and advertised where plans could be obtained and that led to an expansion in interest in the boat design and it quickly grew to a national class. [5]

The design was originally intended to be built by amateur builders from wood using paper plans, but fiberglass was class-approved for the hull in 1959. Boats have been manufactured by W. D. Schock Corp, Jack A. Helms Co., Ron Rawson, Inc., Customflex and Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co. in the United States. More than 10,000 boats have been built. The boat is no longer in production, but plans are still available for home construction. Plans are publicly provided at no charge by the class association in the form of PDF downloads. [1] [2] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

W. D. Schock Corp records indicate that that company built 32 boats between 1964 and 1967. [18]

Design

The Penguin is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of plywood or fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a catboat rig, a plumb stem and transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable centerboard. It displaces 140 lb (64 kg). [1] [2]

The boat has a draft of 3.83 ft (1.17 m) with the centerboard extended and 4 in (10 cm) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, beaching or ground transportation on a trailer or car roof. [1] [2]

The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick D-PN handicap of 111.5. [2] [19]

Operational history

The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, the International Penguin Class Dinghy Association. [20] [21]

In a 2010 Small Boats Monthly profile Chris Museler wrote, "Like many racing dinghies, the boats are easy to sail but hard to sail well. 'It humbles a lot of folks,' says [Jonathan Bartlett, a Maryland sailmaker], referring to the oversized centerboard and hard chines that the boat can trip over in gusty conditions. 'If you can sail a Penguin well, you can sail anything.' It is a simple boat. 'It's not a Laser. But for the nostalgia and classic look, it's hard to beat it.'" [5]

Museler concluded, "they seem like silly little boats at first, and certainly now are considered obscure. But that seems to be the attraction of many little wooden boats—their uniqueness, and rareness. The best part about the Penguin is that whether you are hiked out with a friend inches away from a competitor or sitting on the floorboards on a lazy summer afternoon, you are surrounded by a little bit of sailing history and a lot of class." [5]

Boats on display

See also

Similar boats

Related Research Articles

Flying Scot (dinghy) Sailboat class

The Flying Scot is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Sandy Douglass as a one-design racer and first built in 1958.

The El Toro is an American pram sailboat that was designed by Charles McGregor as a sail training dinghy and yacht tender, first built in 1939. It is now often sailed as a singlehanded one-design racer.

Thistle (dinghy) Sailboat class

The Thistle is an American planing sailing dinghy that was designed by Sandy Douglass as a one-design racer and first built in 1945.

Flying Dutchman (dinghy) Sailboat class

The Flying Dutchman is a Dutch planing sailing dinghy that was designed by Uus Van Essen and Conrad Gülcher as a high performance, one design racer and first built in 1951.

Lightning (dinghy) Sailboat class

The Lightning is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens, as a one-design racer and first built in 1938.

Firefly (dinghy) Sailboat class

The Firefly is a British sailboat that was designed by Uffa Fox as a one design racer and first built in 1946. The boat was originally named the Sea Swallow. It was an Olympic class and raced at the 1948 Olympics.

Laser 2 Sailboat class

The Laser 2, or Laser II, is a sailboat that was designed by New Zealander Frank Bethwaite and Canadian Ian Bruce as a one-design racer and first built in 1978.

Snipe (dinghy) Sailboat class

The Snipe is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by William F. Crosby as a one design racer and first built in 1931.

International FJ Sailboat class

The International FJ is a Dutch sailboat that was designed by Uus Van Essen and Conrad Gülcher as a trainer and one design racer, first built in 1956.

Kite (sailboat) Sailboat class

The Kite is an American sailboat that was designed by Carter Pyle as a one design racer and first built in 1965.

The Seafarer 29 is an American sailboat that was designed by McCurdy & Rhodes as an International Offshore Rule Half Ton class racer-cruiser and first built in 1972.

The Rhodes 18 is an American trailerable day sailer or sailing dinghy that was designed by Philip Rhodes in 1938 and first built in 1948. It is Rhodes' design #448.

The Beverly Dinghy is an American sailing dinghy or rowboat, that was designed by A. Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff and first built in 1953. The boat can be employed as a yacht tender.

The Capri 14 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Barney Lehman and W. D. Schock as a day sailer and first built in 1960.

The Catalina Catamaran is an American catamaran sailboat that was designed by W. D. Schock Corp's in-house designer, Seymour Paul, as a racer and day sailer, It was first built in 1960.

The Lehman 12 is an American sailboat that was designed by Barney Lehman as a one design racing sailing dinghy and first built in 1953.

The Lehman Interclub is an American sailboat that was designed by Barney Lehman as a one design racer and first built in 1958.

The US Sabot is an American pram sailboat that was designed by Charles McGregor as a one-design racer and first built in 1939.

The Metcalf is an American sailboat that was designed by Bill Lapworth as a racer and first built in 1960. The boat is named for Darby Metcalf who built the first example.

The Schock 22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Wendell H. Calkins as a cruiser and first built in 1960.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Penguin sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Penguin". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  3. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Philip Rhodes". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  4. ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Philip Rhodes". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Museler, Chris (2010). "The Penguin Class - A family-friendly racing dinghy". Small Boats Monthly. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  6. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Schock W.D." sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  7. ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Schock W.D." sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  8. ↑ W. D. Schock Corp (2022). "About Us". wdschockcorp.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  9. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Helms - Jack A. Helms Co. 1974 - 1984". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  10. ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Helms - Jack A. Helms Co". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  11. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Rawson (Ron Rawson, Inc.)". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  12. ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Rawson (Ron Rawson, Inc.)". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  13. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Customflex (USA)". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  14. ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Customflex". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  15. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  16. ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  17. ↑ International Penguin Class Dinghy Association (5 August 2020). "Penguin Plans". penguinclass.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  18. ↑ W. D. Schock Corp. "Boats built by W.D. Schock". wdschock.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  19. ↑ US Sailing. "Centerboard Classes". Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  20. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Penguin Class". sailboatdata.com. Retrieved 8 August 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Penguin Class". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.