Thistle (dinghy)

Last updated

Thistleclass.png
Thistle dinghy with skipper Terry Lettenmaier sailing downwind.jpg
Development
Designer Sandy Douglass
Location United States
Year1945
No. built4,000
Builder(s) Douglass & McLeod
Clark Boat Company
W. D. Schock Corp
Northwest One Design
Great Midwest Yacht Company
Boat
Boat weight 515 lb (234 kg)
Draft 4.50 ft (1.37 m) with the centreboard down
Hull
Type Monohull Catamaran
Construction Fiberglass
LOA 17.00 ft (5.18 m)
LWL 17.00 ft (5.18 m)
Beam 6.00 ft (1.83 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typecentreboard
Rudder(s)transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type Bermuda rig
Sails
Sailplan Fractional rigged sloop Masthead sloop
Mainsail area136 sq ft (12.6 m2)
Jib/genoa area55 sq ft (5.1 m2)
Spinnaker area220 sq ft (20 m2)
Total sail area191 sq ft (17.7 m2)
Racing
D-PN 83.0
[ edit on Wikidata]

The Thistle is an American planing sailing dinghy that was designed by Sandy Douglass as a one-design racer and first built in 1945. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Production

The design was originally built by Douglass & McLeod in the United States, but the company went out of business in 1971. Since then production has passed to several American builders, including the Clark Boat Company, W. D. Schock Corp, Northwest One Design and the current builder since 1975, Great Midwest Yacht Company. More than 4,000 boats of this design have been completed. [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

W. D. Schock Corp records indicate that they built 250 boats between 1959 and 1975. [8]

Design

The Thistle is a recreational sailboat, with the earlier production models made from molded plywood and the more recent models built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood structural members and trim. The seats are a fiberglass-sandwich construction, and provide built-in flotation. It has a fractional sloop rig with aluminum spars and three spreader bars. The hull has no decks, a plumb stem and transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable, drum-mounted centerboard. It displaces 515 lb (234 kg). [1] [3]

The boat has a draft of 4.50 ft (1.37 m) with the centerboard extended and 6 in (15 cm) with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. [1]

For sailing the design is equipped with symmetrical spinnaker of 220 sq ft (20 m2) and built-in flotation. [3]

The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 83.0 and is normally raced with a crew of three sailors, although it has a capacity of six people. [3]

Operational history

By 1994 the design was being raced in more than 150 fleets. [3]

In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "the Thistle was influenced by English dinghy design and is similar to the International 14, another racing dinghy with a plumb bow and flat run. Originally, boats were of molded wood. Racing crew is three, but the Thistle will carry six. She will fit into a garage. The Thistle has a lot of sail and a lot of speed. Class rules are strict. Gear that may be technically legal but provides an advantage is not allowed ... The Thistle is the boat used as the primary yardstick for Portsmouth Numbers." [3]

Racing

See also

Similar sailboats

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 Javelin, also called the Javelin 14 and O'Day Javelin is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Uffa Fox as a one-design racer and first built in 1960.

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.

The Blue Jay is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Drake Sparkman of Sparkman & Stephens as a trainer for the Lightning one-design racer. The Blue Jay was first built in 1947.

Buccaneer 18 Sailboat class

The Buccaneer 18, also called the Buccaneer dinghy and the Gloucester 18, is an American planing sailing dinghy that was designed in 1966 by Rod Macalpine-Downie and Dick Gibbs as a one-design racer and day sailer. The prototype was first shown in 1967 at Yachting's "One of a Kind" Regatta, in which it placed second.

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.

C Scow Sailboat class

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.

Lido 14 Sailboat class

The Lido 14 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Barney Lehman and William D. Schock and first built in 1958.

The Rhodes 19 is an American trailerable day sailer or sailing dinghy, that was designed by Philip Rhodes as a one-design racer and first built in 1958.

The Coronado 15 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Frank V. Butler as a one-design racer and first built in 1968.

The Interclub Dinghy is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a one-design racer and first built in 1946. It is sailed in frostbite racing on the US east coast, particularly on Long Island Sound. Frostbite races are the series held after the normal sailing season is finished.

The Howmar 12, sometimes written Howmar Twelve, is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Craig V. Walters of Sparkman & Stephens as a one-design racer, trainer and day sailer and first built in 1983.

The Widgeon 12 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Robert H. Baker and first built in 1964. The design has been raced but is more often employed in the sail training role.

The Rascal 14 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Ray Greene and first built in 1961.

The US1, sometimes written US 1, is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Ralph Kuppersmith and Clark Mills as a one-design racer and first built in 1973.

The Rebel 16 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Ray Greene and Alvin Youngquist as a one-design racer and first built in 1948.

The Precision 16 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Stephen Seaton and first built in 1982.

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Thistle sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  2. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Gordon K. (Sandy) Douglass 1904 - 1992". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 84-85. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN   0-395-65239-1
  4. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Douglass & McLeod". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  5. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Clark Boat Company". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  6. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Schock W.D." sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Great Midwest Yacht Company. "Great Midwest Yacht Designs". nowwebsites.net. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  8. ↑ W. D. Schock Corp. "Boats built by W.D. Schock". wdschock.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 9 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.