X Boat

Last updated

X Boat
X Boat class badge.png
Xboat.gif
Development
Designer John O. Johnson
Location United States
Year1932
Builder(s) Johnson Boat Works
Melges Performance Sailboats
Role One-design racer
NameX Boat
Crewtwo
Boat
Crewtwo
Boat weight 470 lb (213 kg)
Draft 2.58 ft (0.79 m) with centerboard down
Hull
Type Monohull
ConstructionWood or fiberglass
LOA 16.00 ft (4.88 m)
LWL 14.50 ft (4.42 m)
Beam 6.08 ft (1.85 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typecenterboard
Rudder(s)transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type Bermuda rig
Sails
Sailplan Fractional rigged sloop
Mainsail area85.00 sq ft (7.897 m2)
Jib/genoa area24.75 sq ft (2.299 m2)
Total sail area109.75 sq ft (10.196 m2)
Racing
D-PN 97.7

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. [1] [2]

Contents

Production

The design was built by Johnson Boat Works starting in 1932 and later by Melges Performance Sailboats in the United States. Johnson Boat Works went out of business in 1998, but the boat remains in production by Melges. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Design

The X Boat is a simple, sail training and racing sailboat, intended for junior sailors under 16 years of age. Originally constructed of wood, it is now built predominantly of fiberglass, with wooden trim. It has a fractional sloop with aluminum spars, a spooned raked stem, an angled transom, a rounded, transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller fitted with a tiller extension and it has a retractable centerboard. It displaces 470 lb (213 kg). [1] [2] [5]

The boat has a draft of 2.58 ft (0.79 m) with the centerboard extended. The boat can be transported on a trailer. [1]

For sailing the design is equipped with a boom vang, a stern-mounted mainsheet traveler and two sets of hiking straps. [2]

The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 97.7 and is normally raced with a crew of two sailors. [2]

Operational history

The class is supported by the Inland Lake Yachting Association, which organizes racing regattas. [6] The annual association championship for the class often attracts over 100 boats to compete. [5]

In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "The X Boat was designed as a low-performance training boat for junior programs. With the exception of the boom vang, sail control is minimal so as to emphasize handling skills ... Since 1984 the Portsmouth Number has dropped dramatically." [2]

See also

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.

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.

The Comet, sometimes called the Comet OD or Comet One-Design, is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by C. Lowndes Johnson as a one-design racer and first built in 1932. The design has evolved over time via modifications.

Jet 14 Sailboat class

The Jet 14 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Howard Siddons as a one-design racer and first built in 1952.

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 MC Scow is an American sailing dinghy that was designed as a one-design racer and 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.

M Scow Sailboat class

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.

E Scow Sailboat class

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.

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 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 Interlake is an American planing sailing dinghy that was designed by Francis Sweisguth in 1932, as a one-design racer and first built in 1933.

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 Skipjack 15 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Harry R. Sindle and Carter Pyle and first built in 1965.

The Designers Choice is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a sail training and racing boat and first built in 1978. It was Sparkman & Stephens' design #2349.

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 AMF Apollo 16 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Canadian Bruce Kirby as a one-design racer and first built in 1977.

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 Dolphin 17 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Glenn Corcoran and Murray Corcoran and first built in 1970.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McArthur, Bruce (2020). "X Boat (USA) sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 72-73. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN   0-395-65239-1
  3. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Melges Performance Sailboats". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  4. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Johnson Boat Works (USA) 1896 - 1998". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Melges Performance Sailboats (2020). "The Melges X Boat". melges.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  6. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Inland Lake Yachting Association". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.