penguin sailboat class

International Penguin Class Dinghy Association

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One-Design Class Type: Dinghy

Was this boat built to be sailed by youth or adults? Both

Approximately how many class members do you have? 40

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Photo Credit:C. Krafft

Photo Credit: P. Hull

About International Penguin Class Dinghy Association

The Penguin Class dinghy was designed by famed naval architect Phil Rhodes and the first fleet was formed on the Potomac River in 1939. An article about the boat appeared in a 1940 issue of Yachting magazine and Penguin fleets soon appeared all over the US as well as in a number of countries. It was used by many clubs in their junior sailing programs, but was also popular as a frostbiting dinghy and sailed by many of the top racers of the day from the 1940’s to the 1970’s. It is still raced today, primarily on the Chesapeake Bay and Chicagoland regions, however there are boats all over the country and renewed activity in South America. It provides a nice platform for adults, juniors, adult-junior, or single-handers who can add ballast as required to meet the minimum weight. The boat is fun to sail, quite responsive to minor trim adjustments, and a great training platform to learn about sail trim, weight placement, and boat balance.

Boats Produced: 9700

Class boat builder(s):

No current active builders. Plans are available.

Approximately how many boats are in the USA/North America? 8500

Where is your One-Design class typically sailed in the USA? List regions of the country:

Chesapeake Bay, Chicago

Does this class have a spinnaker or gennaker? No

How many people sail as a crew including the helm?  2

Ideal combined weight of range of crew:  310 (modern) 290 (classic)

Portsmouth Yardstick Rating:   111.5

Boat Designed in  1938

Length (feet/inches): 11’5″

Beam: 4’8″

Weight of rigged boat without sails: 140 (hull)

Draft: 4′ (centerboard down), 4″ board up

Mast Height: 19′

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Engineering:Penguin (dinghy)

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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]

• 1 Production
• 3 Operational history
• 4 Boats on display
• 6 References
• 7 External links

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]

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

• Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - Hull number 1.
• List of sailing boat types

Similar boats

• Cape Cod Frosty
• Interclub Dinghy
• ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Penguin sailboat" . sailboatdata.com . https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/penguin .  
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Penguin" . sailboat.guide . https://sailboat.guide/penguin .  
• ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Philip Rhodes" . sailboatdata.com . https://sailboatdata.com/designer/rhodes-philip .  
• ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Philip Rhodes" . sailboat.guide . https://sailboat.guide/philip-rhodes .  
• ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Museler, Chris (2010). "The Penguin Class - A family-friendly racing dinghy" . Small Boats Monthly . https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/the-penguin-class/ .  
• ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Schock W.D." . sailboatdata.com . https://sailboatdata.com/builder/schock-wd .  
• ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Schock W.D." . sailboat.guide . https://sailboat.guide/schock .  
• ↑ W. D. Schock Corp (2022). "About Us" . wdschockcorp.com . https://wdschockcorp.com/about-us .  
• ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Helms - Jack A. Helms Co. 1974 - 1984" . sailboatdata.com . https://sailboatdata.com/builder/helms-jack-a-helms-co .  
• ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Helms - Jack A. Helms Co." . sailboat.guide . https://sailboat.guide/helms-jack-a-helms .  
• ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Rawson (Ron Rawson, Inc.)" . sailboatdata.com . https://sailboatdata.com/builder/rawson-ron-rawson-inc .  
• ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Rawson (Ron Rawson, Inc.)" . sailboat.guide . https://sailboat.guide/rawson .  
• ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Customflex (USA)" . sailboatdata.com . https://sailboatdata.com/builder/customflex-usa .  
• ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Customflex" . sailboat.guide . https://sailboat.guide/customflex .  
• ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co." . sailboatdata.com . https://sailboatdata.com/builder/skaneateles-boat-canoe-co .  
• ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co." . sailboat.guide . https://sailboat.guide/skaneateles .  
• ↑ International Penguin Class Dinghy Association (5 August 2020). "Penguin Plans" . penguinclass.com . http://www.penguinclass.com/plan.html .  
• ↑ W. D. Schock Corp. "Boats built by W.D. Schock" . wdschock.com . http://wdschock.com/history/boatlist.htm .  
• ↑ US Sailing. "Centerboard Classes" . http://offshore.ussailing.org/Portsmouth_Yardstick/Current_Tables/Centerboard_Classes.htm .  
• ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Penguin Class" . sailboatdata.com . https://sailboatdata.com/association/penguin-class .  
• ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Penguin Class" . sailboat.guide . https://sailboat.guide/penguin-class-class-association .  

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• This page was last edited on 4 February 2024, at 11:32.
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This classic dinghy is the perfect off-season project with promise of great sailing to come

Admittedly, our choice to find a Penguin dinghy to retrofit and head out for some sailing was driven in large part by a sense of nostalgia. Although we enjoy sailing on more modern, performance-geared dinghies such as Lasers and occasionally even an MX-Ray, we realized we rarely got the chance to take friends out sailing on a small, unimposing boat, or even to enjoy sailing together in a dinghy. And while there are several great dinghies out there suitable for just that kind of sailing, it was stories fondly recalled by a family member who built a Penguin as a boy in Sea Scouts, that ultimately swayed us in the direction of this much-loved design. Designed by Phillip Rhodes in 1939, the Penguin is a simply rigged catboat that is just over 11 feet long. Its simplicity is largely responsible for what has made it a favorite boat for all kinds of sailors, from entry-level folks wanting to putter around an inland lake to some of the best in the world who enjoy getting down to brass tacks in competitive fleets all over the country. Because the boat is so easy to move around and handle it's also a great boat for children to learn in. With the Penguin, we threw that formula out. There are great deals to be had on Penguins, and it's not uncommon to find them free for the taking, assuming you can unpile the stuff in the garage surrounding them. In many cases, retrofitting a Penguin is going to cost more than the initial cost of the boat. And since many Penguins are built as kit boats, they can be found in varying levels of completion. One listing on the Penguin class Web site advertised a boat that was "90 percent complete 30 years ago." We had a few requirements for our perfect Penguin. First of all, we were looking for a fiberglass hull. It's not that there aren't some wonderful wooden hulls out there, and certainly the sense of nostalgia is ramped up a bit with a wooden boat, but frankly dealing with wood hull repairs was beyond what we were interested in. We wanted a boat we could have out sailing by spring, not another project in the garage to be maneuvered around. We were also looking for some level of structural soundness and wanted to avoid a boat on which the rails had been broken off because we had been warned that is a tough repair that tends to come back over and over again to haunt owners. A relatively new boat, in race ready condition with lots of wins to its name in a nearby fleet recently sold for $4,300. But that would have been overkill for our purposes. We wanted a boat that would be just as much fun for a quickly thrown together daysail as it would be competitive in regional fleets. We found it through a connection in the Penguin class. It was one of those boats that had been bought several years earlier by people wanting it for the same reasons we did, but after a few years life got hectic and the Penguin ended up in a shed in the back yard. We resolved to make an attempt to keep the boat's history from repeating itself. We ended up paying $850 for the boat, which was in relatively good condition but not without enough projects to keep us busy for a few months. We didn't delay in launching it for a shakedown sail to get a better idea of what we were dealing. We started with the hull. We spent a lot of time talking with people who know a lot about Penguins, and with a class as prodigious as this one, there are plenty of them. Patrick Hilliard, who has been sailing Penguins for about 30 years, warned us to check for leaking around the centerboard trunk, and sure enough, we noticed some during our sail and it was obvious it was coming from the cracks we saw. We followed Hilliard's two pieces of advice, both of which he said he learned the hard way: We removed the centerboard before we started working and took care to avoid getting any epoxy drips inside the trunk. We ground out the cracking and chipping areas around the base of the centerboard trunk. Next we filled in the ground-out area with West System epoxy thickened with West's Colloidal Silica filler. To reduce the amount of time we would spend sanding, we laid two layers of four-inch bi-directional fiberglass tape on top while the epoxy was still wet then followed immediately with a layer of release fabric and smoothed out the whole repair area. After it cured, we pulled off the release fabric, gave it a light sanding and painted the area. The centerboard pin gaskets were plenty dried out after years of sitting in the shed so we replaced them with new rubber gaskets from the local hardware store. We also made sure the pin, as well as the fasteners on the mast and boom, were stainless steel. Hilliard told us that a lot of sailors put in stringers to stiffen the hull fore and aft. Although we could see where our boat would probably benefit from this addition, we decided we'd save that project for the next season after getting a better of idea of how competitive the boat was. Satisfied that our hull was structurally in good shape, we decided our Penguin needed some spiffing up. The paint was faded and we wanted our project to look good too. We bought a quart of Petit Easypoxy one-part polyurethane in Ocean Blue. We rolled it on with a short-nap roller then immediately tipped it with a brush. After allowing it to dry overnight, we gave it a light sanding with 220-grit sandpaper before applying a second coat. And when it was done, our little Penguin looked like a new bird. Next on our to-do list was a thorough inventory of the rigging. It came with a wooden spar that was in acceptable shape. Our initial reaction was to run out and buy an aluminum spar, but the price was prohibitive. And we were comforted by the fact that a wood mast is repairable if it should happen to break. We opted instead to give it a good sanding and recoat it with five coats of Pettit's Flagship 2015 varnish, which has the UV protection we were looking for. The control lines on the boat were in need of replacement as well. We replaced them all through Redpoint Ropes, overestimating how much of each line we would need to give us some flexibility in setting up the boat to our liking. The Penguin class has no limits on how you can set up a boat so we had free reign to experiment a little in what set-up worked best for us. We wanted tracks to adjust the shroud tension, so we picked up some track sections from Harken. We used fender washers to mount them with 3M 4000 sealant and stainless hardware. While we were shopping with Harken we picked up an auto-racheting mainsheet block and a handful of cam cleats for our control lines. The last item we wanted to attend to was some method of keeping the centerboard down. We took a page from a setup common on a lot of club racing dinghies and rigged a shock cord from the centerboard handle, back through a block on the aft end of the centerboard trunk and then tied to the base of the mast. We put a 2-to-1 block and tackle on the end of the centerboard handle to secure it in the up position. Our boat came with a sail that, although it was a big aged, was in pretty good shape for our first season. One of the best things about getting into the Penguin class is the class itself, which is filled with knowledgeable sailors who honestly just want to get more people out sailing and enjoying their boats. We're sure we'll get a lot more suggestions of what our work list should include next year (and probably a few critiques of what we've done so far). And we might get a line on a sail that's less expensive than the $620 price of a new one but in better shape than what we have. It's going to be a fun summer.

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March / April Issue No. 297  Preview Now

PENGUIN CLASS DINGHY

Adrienne Keller and her father Kip launched their Penguin sailboat in October of 2007, the first boat either of them had built. Kip sailed Penguins, which were designed by Phil Rhodes, as a youth in upstate New York. They used okoume plywood on sawn oak frames, rails and thwarts are mahogany, and spruce floorboards. They bought used spars and sails to rig her with. The Penguin is as yet unnamed.

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IPCDA CURRENT SPECIFICATIONS

The following is the current specifications for the international Penguin Class Dinghy Association,that has been compiled from the latest text in the handbook and from the various Patters over the years, and from discussions at the Annual Meetings. There will be an Agenda at this years Annual Meeting to discuss a revision of the specifications to bring them in line with current

construction techniques and changes that have occurred to the boats. If you have any ideas or concerns it will be imperative to put them in writing so the Executive Committee can make the appropriate changes. The International Championships will be adhering to these specifications except where permission has been granted by the Executive Committee.

Bud Dailey Jr.

Executive V.P. JULY 7, 1993

ARTICLE X - Specifications

1 General - These specifications describe several construction methods for the Penguin Class Dinghy and must be adhered to. The official plans show an approved method of construction in wood as to details and sizes; however, these specifications give the minimum sizes which are allowed The materials of construction and the sizes of members are optional except as specified.

WHERE ANY POINT OF DIFFERENCE EXISTS, THE SPECIFICATIONS AS WRITTEN   IN

THE HANDBOOK SHALL BE FINAL, AND NOT THE PICTURED DESCRIPTION AS SHOWN

IN THE PLANS. Any construction differing from the plans, such as hulls of fibre -glass or hulls with built-in self rescue flotation compartments, must be approved by the Executive Committee.

2.1 Hull Shape - The outer hull shape shall be in accordance with the official plans with building tolerances as listed below.

2.2 Table of Limitations - Hull Inches                (mm)

Dimension location on measured form

Lengths LWL, LOA, C.B. Pivot    +/-1"                   26 mm

Stem Height                     +/- 1"                  26mm

C.B. Pivot Height               +/- 5/16"               8mm

M   Keel & Chine Height          +/- 5/16"               8mm

L    Side Height                 +/- 1/2"                13mm

N    Bottom Width                +/- 1/2"                13mm

Q    Deck Width                  +/- 1"                  26mm

  Chine height, side height, and bottom width are to be taken to points defined at the intersections d fair extensions of the limiting surfaces when the chine is rounded.

2.3 Nominal Measurement Form Dimensions Inches (mm)

Length Water Line--ù------ù135 (3429)

C'Board Pivot from Transom-- 88 5/ 8 . (2251)

Stem--------------------- 20           (508)

Keel to Base Line

D                  C                    B                         A                            Stem

6 (153)      1 9/16(40)              1 1/8 (29)      2 25/32 (71)

Length Overall---ù------        137 (3480)

Section       L            M                      N                           Q

A          20       (508)      1 5/16 (33)      23 3/4(603)          39 3/4(1010)

B       18 3/16    (462) 2 5/16 (59)        40 1/2        (1029)   55 1/4(1403)

C       16 1/16 (408)   3 1/2 (79)         43 5/8        (1108)   55 1/8 (1400)

D        11 13/16(300)   4 1/32 (102)       33    (838)    42 5/8(1083)

2.4 Re-measurement (Reference also Article XIIl of By-Laws Measurement Regulation Para. 3).

Upon Re-Measurement, the Hull Shape Must either

1. Conform completely to the measurements shown on its approved measurement form or

2. Conform completely to the tolerances listed above.

2. HULL SHAPE - The outer hull shape shape be in accordance with the official plans with building as established by the executive committee and administered by the Measurer.

3. HULL SHAPE - The hull shell may be made of wood, G. R.P. (glass reinforced thermosetting or thermoplastic resin), or combinations of these materials and shall be of approximately even thickness and density longitudinally.

4. HULL WEIGHT - The completely finished hull including centerboard and all permanently attached equipment (not including mast, boom, rudder, sheet, sail or loose gear) shall weigh at least 140 pounds (63.5 kg.). Any corrector weights shall be added ahead of station 2 and/or behind station 5. Boats weighing more than 140 pounds may deduct the excess weight from any extra ballast required to meet the minimum crew weight.

5. SELF RESCUE - Additional flotation to permit self rescue in the event of a capsize is recommended in the form of attached air bags, closed cell foam plastic, or built-in air compartments.   Each compartment shall have at least one inspection port or hand hole and one drain plug, both watertight At least eight cu. ft. (0.227 cu. m.) of flotation distributed equally on either side of the keel is recommended. In no case shall the self rescue flotation act as decking.

6. FLOOR - At least 16 sq. ft. (1.49 sq. m.) of the bottom

must be reinforced to support the crew weight. (see 8.16 for conventional construction.)

7. CONSTRUCTION - Hulk of g.r.p ., wood, or combinations of these materials that do not meet the scantlings as described in the plans and in Paragraph 8 of this article may be built only by fabricators, approved by the Executive Committee. Builders may apply for approval by writing to the Chairman of Technical Committee and including a drawing and description illustrating the variations desired. Approved plans for a self rescue wood hull may be purchased from the class.

8.1 Wood Boats. Keel - Keel may be made of one piece or two pieces, which shall have a total   molded dimension of not less than 7/8" and a total sided dimension of not less than 5 3/4" in way of the centerboard trunk and tapered at the ends. The tapering shall be in such a manner that at each station the half breadths of the keel on the inside of the boat shall be not less than those distances shown by the table of offsets for the half breadths of the rabbet line plus 7/8".

(Example: Width of the keel on the inside of the boat at station 6 equals 2(1 11/16+7/ 8)= 5 1/8).

However, the keel may be 5/8" thick if it is completely covered by the plywood. The width of the keel at the bow shall be not less than shown for the width of the stem piece.

8.2 Stem - Stem may be in one piece or two pieces. The size inside the rabbet shall be not less than that shown on the full sized plan. The stem cap may be molded to not less than 1/4" radius.

8.3 Transom - The transom may be made of plywood or solid lumber. If made of plywood it shall have a thickness of not less than 1/4" and shall have framing not less than 5/8" x 2" completely around the edges. Plywood transoms in addition to this framing shall have a center stiffener of not less than 5/8" x 4". If the transom is made of solid lumber, the thickness shall be not less-than 5/8".

8.4 Knees - The stem and transom shall adequately secured to the keel by means of knees. The knees shall be sided not less than 3/4" and shall be of the outline shown on the full size plans.

8.5 Chines - The boat shall be fitted with two chines. The chines may be in one piece of rabbeted construction, two pieces as indicated on the plans, or a single piece entirely inside the planking. The chines shall be not less than 3/4" x 1 1/2" inside the planking. The exterior radius of the chine shall not exceed 1/2". Chines may be beveled only to the extent necessary to allow draining when the boat is on an even keel provided they are not less than 2" in width.

8.6 Frames - Frames shall be fitted in number and location as indicated in the official plans. All frames shall be sided not less than 5/8" their full length exclusive of gussets. Side frames Nos. 1 and 2 shall be a full 2" their full length; other frames shall be not less than 2" at the chine with a

straight taper to not less than 1 1/2" at the head. The inwale may be omitted, if so the top of the frames on the inboard side may be rounded to not more than 1" radius. Bottom frames shall be moved not less than 2" over the top of the keel, tapered to not less than 1 1/2" at the chines.

Side frames and bottom chines shall be connected by plywood gussets not less than 4" on each leg and material not less than 1/4" thick. If a lap joint is used to connect the frames there shall be one gusset placed between the side frames and the bottom frames, if a butt joint is used there shall be two gussets, one placed on each side of the pint. The inboard edge of the gussets may be rounded from end to end to smooth curve. Distance from inside top corner of chine to nearest point on radius of gusset shall be not less than 1 1/2". Side frames no. 1 may be curved along the outer edge of maximum of 3/8"; point of maximum curvature to be midway between chine and gunwale.

8.7 Gunwale - A gunwale shall be fitted and shall be not less than 5/8" x 1". When a gunwale is fitted as a rail cap, or a rail cap is fitted, its width inboard of the inside of the planking shall not exceed 1 1/2" measured perpendicular to the planking. Reinforcing or track rail between frames

1 and 3 is not considered part of the gunwale.

8.8 Fender - A fender of not less than 1/2" x 1 " shall be fitted. The maximum width dimension shall be determined by the allowing rule; the maximum total width of the fender, plus the thickness of the plywood skin, plus the gunwale, shall not exceed 4" forward of frame number 2; from this point aft, the width shall be reduced to a maximum of 3" at the transom.

8.9 Thwart - A thwart of not less than 3/4" x 5 3/4" Or equivalent   cross -sectional area) shall be fitted. The thwart shall be located between stations 3 and 5, and attached to the centerboard trunk at least 10" from the top of the keel. 8.10

Mast Partner - A mast partner not less than 3/4" x 5 3/4" Or cross sectional area) shall be fitted.

This cross-sectional limitation shall be adhered to in way of the opening for the mast. The mast partner shall be located as illustrated in the plans and shall be at least 14" above the top of the keel. The mast must pass through the mast partner, which may be open either forward or aft such that the mast is enclosed on three sides.

8.11 Breasthook and Knees - The gunwale shall be attached to the stem by means of a breasthook and to the transom by means of knees ail being not less than 3/4" thick and not less than 6" on each leg.

8.12 Planking - Side and bottom planking shall be phenolic resin bonded hot pressed waterproof plywood.

8.13 Centerboard Logs - Centerboard logs shall be sided not less than 3/4" and shall be molded not less than shown on the full size plan.

8.14 Centerboard Trunk - Centerboard trunk sides shall be not less than 1/4" plywood and shall extend vertically a sufficient height to completely house the centerboard.

8.15 Skeg - The skeg shall be fitted as shown on the plans; sided dimensions not less than 3/4", 4" deep at the end of the keel, 1" deep at station 7, terminating 3 1/2' forward of station 7. The

skeg shall not project beyond the finished after face of the transom. Maximum sided dimension shall be no greater than 7/8". The skeg may be tapered aft from a point 3" forward of the after end.

8.16 Floorboards -   having a total area of 16 sq. ft. (excluding slots between boards), capable of supporting a 150 lb. person standing midway between frames, shall be fitted. Solid 1/4" plywood floorboards having an area equal to 16 sq. ft. may be used if desired.

8.17 Decks - No decking, washboards or coamings are permitted. A fabric spray hood forward of frame 2 may be fitted. No more than two 1" x 1/4" battens may be used for the spray hood. The spray hood shall be raised no higher than 6" above the sheer line at the mast.

9. Centerboard - The centerboard may be made of wood and/or glass reinforced plastic. Loading may be added to overcome flotation, in which case the negative buoyancy may not exceed two pounds. The outline shall be that shown on the official plans. Maximum width of centerboard is 12 inches. The length and width shown on the construction plan are maximum permitted, the tolerance is plus 0" and minus 1/4". The thickness shall not be less than 3/4" nor more than 1". Streamlining is permitted except for that portion of the centerboard and handle which remains above the bottom of the keel when

the board is down 90 degrees. The centerboard may be controlled by an external actuating mechanism or a handle integral with the board, as long as the axis about which it pivots is fixed at the points shown on the plans. When a handle is used it may be straight (as shown on the plans) or curved. The size and shape of the handle shall be optional. However, no portion of the handle extending along the trailing edge shall not exceed 6" measured perpendicular to the trailing edge. No method of filling or covering the bottom of the centerboard trunk is allowed. The top of the centerboard trunk may be enclosed when a centerboard actuating mechanism is used.

10. Rudder - The rudder may be made of wood and/or glass reinforced plastic. The outline shall be in accordance with that shown on the official plans. The dimensions shown are the maximums, the tolerance is plus 0" and minus 1/4". Arrangements may be made to raise the rudder blade to facilitate beaching. However, during a race the adjustable rudder blade shall be carried in the position shown on the plan. The thickness of the rudder must be as specified along

"A-A" of the plan and above the line shown for the lower edge of the cheek pieces. The specification for thickness is as follows: the rudder may be 3/4" thick if fitted with adequate cheek pieces made of wood, otherwise it shall be not less than 7/8" thick nor more than 1" thick. The wood cheek pieces shown on the plan are the minimum in thickness and extent that shall be

deemed adequate. If the rudder head is mortised for the tiller, the cheek pieces shall be not less than 3/8" thick. Metal cheek pieces not less than 1/16" in thickness may be substituted for wood. The rudder may be streamlined below the lower edge of the cheek pieces but must have a minimum radius of 1/8" along the leading edge and a minimum radius of 3/32" along the trailing

edge. The rudder with tiller attached shall float.

11. Spars - General:

11.1 Spars shall be solid wood (for exceptions see 11.3 and 11.5.) in their normal state, they must be straight, no steam bending of either the mast or boom is allowed. The mast may be joined or in one piece.

11.2 Mast Dimensions:

11.2.1 The top of the mast, including halyard attachment, shall not extend beyond a height of 19' above the keel (19'-0 7/8" form the bottom of the hull where the mast is stepped.

11.2.2 The maximum fore and aft dimension of the mast, including the luff rope tunnel, shall not exceed 3 1/2".

11.2.3 The minimum thickness from a point 8' below the top of the mast (lower limit on attaching stays) shall not be less than 1 3/4" except that it may be tapered, starting 17 "   above the butt end, to a minimum of 1" in diameter at the butt end.

11.2.4 A luff rope tunnel of not more than 1/2" diameter for the luff of the sail may be incorporated in the mast.

11.2.5 The mast shall be plainly marked with contrasting bands 1/2" wide and the sail, when fully hoisted, shall not extend beyond the inner edges of these bands. The distance between the inner edges shall be not more than 16'.

11.3 The mast may be constructed of aluminum alloy extrusion. It must conform to the mast dimensions in 11.2 with the exception of the luff rope tunnel which is unspecified in aluminum. An internal halyard may be used providing the lock is placed within 4' of the mast butt.

11.4 The mast may be rotated about its longitudinal axis while sailing but devices for otherwise moving or bending It while not be permitted. Only a single thickness of shock cord (not more than 1/4" in diameter) may be used to remove the slack in the headstay when running before the wind. Once attached, the shock cord must be left in place throughout the balance of the race.

11.5 The boom may be constructed of solid wood or of an aluminum alloy extrusion, in which case no internal rigging or controls are allowed. The boom shall be so constructed that without rigging, jaws or hardware, it can pass through a 2" square hole. The boom shall be plainly marked with a contrasting band 1/2" wide. The inner edge of the band shall be not more than 8'8" from either the center of the mast tunnel or the face of the sail track. The sail, when set, shall not extend beyond the inner edge of the band.

11.6 When supported at the butt and horizontal, the head of the mast shall weigh not less than 6 pounds. All rigging to be pulled tight along the axis of the mast and included in the weight. Other permanently mounted fittings such as mast rotators to be included in the weight.

12. Rigging - Standing rigging shall consist of two shrouds and a headstay which shall not be less than 3/32" in diameter. The point of attachment of these stays and their tangs shall not be lower than 8' from the top of the mast. A boom vang to hold the boom down is permitted provided a stop is placed on the mast so that the tack of the sail cannot be pulled past the limit band. A vang must be rigged so that it does not prevent a gybe without re-rigging. Halyard shall not be led so as to support the mast. No jumper stays, spreaders or rod rigging are allowed.

13. to 22. For future additions.

23.1 Effective Dates - This specification is effective for all sails made after June 1, 1963. Sails made prior to this date may be measured to this specification or the one existing when they were made, except that all sails must conform to this specification after March 1, 1964.

23.2 Honor Awards - The Executive Committee reserves the right to use the sail as the area upon which honor awards shall be displayed and has designated certain areas of the sail, shown on the plates published herewith, to be used for this purpose.

23.3 General - The penguin dinghy shall carry a loose-footed sail which, when set, must not encroach upon the limit marks on the spars (section 11) and which conforms with the limiting dimensions of this specification. All dimensions given in this specification are maximum dimensions. The headboard is to be included in all appropriate dimensions.

23.4 Dimensions The maximum dimensions of the sail are:

      Luff 16'0", foot 8'8", leech 16'6", roach on foot 6", upper quarter girth 36", midgirth 64", and lower quarter girth 86.5". Girth measurements are to include the boltrope or other device used to run in the mast tunnel.

23.5 Measuring the Sail

23.5.1 Midgirth - Fold head to clew and mark the leech midpoint; measure midgirth from leech mid point to the nearest luff point, boltrope included.

23.5.2 Upper Quarter Girth - Fold head to leech midpoint, and mark the upper quarter point of the leech; measure the upper quarter girth from leech upper quarter point to the nearest luff point, boltrope included.

23.5.3 Lower Quarter Girth - Fold clew to leech midpoint and mark the lower quarter point on the leech; measure the lower quarter girth from leech lower quarter point to the nearest luff point, boltrope included.

23.5.4 Rounded Clews - Where a sailmaker has rounded the cow so as to make it difficult to establish leech midpoint and lower quarter point by normal means the owner of the sail may be directed by the measurer to provide a template, attached to the sail for the measurers convenience, which continues the curve of the leech and that of the foot to their point of intersection on the template.

23.5.5 Conditions of Measurement - The foot measurement and leech measurement shall be measured hand taught, which in cases of doubt means 2 1/2 lbs. of tension. Puckering strings, if any shall be fully eased during measurement. Girth measurements are to be made with the sail laid out flat and the sail, between the two reference points, shall be smoothed out against the

floor to eliminate the wrinkles. Sails shall not be preheated or cooled before measurement.

23.6 Battens - The sail shall be provided with 3 battens

spaced evenly along the leech, and one batten in the foot.

Maximum length of the battens shall be as follows: upper 18",

center 24, lower 21", and foot 12". Maximum width of battens

shall be 1 1/2ö. No part of the outboard end of any leech batten

shall lie more than 2 3/4" above its reference point on the leech;

or 2 3/4" below; these reference points are the leech upper  

quarter point, leech midpoint, and leech lower quarter point

described in 23.5 above. The foot batten shall be within 6" of the

midpoint of the foot.

23.7 Stiffening Material

23.7.1 The Class hogs that stiffening material should contribute to the life of the sail, contribute to the set of the sail or reduce the gradual development of stress wrinkles at tack and clew or at batten tips. Stiffening material may be so used, and should not be employed in such a way that unmeasured or unmeasurable sail are is added to the sail.

23.72 An abrupt change or artificial "jump" in the line of the leech near clew or headboard or in the line of the foot near tack or clew will be considered illegal.

23.7.3 Cringles, rings or grommets in tack or clew shall not exceed 1 3/4" outside diameter.

23.8.1 Headboard - The sail may be fitted with a triangular headboard not over 4 1/2" wide measured perpendicular to the luff and not over 5 1/2" in height measured parallel to the luff.

Any or all of its corners may be rounded. The measurement from the after edge of the luff rope to the aftermost point of the headboard shall not exceed 5 1/2".

23.8.2 The headboard shall not be gaff-headed, i.e., its upper edge shall not be at an angle higher than at right angles to the luff. The upper edge is defined as that edge of the headboard which lies aft of the point of attachment of the halyard.

23.9 Boltrope or Tape - The luff may be taped, roped or held in its tunnel by rod-like slides. The luff of the sail shall, however, be attached to the boltrope (or tape) or encase it for its entire length. Devices substituting for boltrope are to be measured when a measurement is to include the boltrope.

23.10 Foot Tension - Adjustment for foot tension shall be made from the clew only.

23.11 Windows - Mylar or other plastic windows are permitted provided that the area of such windows shall not exceed 216 square inches (1.5 sq. ft.). The windows shall not be closer than 4" to any edge of the sail.

23.12 Venturi Tubes, Etc. - Venturi tubes, vents or other openings in the sail are not permitted.

23.13 Sail Material - Sails shall be made of white material with black insignia and numbers of any color; these shall be as indicated on the sail plan. Sail material shall be limited to cotton, nylon, orlon (acrylic fiber), dacron (polyester fiber) with the latter two recommended.

23.14 Date of Purchase - The sailmakers are required to mark indelibly the date of purchase on each sail, preferably at the tack. Any sail not dated shall be in violation of this article and subject to protest.

23.15 Sailmakers Patch - The sailmakers label shall be placed in accordance with the World Sailing regulations.

Sail Measurement Instructions.

24. The Official Plans shall form a part of these specifications. Alterations of these plans may be made by the Executive Committee, as provided in Article XlIl of these By-Laws.

25. All boats, the framing of which was begun on or after 1 January 1956, must comply with all specifications as published herein. Boats, the framing of which was begun before 1 January 1956 may comply with these specifications or the specifications of record on 1 January 1956, provided they also comply by 1 January 1960 with the limits as set forth in sections 2, 9, 11, 12, and 22, as published herein.

Boat Profile

The comforts of home in a 21' trailer yacht

From Issue   December 2015

" S o, should we be expecting a prolonged period of rain?” asked a neighbor as I clamped the final plank onto the Welsford Penguin taking shape in my garage. The reference to Noah’s Ark had been made rather frequently as I carefully built my 21′ sloop, STELLA MARIS. The deluge was not imminent, as I took my time over 10 years to complete the boat. However, the comparison to the ark is not entirely misplaced.

John Welsford designed this trailer-yacht to be a roomy and comfortable cruiser with aesthetic appeal and excellent seakeeping ability. A curvaceous design, there’s hardly a straight line to be found from the rockered bottom to the striking sheer and the curved cabin roof. The gaff rig elicits images from a bygone era, but there is nothing old-fashioned about the Penguin. Plywood-on-frame construction with fiberglass sheathing results in an extremely strong yet relatively light structure. The interior layout is exceptional for a boat of this size, with a queen-sized berth in the forward compartment, ample storage, a head with privacy, a galley, comfortable seating in the main cabin that can sleep another two sailors, and even more storage space. So while it is not quite an Ark of Noah’s dimensions, it is pretty impressive for a 21-footer.

The centerboard trunk can be used to support a drop-leaf table. Builders opting for the leeboard or bilge-keel versions of the Penguin can omit the trunk to open up the cabin space.

The forward compartment has queen-sized sleeping accommodations. Beneath the mattress there is ample room for storage.

The hull is lapstrake with rounded sides and generous freeboard, culminating with a slightly raked transom. A substantial weighted centerboard and large rudder keep the vessel on track and, even with the gaff rig, allows for respectable windward performance. A lead shoe keeps her on her feet, and the designer indicates that the Penguin “will self-right from well past 90°.” A ground-tackle locker in the bow holds a good-sized anchor and all the rode you might require, while providing a handy and secure place to rest your feet if you want to sit forward while under sail. The deck and cabintop provide sufficient room for handling sails and rigging safely.

Designer John Welsford notes: “The gaff rig has proven to be noticeably faster on all points of sail except ‘hard on the wind,’ and the rig is very strong so the boat will stand heavy weather when making coastal passages.”

Penguin plans offer several sail configurations: gaff, Bermudan, and yawl. I built the gaff rig. The mast tabernacle and other fittings are extremely strong, with wire forestay and shrouds anchoring the rig to stout chainplates. Welsford’s drawings are precise and well detailed, and although a gaff rig can be somewhat complicated to get just right, his guidance is spot-on.

T wenty pages of highly detailed drawings, along with a materials list, several pages of instructions, building suggestions, and an index, should be sufficient guidance for any reasonably patient and skillful builder to complete a Penguin. While I took 10 years to build mine, that’s no indication of how long it should take a motivated builder to get the boat to the water. I worked alone, mostly evenings and weekends, with frequent interruptions by family, work, and other events. And on top of that, building in Canada can be a challenge with our very long and cold winters, when an unheated garage just isn’t the place to be for about five months of the year. That being said, much of the building, especially the early stages, took place in my basement workshop: measuring and cutting out the bulkheads, centerboard case, and numerous other smaller parts. Measurements are in metric, which pose no problem to those who are accustomed to working in inches and feet when you have rulers and a tape measure with both metric and imperial readings.

The Penguin is built upright, beginning with construction of a sturdy building frame; I built my building frame on a foundation of wooden prefabricated I-beams of the type used as joists in home construction. This solid and level foundation is critical for accurate placement of the bulkheads, which define the shape of the boat. Often in the building process I found myself using a level to check the placement of components, and this works only if your building frame is level too.

Once the bulkheads are up, longitudinal strips that will define the shapes and positions of the planks go on. I used ash for the interior stringers, and found them to be sufficiently flexible to take the bends and twists. When thicker stringers were called for, as in the sheer clamp, I laminated them in place, in ash, in order to avoid breakage and steaming. Given the price of high-quality marine plywood, I used inexpensive doorskins as templates for the planks and many other curvy pieces. My wife didn’t like the wood paneling in our basement, so those sheets of old paneling were also put to good use in making patterns. As a result, I had very little waste of the good meranti plywood.

Once the boat was nearly complete, it had to be turned over to complete the bottom. I jacked up the construction platform, installed heavy-duty casters under it, and used 2x6s to build two octagonal forms around the boat. With the help of friends and neighbors, we pulled the platform out onto the driveway, and using a variety of winches and block-and-tackle, gently rolled the boat over on the octagonal forms. Then I moved the casters from the top of the construction assembly to the new bottom, and brought the platform back into the garage. This event proved to be quite a pleasant community gathering.

With STELLA MARIS upside down, I faired and sealed all of the exposed plank edges with epoxy, and fit the Douglas-fir keel and skeg. I covered the bottom first with a layer of Kevlar up to the waterline and over that with layer of fiberglass and epoxy.

Did I mention sanding? Or rather fairing and sanding, sanding and fairing? Actually, it wasn’t so bad, since with careful construction in the early phases and precise placement of the planks, the hull was quite fair to begin with. I built a dummy ballast from pine boards, and faired it to the exact shape that the lead would take, with a slot for the centerboard and holes for the keelbolts. I had acquired lead ingots and my plan was to melt them in our backyard, but my wife nixed that idea. I took my dummy keel to a lead-casting company that did a superb job of pouring the ballast. Even the bolt holes lined up perfectly once the boat was rolled over again. The lead shoe weighs close to 1,000 lbs and, needless to say, one becomes quite good at using a variety of jacks when working with something so heavy.

The final phase of construction involved the wiring of the navigation lights, interior lighting, and VHF radio. I called in my friend Daniel, a Navy veteran, to assist with rigging. His knowledge and assistance were invaluable as we laid out the spars, sails, blocks, and lines on the lawn and put it all together.

A tabernacle eases the task of raising the mast.

M y rigging crew and I brought STELLA MARIS to the wide Ottawa River for her launch on June 24, 2015. After we raised her mast, bent on the mainsail, adjusted shrouds, and installed lazyjacks, we backed her into the water. She glided off her custom trailer easily, and sat at the dock looking quite pretty. Satisfied with our morning’s work and assured that the rigging worked as designed, we motored to my slip at the Nepean Sailing Club. We decided to take her for her inaugural sail once we were rested and the winds were favorable.

The gaff rig is one of three options for the Penguin. The Bermudan rig, like the gaff rig, has the mast stepped on the cabin roof. The yawl rig has a leg o’ mutton mizzen, its mast offset to clear the tiller, and a mainmast stepped on the foredeck. Here, STELLA MARIS has a bracket for its auxiliary outboard. The plans include a motor well with a notch in the transom for kicking the motor up while under sail.

The next day we were out in 8 knots of wind, discovering that hauling up a gaff involves a substantial amount of line. Once the main was up and the jib was flying, STELLA MARIS kicked up her heels and she was off. The occasional gust did not perturb her at all, as she moved gently on all points of sail. It was a great success. A few days later, we took her out in stronger winds, gusting to 20 knots. With a single reef in the main, she performed splendidly, and was fast: We easily kept up with other boats, some quite a bit larger. She did not sail as close to the wind as marconi-rigged boats, but sailing just a few points off the wind she picked up speed and was a delight. She has a gentle motion when responding to changes wind speed, unlike the tiddliness of many other boats I’ve sailed. Her only shortcoming, in my estimation, is that she’s a bit rolly in a beam sea, but this is nullified when the sails steady her in a good breeze.

Having recently retired from a career in education, Jonas Abromaitis fills his days building things, the most enjoyable of which are boats. His challenge is finding the right balance between time spent in the workshop, and time spent on the water. He sails STELLA MARIS out of Nepean Sailing Club in Ottawa, Canada.

Penguin Particulars

Weight, dry/2,182 lbs

Ballast/992 lbs

Sail area, gaff/234 sq ft

Sail area, Bermudan/223 sq ft

Plans for the Penguin are available from John Welsford Small Craft Design .

Is there a boat you’d like to know more about? Have you built one that you think other Small Boats Monthly readers would enjoy? Please email us!

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Comments (2)

I was shocked to hear that Jonas was selling the boat he just recently completed; at least I was until I realized his motivation is the next boat. Now I understand. I too am a Penguin builder and sailor—mine is TENACIOUS completed in 2011. It is indeed a delight to sail and a very comfortable boat to be on. It is a great fun to load up with grandkids and head off for the weekend. I wish I could do so more often. I have just moved mine from northern Idaho to Puget Sound. I am looking forward to years of exploration on a very well designed boat.

Your boat is beautiful!

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