Penguin
Development
DesignerPhilip 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.
RoleOne design-racer
NamePenguin
Boat
Crewone
Displacement140 lb (64 kg)
Draft3.83 ft (1.17 m) with centerboard down
Hull
Typemonohull
Constructionwood or fiberglass
LOA11.42 ft (3.48 m)
Beam4.67 ft (1.42 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typecenterboard
Rudder(s)transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig typecat rig
P mainsail luff16.00 ft (4.88 m)
E mainsail foot8.67 ft (2.64 m)
Sails
Sailplancatboat
Mainsail area69.36 sq ft (6.444 m2)
Total sail area69.36 sq ft (6.444 m2)
Racing
D-PN111.5

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]

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

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 July 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.
  21. ↑ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Penguin Class". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
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