boats are built of fiber glass by Tidewater Boats (Box 1571, Annapolis, 

 Md.). First introduced in January 1962, thirty had been sold by April and 

 the builders expect to produce over a hundred during the first year. F. J. 

 Wood, President of Tidewater Boats, reports that fleets have been formed 

 in Mobile, Alabama, and on Chesapeake Bay. "We intend to have a fleet 

 on Long Island Sound," he says, "if I have to buy them myself." By the 

 fall of 1962 it is expected that the class will be organized. 



The following, which appeared recently in Motor Boating, gives some 

 background on the Rainbow and indicates where the boat is likely to fit: 



"Because his organization needed just such a boat for its hire service, 

 Jerry Wood of Annapolis Boat Rentals of Annapolis, Md., may unwittingly 

 have filled a blank spot in the yachting picture with Rainbow, a 24 foot 

 over-all length, fin keel, fiber-glass sloop which he has worked out with 

 Sparkman & Stephens' designing section. 



"Do you realize that, on the East Coast at least, there is no widely dis- 

 tributed, high performance, low cost, low maintenance, combination racing 

 and day sailing yacht in the 20- to 24-foot range? Other than the Star, 

 which is an out-and-out racing machine, what is there between such rela- 

 tively small fry as Thistles, Rhodes 19s, Highlanders, O'Day Sailers, Light- 

 nings, etc., and the larger, more expensive 210s, Herreshoff S boats, Atlan- 

 tics. International One-Designs and the like? Remember, we're not talking 

 about classes which are basically local in nature; we're discussing those 

 which have fleets in more than one area. 



"What keel boat is there to which juniors can graduate after having cut 

 their sailing teeth in Beetle Cats, Blue Jays, Lido 14s, Snowbirds and the 

 innumerable dinghy classes— a boat which Dad will buy for Billy or Betty 

 because, when it isn't being raced and enjoyed by the children, it can be 

 used by the whole family for day sailing? . . . Rainbow, of course, may 

 not be the answer but at least it is a step in the right direction and may 

 stimulate other designs in the currently vacant bracket." 



F. J. Wood of Tidewater Boats points out in a letter to us that so far 

 the racing and private-use demand has exceeded by ten times the demand 

 for Rainbows as a rental bpat. The price is very reasonable, it would seem: 

 $2798 including Dacron sails. 



VITAL STATISTICS: L.O.A. 24'; watcrliuc i7'3"; beam 6'^"; draft 

 (keel) 3'6"; sail area 216 sq. ft. (spinnaker used). 



162 THE SAILBOAT CLASSES OF NORTH AMERICA 



