S CLASS 



In these days when so many racing classes are short-lived, the history 

 of the Herreshoff-designed S Class sloop is extraordinary. First constructed 

 in 1919 by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol, Rhode Is- 

 land, they continued to be built until 1930, most of them by Herreshoff and 

 a few by Lawley— both firms noted for the quality of their work. How well 

 the S boats have demonstrated that! While none have been built in recent 

 years, the class remains vigorous in its various fleets and the unparalleled 

 quality of construction and materials seem to have resulted in an almost 

 ageless boat. The boats have planked wooden hulls, and the Herreshoff 

 manual says they were built to last a lifetime. The first boat is still in beauti- 

 ful condition and racing actively. 



An authority writes:* "The boats were well designed, sturdily built and 

 beautifully maintained. They were of heavy displacement, but extremely 

 fast in light airs and, at the same time, seaworthy when the going was 

 rough. Competition was unusually keen and interest was maintained at a 

 high pitch because the hulls were strictly one-design and rigid rules had 

 been drawn to restrain those who might be tempted to alter sail plan, 

 spars or weight to their own advantage." The cockpit is large enough for 

 six or more adults and the cabin is adequate for cruising. You can always 

 recognize an S boat by the tilt aft of the upper part of the mast. 



There are now thirty-eight boats in the Narragansett Bay fleet, twenty- 

 five in the western Long Island Sound fleet, and some on Chesapeake Bay 

 and at Hawaii— out of one hundred still racing, thanks to the enthusiasm 

 of James Benfield and other devoted S skippers. Herbert L. Jamison, Jr., 

 is Secretary of the Western Long Island Sound Herreshoff S Class ( Forest 

 Ave., Rye, N.Y. ). The Cape Cod Shipbuilding Company (Wareham, Mass.) 

 now has the building rights and plans. While no new boats have been 

 built recently, it is reported that used ones can be obtained for $3000 to $3800. 



VITAL statistics: L.O.A. 27'6''; waterline 2o'6''; beam 7V; draft 

 (keel) 4'9"'; sail area 426 sq. ft. (spinnaker used). 



SAILFISH and SUNFISH 



Soon after World War II two young men, Alexander ("Al") Bryan and 

 Cortland ("Cort") Heyniger, had an idea which was destined to start a 

 revolution in sailing. In their garage in Waterbury, Connecticut, they be- 

 gan the construction of a type of sailboat which later came to be described 

 as a "boardboat," a sailing surfboard or bathing-suit boat. The two men 



* "Reviving the S Class," by James W. Benfield, Yachting, May 1945. 



172 THE SAILBOAT CLASSES OF NORTH AMERICA 



