man Lawrence Giles) which made a successful transatlantic passage. The 

 boat is also built in Japan, by the Okamoto and Sons Boat Works (Yoko- 

 hama, Japan ) . Originally imported by Getz Brothers and Company in 1956 

 and now by Balboa Marina (201 East Coast Highway, Newport Beach, 

 Calif.), the Maya is one of the growing number of cruising-class sloops 

 which qualify for the Midget Ocean Racing Club. It is also one of the 

 most successful, with ninety-five built altogether, of which sixty-eight are 

 in the United States. These are located chiefly on San Francisco Bay, at 

 Los Angeles, Newport, and San Diego Bay— all on the U. S. Pacific Coast. 

 While the boats race as a class on San Francisco Bay, where within two 

 years about twenty-five were actively racing, elsewhere the owners seem 

 to prefer to use them for cruising, day sailing, or ocean racing under the 

 Cruising Club of America rule or P.H.R.F. (Pacific Handicap Racing 

 Fleet). 



With her short overhangs and beamy end sections, it is reported that 

 the Maya is a very comfortable boat to sail, with pitching reduced to a 

 minimum. The slight reverse sheer adds space below, where there are berths 

 for three or four, a head, galley, and other accommodations, depending 

 upon the requirements of the owner. While some inboard auxiliaries have 

 been installed, the importers say that most skippers prefer a space-saving, 

 lighter, and less expensive outboard motor. 



The boats have a double-planked wooden hull with mahogany on the 

 outside. The only "weak point" of the Maya, according to an authority, is 

 the one "shared by most small [under 30 feet] boats that are built of 

 wood. . . . They [the classes] are being replaced by the easy-to-maintain 

 fiberglass boats which in many instances are inferior designs." Price is $5000 

 with sails; used boats cost about $4000. 



VITAL STATISTICS: L.O.A. 23'; watcrlinc ( with cruising equipment ) 

 2o'6''; beam 6'/'; draft (keel) 4'i"\ sail area 149 sq. ft.; weight (completely 

 equipped) about 4200 lbs. (bare boat 3660 lbs.); trailable with special 

 equipment; power is usually by an outboard on a bracket. 



IVIERIDIAN 



Designed by Philip L. Rhodes, the 24^9" sloop Meridian has unusual 

 accommodations below for a boat of her size. Headroom is s'li^'; there are 

 berths for four, a head (located in the forward cabin between berths), a 

 galley aft, and plenty of storage facilities. She is a well-proportioned boat 

 with a doghouse that blends well with the lower part of the cabin. Con- 

 struction is reinforced plastic hull and deck. She is a relatively heavy dis- 

 placement shoal-draft keelboat. The class was started in 1961, and is made 



272 THE SAILBOAT CLASSES OF NORTH AMERICA 



