MERIDAN. 



Photo by Hein de Bouter, 



courtesy Philip L. Rhodes. 



by G. deVries Lentsch, the largest yacht builders in Holland. Seafarer 

 Fiber Glass Yachts, Inc. (205 E. 42nd St., New York 17, N.Y. ), the importers, 

 have already ordered one hundred of them. It is estimated that seventy-five 

 have been built. 



As Philip L. Rhodes put it, "The Meridian represents our effort to design 

 a minimum-size cruising-racing sloop without in any way creating a toy or a 

 so-called 'tabloid.' She is a husky and substantial little ship and in no sense 

 a tub. Her displacement of 5060 pounds with her deep bilges and wide 

 garboards not only makes possible her generous interior layout but also 

 allows us to carry a ballast keel that weighs 2500 pounds. This is the way 

 a small cruiser of this size should be designed: with plenty of what it takes 

 to take care of herself and carry her sail when the going gets rough. Her 

 underbody is of a nature that offers comparatively small wetted surface, so 

 that with her sharp rig she will do equally well in light airs." 



Her principal cruising grounds are on the East, West, and Gulf coasts 

 of the United States, on the Great Lakes, and in northern Europe. An out- 

 board well is provided and has a door which will be flush with the bottom 



CRUISING CLASSES 



273 



