Photo Credit:C. Krafft
Photo Credit: P. Hull
Photo Credit: P. Hull
About International Penguin Class Dinghy Association
The Penguin Class dinghy was designed by famed naval architect Phil Rhodes and the first fleet was formed on the Potomac River in 1939. An article about the boat appeared in a 1940 issue of Yachting magazine and Penguin fleets soon appeared all over the US as well as in a number of countries. It was used by many clubs in their junior sailing programs, but was also popular as a frostbiting dinghy and sailed by many of the top racers of the day from the 1940’s to the 1970’s. It is still raced today, primarily on the Chesapeake Bay and Chicagoland regions, however there are boats all over the country and renewed activity in South America. It provides a nice platform for adults, juniors, adult-junior, or single-handers who can add ballast as required to meet the minimum weight. The boat is fun to sail, quite responsive to minor trim adjustments, and a great training platform to learn about sail trim, weight placement, and boat balance.
Design
Boats Produced: 9700
Class boat builder(s):
No current active builders. Plans are available.
Approximately how many boats are in the USA/North America? 8500
Where is your One-Design class typically sailed in the USA? List regions of the country:
Chesapeake Bay, Chicago
Does this class have a spinnaker or gennaker? No
Ideal combined weight of range of crew: 310 (modern) 290 (classic)
Portsmouth Yardstick Rating: 111.5
Boat Designed in 1938
Beam: 4’8″
Weight of rigged boat without sails: 140 (hull)
Draft: 4′ (centerboard down), 4″ board up
Mast Height: 19′