Photo Credit:Barry Hyman
Photo Credit: William Tagliamonte
Photo Credit: John Perkins
About North Haven Dinghy
The North Haven Dinghy is the oldest continually raced one-design sailboat in America. In 1887, in the waters of Penobscot Bay, Maine, a girl named Ellen beat two fellows named Charles — all racing boats of identical design — and these Dinghies have been competitively sailed each summer ever since. The Dinghy is a 14’5″ gaff-rigged catboat with a wineglass stern and large rudder. You sit low in the water in these boats. The fleet remains concentrated in Penobscot Bay, where close to 100 Dinghies have raced at a time. Currently, there are several dozen of these classic boats in active use with competitive races throughout the summer months. The Dinghy has a simple elegance that makes them easy to sail… and tough to master.
Interested in getting a feel for version 1.0 of one-design American sailing? Our class association makes these boats available to the public. Learn more at https://nhdinghy.org
Design
Boats Produced: 200+ on record
Class boat builder(s):
J O Brown and Son Inc manufactured the most recent batch of Dinghies at the turn of the millennium.
Approximately how many boats are in the USA/North America? 30+ actively sailed
Where is your One-Design class typically sailed in the USA? List regions of the country:
Penobscot Bay, Maine
Does this class have a spinnaker or gennaker? No
Ideal combined weight of range of crew: 200-400, depending on the breeze
Boat Designed in 1887
Beam: 4’10”
Weight of rigged boat without sails: 875
Draft: 1’3″ board up, 3’4″ board down
Mast Height: 14’6″