| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Thomas Leach |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1984 |
| No. built | 1,000 |
| Builder | Homebuilt boat |
| Role | Sailing dinghy |
| Name | Cape Cod Frosty |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 34 lb (15 kg) |
| Draft | 3.00 ft (0.91 m) withdaggerboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | Monohull |
| Construction | Fiberglass orwood |
| LOA | 6.33 ft (1.93 m) |
| Beam | 2.76 ft (0.84 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | daggerboard |
| Ballast | water ballast in plastic bottles for class rules |
| Rudder | transom-mountedrudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Cat rig |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | Catboat |
| Mainsail area | 25.00 sq ft (2.323 m2) |
| Total sail area | 25.00 sq ft (2.323 m2) |
TheCape Cod Frosty is an Americansailing dinghy that was designed byHarwich, Massachusetts harbormaster Thomas Leach as aone-designracer and first built in 1984.[1][2][3]
The Frosty is the world's smallest racingsailboat class and was designed for lightness and simplicity. It was conceived for after normal season "frostbite racing", when most owners will have already hauled out their larger racing boats for the winter. The initial construction cost was estimated at less thanUS$300.[2]
The design is usuallyamateur constructed from plans in the easternUnited States andCanada and is supported by theCape Cod Frosty Class Association. Some production boats were built in the past fromfiberglass bySailpower Corp andStar Marine. Star Marine also provided kits for amateur completion at one point. More than 1,000 boats have been completed in total.[1][2][4][5]
The Frosty is a racingsailboat, usually built ofwood, using two 4 by 8 ft (1.2 by 2.4 m) sheets of 0.25 in (6.4 mm)plywood and assembled using anepoxystitch and glue technique.[1][2]
The design has apram hull with no chines or internal framing and has only one bulkhead. It features an unstayedcatboat single sail rig, with wooden oraluminum spars, a nearlyplumb stem, a verticaltransom, a transom-hungrudder controlled by atiller with an extension and a retractabledaggerboard. It displaces 34 lb (15 kg).[1][2]
The boat has a draft of 3.00 ft (0.91 m) with the daggerboard fully down.[1]
For sailing the design is equipped with flotation bags. To ensure equal competition, the class rules require ballasting to a combined boat and crew weight of 214 lb (97 kg), using water-filled plastic jugs. Aboom vang,Cunningham andmainsheet traveler are optional.[2]
The class association notes, "this is not a boat for juniors, in fact, only experienced sailors need apply".[3]
In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "this is the world’s smallest racing class — and all boats are equally slow. But when you put your big boat up for the winter, you may still compete, and perhaps on a more friendly level."[2]
The first class championship regatta was held at the Hyannis Yacht Club inHyannis, Massachusetts on 28 April 1985, with 21 local sailors competing in the six races. The following year it became a two-day event.[6]
By 2001 there were 15 fleets racing the design in the eastern United States and Canada, plus an annual North American Championship.[3][7]
Similar sailboats