T Class symbol | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | George Owen |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1935 |
| Builder(s) | Herreshoff Manufacturing,Beetle Boat Co.,Paceship Yachts,Whitecap Composites |
| Role | Sailing dinghy |
| Name | Tech Dinghy |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Draft | 2.00 ft (0.61 m) withcenterboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | Monohull |
| Construction | Wood orfiberglass |
| LOA | 12.00 ft (3.66 m) |
| Beam | 4.67 ft (1.42 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | centerboard |
| Rudder(s) | transom-mountedrudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | catboat rig orBermuda rig |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | Fractional riggedsloopMasthead sloop |
| Total sail area | 72.00 sq ft (6.689 m2) |
| Racing | |
| D-PN | 111.2 |
TheTech Dinghy is an Americansailing dinghy that was designed by George Owen, a professor atMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as aone-designracer and forsail training. It was first built in 1935.[1][2][3]
The Tech Dinghy design was later developed into theIntercollegiate dinghy byPaceship Yachts.[1][4]
George Owen was a professor at MIT's Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering between 1915 and 1941, designing more than 200 sailing boats and commercial ships. He was also a competitivesailor and conceived the Tech Dinghy for student competitive sailing at MIT in theCharles River, which is adjacent to the MIT campus.[1][2]
The design was first constructed from wood byHerreshoff Manufacturing in theUnited States, starting in 1935.[1][3][5]
The design was next built by theBeetle Boat Co inNew Bedford, Massachusetts. In 1958 the company started building them fromfiberglass instead of wood, one of the first boats to use the then-new material.[1][6]
The design was also constructed inCanada, byPaceship Yachts ofMahone Bay, Nova Scotia, although they went out of business in 1981 and production had ceased by that time. This manufacturer created the Intercollegiate dinghy, based upon the Tech Dinghy for use in racing between universities.[4]
The boat has gone through several redesigns over time, including being modified for sailing in rougher conditions in theMidwestern United States. In the 1970s it was modified byHalsey Herreshoff working with the MIT sailing director, Hatch Brown. This version made the boat faster, less prone to ship water and more forgiving to sail for beginners.[1][3]
The sixth version of the boat, marketed as theTurbo Tech, was drawn by Penn Edmonds during the early 1990s and is 100 lb (45 kg) lighter than the previous generation. This version is now produced by the current builder,Whitecap Composites ofPeabody, Massachusetts.[7][8]
The Tech Dinghy is a recreationalsailboat, built predominantly ofwood or, in later versions, fromfiberglass. The sixth generation boats are made from infusedvinylester over a Core-Cell foam core, with an innercarbon fiber skin, for improved durability.[1][3][8]
The boat has afractionalsloop rig orcatboat single sail rig, with the mast repositionable on differentmast steps for either configuration. The spars arealuminum. It features a spoonedraked stem, an over-verticaltransom, a transom-hungrudder controlled by atiller and a retractable, lever-controlledcenterboard. The hull alone displaces 250 lb (113 kg).[1][3][8]
The boat has adraft of 2.00 ft (0.61 m) with the centerboard extended and 3 in (7.6 cm) with it retracted, allowingbeaching or ground transportation on atrailer.[1]
For sailing the design is equipped with amainsheet traveler, aboom vang and anouthaul. The vang is led to the mast step casting.[3]
The design has aPortsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 111.2, noted as "suspect". It is normally raced as a sloop, with a crew of two sailors.[3][8]
MIT has sold off their older wooden boats and some of these are now sailed privately.[3]
It was reported in 1994 that some of the original wooden 1935 boats still existed and were still in use, even though almost 65 years old at that point.[3]