 | |
 | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Alvin Youngquist |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1938 |
| No. built | 2,770 |
| Builder(s) | Jack A. Helms Co. Jibetech Turner Marine Hinterhoeller Limited |
| Name | Y Flyer |
| Boat | |
| Crew | two |
| Displacement | 500 lb (227 kg) |
| Draft | 4.00 ft (1.22 m) withcenterboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | monohullscow |
| Construction | wood orfiberglass |
| LOA | 18.17 ft (5.54 m) |
| LWL | 14.50 ft (4.42 m) |
| Beam | 5.67 ft (1.73 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | centerboard |
| Rudder(s) | transom-mountedrudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | fractional riggedsloop |
| Mainsail area | 110 sq ft (10 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 51 sq ft (4.7 m2) |
| Total sail area | 161 sq ft (15.0 m2) |
| Racing | |
| D-PN | 88.1 |
TheY Flyer is an Americansailing dinghy that was designed byAlvin Youngquist in 1938 as aone-designracer and first built in 1941.[1][2][3]
The boat design was first shown inThe Rudder magazine in 1938, as plans foramateur construction. Homebuilding of the boat from spruce andplywood continued after fiberglass boats were commercially available.[1][3]
The design was built byJack A. Helms Co.,Jibetech and more recently, byTurner Marine in theUnited States, but it is now out of production.[1][3][4][5][6]
George Hinterhoeller was establishing his boat building enterpriseHinterhoeller Limited in 1956, inNiagara Falls, Ontario,Canada. He built 40 Y-Flyers as his first production boat, "before the market dried up".[7]
The Y Flyer is a recreationalsailboat, initially built predominantly of wood, later versions were constructed offiberglass, with wood trim. It has a flexiblefractionalsloop rig with wooden oraluminum spars and a rotating mast. The hull is ascow design, with a flat bottom, areverse sheer and a hard hullchine. The hull features a verticaltransom, a transom-hungrudder controlled by atiller and a retractable steel or aluminumcenterboard. It displaces 500 lb (227 kg).[1][3]
The boat has adraft of 4.00 ft (1.22 m) with the centerboard extended and 6 in (15 cm) with it retracted, allowingbeaching or ground transportation on atrailer.[1]
For sailing the boat has amainsheet traveler. It may also be optionally equipped with built-insuction bailers,barber haulers, transom flaps andhiking straps. The class rules in the United States prohibitspinnakers, but these are used for racing in Canada.[3]
The design has aPortsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 88.1 and is normally raced with a crew of twosailors.[3]
The design is a supported by an active class club, the Y-Flyer Yacht Racing Association, that organizes races and regulates the boat design.[8]
By 1994 there were Canadian fleets in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. American fleets were located in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina. There were also fleets in the US northeast and on the Pacific coast.[3]
In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "The Y Flyer has a hard chine and flat bottom and is unusually stable. A slight heel reduces wetted surface dramatically, however, as may be seen from the [Portsmouth] rating."[3]
Media related toY Flyer at Wikimedia Commons