| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | William Shaw ofSparkman & Stephens |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1959 |
| Builder(s) | O'Day Corp. J.J. Taylor and Sons Ltd. US Yachts Inc. Yankee Yachts Inc. Pacific Dolphin Inc. |
| Role | Racer |
| Name | Dolphin 24 |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 4,250 lb (1,928 kg) |
| Draft | 5.17 ft (1.58 m) withcenterboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | monohull |
| Construction | fiberglass |
| LOA | 24.16 ft (7.36 m) |
| LWL | 19.00 ft (5.79 m) |
| Beam | 7.67 ft (2.34 m) |
| Engine type | outboard motor or Palmer Husky 6 hp (4 kW)gasoline engine |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | longkeel and centerboard |
| Ballast | 1,650 lb (748 kg) |
| Rudder(s) | keel-mountedrudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| I foretriangle height | 30.75 ft (9.37 m) |
| J foretriangle base | 9.00 ft (2.74 m) |
| P mainsail luff | 26.42 ft (8.05 m) |
| E mainsail foot | 11.83 ft (3.61 m) |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | masthead sloop |
| Mainsail area | 156.27 sq ft (14.518 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 138.38 sq ft (12.856 m2) |
| Total sail area | 294.65 sq ft (27.374 m2) |
| Racing | |
| Class association | MORC |
| PHRF | 246 |
TheDolphin 24 is an Americantrailerablesailboat that was designed byWilliam Shaw ofSparkman & Stephens as aMidget Ocean Racing Club (MORC)racer-cruiser and first built in 1959. Shaw had been one of the instigators of the MORC rules. The boat is Sparkman & Stephens' design #1497.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
The design was built by a large number of manufacturers during its lengthy production run between 1959 and 1978.[1][2][3]
The design was initially sold by theO'Day Corp. in theUnited States, with production of 36 boats between 1959 and 1967. O'Day did not build the boat in-house, but contracted out construction to several different companies, includingLunn Laminates ofLong Island, New York and laterMarscot Plastics inFall River, Massachusetts, a company that later became a subsidiary of O'Day.J.J. Taylor and Sons Ltd. in Canada also likely built some. The boat was also sold byUS Yachts Inc. ofWestport, Connecticut under Bob Larsen and Warren Dellenbaugh (not the sameUS Yachts that was a division ofBayliner), with O'Day building the boats for them. US Yachts Inc. was to go public on theNew York Stock Exchange. In 1968Yankee Yachts Inc. acquired the design rights and started production inInglewood, California, with few changes to the design. The hulls were actually built by O'Day, but eventually Yankee used one of the completed hulls to create its own mold. Yankee later moved toSanta Ana, California. After Yankee went out of business, one of their suppliers restarted production inAnaheim, California, under the namePacific Dolphin, building boats from 1974 to 1978, before production ended.[1][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Some of the boats were also sold askits for owner completion.[6]
The Dolphin 24 derived from an earlier wooden boat design, theMermaid 24.[2]
The Dolphin 24 is a recreationalkeelboat, built predominantly offiberglass, with wood trim. It has amasthead sloop rig, araked stem; a raised counter, angledtransom; akeel-mountedrudder controlled by atiller and a fixed long keel, with acenterboard. It displaces 4,250 lb (1,928 kg) and carries 1,650 lb (748 kg) of ballast.[1][6]
After a fire destroyed the deck molds, some boats were finished with wooden decks and wooden coach house roofs.[1]
The boat has a draft of 5.17 ft (1.58 m) with the centerboard extended and 2.83 ft (0.86 m) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water or ground transportation on atrailer.[1][6]
The boat is fitted with a Palmer Husky 6 hp (4 kW)gasoline engine for docking and maneuvering, or a small, stern well-mounted 4 to 8 hp (3 to 6 kW)outboard motor.[1][6]
The boats built by Pacific Dolphin were 250 lb (113 kg) lighter, but used a fiberglass centerboard with a lead core in place of thebronze centerboard used by Yankee and O'Day. The Pacific Dolphin boats have 310 lb (141 kg) more ballast and an outboard well instead of the optional inboard engine. The fuel tank holds 10 U.S. gallons (38 L; 8.3 imp gal) and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 20 U.S. gallons (76 L; 17 imp gal).[6]
The design has sleeping accommodation for five people, with a double"V"-berth in the bow cabin, a drop down dinette table that converts to a double berth and a small straight settee in the main cabin. Thegalley is located on the port side at thecompanionway ladder. The galley is equipped with anicebox and a sink. Thehead is located just aft of the bow cabin on the starboard side. Cabin headroom is 56 in (140 cm).[1][6]
The design has aPHRF racing average handicap of 246 and ahull speed of 5.8 kn (10.7 km/h).[6]
The boat is supported by an active class club, theDolphin 24 Class.[12]
A review by Stephens Waring Yacht Design reported, "one a look at Olin Stephens near-perfect drawing shows why the Dolphin is such a dream to sail. She's moderately light for her time, at 4,250 pounds. Your SUV weighs more. And she can flash ample canvas: The sail area-to-displacement ratio is around 18.2, and conservative by today's standard, but she’s not at all under-canvased. These boats offer many combinations in sail power: symmetricalspinnakers, multiplejibs and overlappinggenoas and everything in between. And keep in mind she only draws 2' 10" with the center-board up. Meaning for the brave and the physical, she will push her hull speed with a skilled crew; her balanced helm is easy on the hand."[13]