 | |
 | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Olin Stephens |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1938 |
| No. built | 15,550 |
| Builder(s) | Clark Boat Company Lippincott Boat Works Nickels Boat Works Allen Boat Company Jack A. Helms Co. J.J. Taylor and Sons Lockley Newport Boats Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Mobjack Manufacturing Siddons & Sindle Lofland Sail-craft Eichenlaub Boat WindRider LLC Saybrook Yacht Yard |
| Role | One-designracer |
| Name | Lightning |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 700 lb (318 kg) |
| Draft | 4.95 ft (1.51 m) withcenterboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | monohull |
| Construction | wood orfiberglass |
| LOA | 19.00 ft (5.79 m) |
| LWL | 15.25 ft (4.65 m) |
| Beam | 6.50 ft (1.98 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | centerboard |
| Rudder | transom-mountedrudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| I foretriangle height | 20.00 ft (6.10 m) |
| J foretriangle base | 6.91 ft (2.11 m) |
| P mainsail luff | 24.00 ft (7.32 m) |
| E mainsail foot | 10.00 ft (3.05 m) |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | fractional riggedsloop |
| Mainsail area | 120.00 sq ft (11.148 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 69.10 sq ft (6.420 m2) |
| Spinnaker area | 300 sq ft (28 m2) |
| Total sail area | 189.10 sq ft (17.568 m2) |
| Racing | |
| D-PN | 88.4 |
TheLightning is an Americansailing dinghy that was designed byOlin Stephens ofSparkman & Stephens, as aone-designracer and first built in 1938.[1][2][3]
An acceptedWorld Sailing class, the boat is one of the most popular one-design sailing classes in the United States and is also raced in several other countries.[1][3]
The design was developed into a smaller boat, as a trainer for the Lightning, theBlue Jay in 1947.[4]
The design has been built by a large number of manufacturers in theUnited States and also inCanada. There have been 15,550 boats completed and it remains in production by the Allen Boat Company along with nickels boatworks.[1][5][6]
In the past it has been built in the US by theClark Boat Company, Lippincott Boat Works, Nickels Boat Works, Jack A. Helms Co.,Lockley Newport Boats, Skaneateles Boat & Canoe, Mobjack Manufacturing, Siddons & Sindle, Lofland Sail-craft, the Eichenlaub Boat Co, Saybrook Yacht Yard, andWindRider LLC. It was also built in Canada by J.J. Taylor and Sons Ltd.[1]
Boats have been delivered complete, sold as kits foramateur construction and also amateur-built from plans.[3]
The Lightning is a recreationalsailboat, initially built with wooden plank construction and, since the early 1960s, offiberglass with wood trim. It has afractionalsloop rig with wooden oraluminum spars. The rig employs abackstay, anchored off center, so as to not impede thetiller. If equipped with a wooden mast it has ajumper stay from the mast head to the spreaders. The hull has a foredeck, with a V-shapedcoaming, araked stem, an angledtransom, a transom-hungrudder controlled by a tiller and a retractablecenterboard. It displaces 700 lb (318 kg) and carries a class-prescribed maximum of 130 lb (59 kg) in centerboard weight.[1][3]
The boat has adraft of 4.95 ft (1.51 m) with the centerboard extended and 5 in (13 cm) with it retracted, allowingbeaching or ground transportation on atrailer.[1]
For sailing the design is equipped with a 300 sq ft (28 m2)spinnaker.Mainsail andjib windows are optional for improved visibility and safety.[3]
The design has aPortsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 88.4[3] and is normally raced with a crew of threesailors, although it can accommodate six adults.[7][8]
The boat has an active class club that regulates the design and organizes races, theInternational Lightning Class Association.[9] By 1994 there were more than 460 racing fleets in Canada, Europe, South America and the United States.[3]
In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood noted that the design has good freeboard and stability.[3]
Related development
