Transit_380

The Transit_380 is our newest design that is narrowly focused to suit young sailors who are making the transition from the single-handed Optimist pram to high performance double-handed dinghies. Most kids 'size out' of the Opti at about 115 pounds, and between the ages of 12 to 14. After years of sailing alone in prams, many are also looking forward to the social benefits of sailing together with friends. Most do not yet have the sailing skills and experience required to handle a Club 420, however, and expecting them to do so is a bit like handing a new driver the keys to a Porsche. For decades, the Blue Jay and Widgeon (among others) have filled this gap, but time and technology have long since passed these boats by. The Transit_380 brings modern materials and carefully 'kid centered' design detailing to a contemporary version of this transitional mid boat.

As a sidelight to my professional yacht design career, I have enjoyed over a decade as a volunteer on the front lines of junior sailing. I have been an 'Opti Dad' and a dinghy coach. I have helped provide 'adult supervision' to a 115 year old kids-only junior sailing club, and have helped start a companion junior sailing program at my own adult yacht club. These two organizations are just two among hundreds who have been actively seeking an attractive new boat to fill this transition role. When it became clear that such a boat does not now exist, I decided to take a 'bus mans holiday' and design it myself. Blending the experience I have had designing and sailing scores of small boats with the recommendations of a variety of junior sailing instructors and coaches, has helped to clearly identify the features that are critical to the ideal transition boat.

The resulting Transit_380 is a 12 ½ foot (380cm) dinghy with main, jib and spinnaker, intended for two 11-15 year olds with a combined crew weight of about 220 lbs. Many young sailors this size finds a Club 420 a handful, capsizing too often and hitting too many things going too fast. The Transit_380 is a good looking, lively, and responsive sailboat that will be both an 'age appropriate' learning platform, and a blast for young teens to sail. This design has an intentionally lower performance profile than that of the 420, and is considerably more stable (compared to sail area), so as to minimize those inevitable unintended capsizes. It is designed to be self-rescuing, in that most of the water scooped aboard in a capsize will run quickly out the stern on its own when the boat is righted, with little or no bailing required, even at slow speeds. It is also self-bailing; rain water will drain straight overboard, so the boat can be left uncovered and untended in most anchorages.

The Transit_380 will be easy to right when the children do capsize it. There is no magic wand that can make small, beamy, unballasted boats turtle-proof, of course, but keeping the buoyancy low in the side decks, keeping the mast watertight, and adding floatation foam to the head of the mainsail will all make righting the boat easier, and help give a longer time window to get the job done. The boat will feature closed cell foam floatation that will not absorb significant water weight even if the hull or deck is holed.

The rudder and centerboard of the Transit_380 are both carefully shaped NACA foils and are generous in area, so they will not be stall prone, even at low speeds. This is critical to teaching kids the skills they need to reliably handle their boats in close quarters with real confidence. The head of the centerboard protrudes up though the top of the trunk at all times, so that the sailors can see if it is up or down, and how far. If the boat does turn turtle with the board down, it will stay exposed so they can grab it, stand on the outboard hull/deck flange, and pull the boat back upright. The pivoting centerboard will kick up and over most bumps in the bottom in inevitable groundings, minimizing damage to the boat and injury to the crew, a big advantage over daggerboard configurations.

The Transit_380 cockpit and deck are both carefully detailed expressly for kids. There are ergonomically correct cockpit seats to suit less experienced sailors who are more comfortable 'sitting in,' and ample side decks to suit the more adventurous who wish to sit out and hike hard. The foredeck is recessed below the sheer, so kids who go forward to jibe the spinnaker pole or pick up the mooring can stay securely inside the boat. A mesh spinnaker bag can be fitted in a bin ahead of the mast, and there are dedicated spinnaker pole storage troughs port and starboard so that poles will not be lost overboard as often. The stern deck is well above the cockpit sole, but also recessed below the sheerline. This unique 'back porch' can contribute to the fun by getting swimmers back aboard more easily, and giving kids a seat that allows them to trail their toes in the water during breaks in the action. This can also contribute to safety by facilitating recovery from an accidental 'man overboard' incident. A low seat height bulkhead at the aft end of the cockpit foot well keeps gear and water bottles from washing out the stern (or waves washing in!), as they can do in truly open transom boats.

With a rigged weight of approximately 230 pounds, (considerably lighter than a Blue Jay, Widgeon, or Club 420), the Transit_380 can be easily launched from a ramp on a typical 420-style dolly. It is domestically built by Precision Boat Works, who has a 28 year old hard-earned reputation for high quality and longevity in their whole line of small boats. They build conservatively in hand-laid fiberglass that can be readily repaired with ordinary tools, materials, and maintenance skills. They use ISO/NPG gelcoats and a vinylester skin coat over the polyester main laminates. The boat will have a rugged protective rub rail around the hull/deck joint. As with all Precisions, it will be attractively priced and have a fleet volume purchase plan.

Jim Taylor
August 10, 2005