X Boat
{{short description|Sailboat class}}
{{About|sailing dinghy known as X Boat|the World War II midget submarine|X-class submarine}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox sailboat specifications
|name = X Boat
|insignia = File:X Boat class badge.png
|insignia size = 75px
|insignia alt =
|insignia caption =
|line drawing =
|line size =
|line alt =
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|image boat = File:Xboat.gif
|image size =
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|image caption =
|designer = John O. Johnson
|architect =
|location = United States
|year = 1932
|no built =
|design =
|class =
|brand =
|builder = Johnson Boat Works
Melges Performance Sailboats
|role = One-design racer
|boats =
|crew = two
|trapeze =
|draft = {{convert|2.58|ft|m|abbr=on}} with centerboard down
|air draft =
|displacement = {{convert|470|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}
|hulls =
|hull type = Monohull
|construction = Wood or fiberglass
|loa = {{convert|16.00|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|loh =
|lwl = {{convert|14.50|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|beam = {{convert|6.08|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|hull draft =
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|engine =
|appendages =
|keel type = centerboard
|ballast =
|rudder type = transom-mounted rudder
|rigs =
|rig type = Bermuda rig
|I =
|J =
|P =
|E =
|mast length =
|rig other =
|sails =
|sailplan = Fractional rigged sloop
|sailarea main = {{convert|85.00|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
|sailarea headsail = {{convert|24.75|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
|sailarea spin =
|sailarea gen =
|sails other =
|sailarea upwind =
|sailarea downwind =
|sailarea total = {{convert|109.75|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
|rating =
|d-pn = 97.7
|rya-pn =
|phrf =
|status =
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}}
The X Boat, also called the Cub, is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by John O. Johnson as a one-design racer and first built in 1932.{{cite web|url= https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/x-boat-usa|title= X Boat (USA) sailboat |access-date= 9 September 2020|last= McArthur| first= Bruce |work= sailboatdata.com|year= 2020|archive-url= https://archive.today/20200909141931/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/x-boat-usa|archive-date= 9 September 2020 |url-status= live}}Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 72-73. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. {{ISBN|0-395-65239-1}}
Production
The design was built by Johnson Boat Works starting in 1932 and later by Melges Performance Sailboats in the United States. Johnson Boat Works went out of business in 1998, but the boat remains in production by Melges.{{cite web|url= https://sailboatdata.com/builder/melges-performance-sailboats|title= Melges Performance Sailboats|access-date= 9 September 2020|last= McArthur| first= Bruce |work= sailboatdata.com|year= 2020|archive-url= https://archive.today/20200908184850/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/melges-performance-sailboats|archive-date= 8 September 2020 |url-status= live}}{{cite web|url= https://sailboatdata.com/builder/johnson-boat-works-usa|title= Johnson Boat Works (USA) 1896 - 1998 |access-date= 9 September 2020|last= McArthur| first= Bruce |work= sailboatdata.com|year= 2020|archive-url= https://archive.today/20200908225439/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/johnson-boat-works-usa|archive-date= 8 September 2020 |url-status= live}}{{cite web|url= https://melges.com/melges-x-boat/|title= The Melges X Boat|access-date= 9 September 2020|author= Melges Performance Sailboats |work= melges.com|year= 2020|archive-url= https://archive.today/20200909144053/https://melges.com/melges-x-boat/|archive-date= 9 September 2020|url-status= live}}
Design
The X Boat is a simple, sail training and racing sailboat, intended for junior sailors under 16 years of age. Originally constructed of wood, it is now built predominantly of fiberglass, with wooden trim. It has a fractional sloop with aluminum spars, a spooned raked stem, an angled transom, a rounded, transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller fitted with a tiller extension and it has a retractable centerboard. It displaces {{convert|470|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}.
The boat has a draft of {{convert|2.58|ft|m|abbr=on}} with the centerboard extended. The boat can be transported on a trailer.
For sailing the design is equipped with a boom vang, a stern-mounted mainsheet traveler and two sets of hiking straps.
The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 97.7 and is normally raced with a crew of two sailors.
Operational history
The class is supported by the Inland Lake Yachting Association, which organizes racing regattas.{{cite web|url= https://sailboatdata.com/association/inland-lake-yachting-association|title= Inland Lake Yachting Association|access-date= 9 September 2020|last= McArthur| first= Bruce |work= sailboatdata.com|year= 2020|archive-url= https://archive.today/20200909142020/https://sailboatdata.com/association/inland-lake-yachting-association|archive-date= 9 September 2020 |url-status= live}} The annual association championship for the class often attracts over 100 boats to compete.
In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "The X Boat was designed as a low-performance training boat for junior programs. With the exception of the boom vang, sail control is minimal so as to emphasize handling skills ... Since 1984 the Portsmouth Number has dropped dramatically."
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Official website|https://melges.com/melges-x-boat/}}
{{Melges Performance Sailboats}}
{{Sailing dinghies and skiffs}}
Category:1930s sailboat type designs
Category:Sailboat type designs by John O. Johnson
Category:Sailboat type designs by Johnson Boat Works
Category:Sailboat types built by Melges Performance Sailboats