flying 15

[gert]

Saw and sailed near a "Flying 15" on my vacation,(looks fast) Nice looking boat; what is she and are plans available?

[Wayne Jeffers]

This should help:

http://www.flying15.org/

Wayne

[garland reese]

Hi Gert,
The Flying Fifteen was desigend by Mr. Uffa Fox.
There are several variants on the theme that Mr. Fox did. The Flying Fifteen was the version that really developed into a successful class though. I think the class now controls the plans for the 15 (at least her class approved plans), but there may be older versions available for the Flying Fifteen (Classic version maybee??). There is a chine version of the Flying Fifteen and a lifting keel version of the chine fifteen. Check the Fifteen and the 10 and the 17 and ............
The Flying 12 would be a fun project. At sixteen feet she seems like a nice project.
www.uffafox.com (http://www.uffafox.com) racing keelboats section

Garland

[ 08-13-2002, 04:02 PM: Message edited by: garland reese ]

[John B]

It's a planing hull too. I've seen em really flying along. The class appears to be in decline here unfortunately.

[Hwyl]

Does anyone know of a chine version of this. I believe it was called Fflying Ffifteen

[jwaldin]

I've got Uffa Foxs' 'coffee table' book. What has always struck me about the book is the number of young boys, some partially dressed, some not even that which appear on pretty well every page.
I think I'll list it on ebay

[jwaldin]

Maybe that's why he called it the 'Flying Fifteen'.

[John B]

First time I've heard someone insinuate that Uffa Fox was a homosexual paedophile. Is that a fact is it ?

[jwaldin]

Easy does it. I'm not insinuating anything. Do you have the book? Have you seen the book?

[jwaldin]

And the spelling is pedophile. (In addition to Foxs' book I have a dictionary).

[Ged]

Originally posted by jwaldin:
Maybe that's why he called it the 'Flying Fifteen'.How does your dictionary define "insinuation"?

[John B]

I do have several of Fox's books. clever man.

and that may be your spelling.

edited to clarify meaning. I didn't mean that to sound as if I'm criticising your personal spelling.
By "your" I mean ,North American version of spelling as opposed to the English spelling we use here in NZ.

[ 12-14-2003, 04:24 PM: Message edited by: John B ]

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Uffa Fox was an enthusiastic heterosexual!

Anyone who has the slightest doubt about this should read his biography; faithfulness to his wives was not perhaps his strongest point, but as to his "sexual orientation" there is no doubt at all!

There is another explanation for all those photos, which, looking at them with the eyes of the 21st century, we miss.

The early 20th century saw the start of the great cult of fitness and the body beautiful. This took several forms; one strand led to "naturism", another to sunbathing in public (something that we no longer think unusual) another strand led to people like Kurt Hahn who founded Gordonstoun, a particularly harsh public school attended by Prince Philip and Prince Charles and some other strands became enmeshed with the ideology that gave rise to the Nazi Party in Germany and Austria and, in a far weaker form, to the sort of ideology expressed in, say. "The Virginian".

Uffa was very much involved in this; he was preaching the virtues of sailing, and particularly racing, in small boats, from dinghies to ocean racers, as a suitably "manly" sport.

Indeed, it is not difficult to trace his flirtation with, and rejection of, Nazism, through his 1930's books. To Uffa, some things that Hitler was doing, such as developing offshore racing in Germany, were attractive, and his good friend Heinrich Gruber returned to Germany from the States in order to design offshore racers (with hindsight, this was not a good career move for a very talented yacht designer!) Uffa decisively rejected this, when the political side of it all became clear, but he was by no means unusual at the time in showing interest in it.

Today, we tend to look at beautiful female bodies, but, in the 20's and 30's, looking at ladies without all their clothes on was not considered quite nice, and there was far less awareness of homosexuality, so it was quite "OK" to look at, admire, and take photographs of, fit, healthy young men.

Uffa was much inclined to show off his own physique but these displays were aimed, not at men or boys, but at lady admirers, of whom he had quite a number, over the years.

[Hwyl]

Hmm, I resurected this thread to ask about the hard chine flying fifteen and to celebrate Uffa Fox. I'm surprised and dissapointed at the way the discussion has turned. I guess that is the meaning of "Forum" and it will always have it's unfortunate postings. Thank you Andrew for your post, I regret that it was necesaary.

In the 60's I was in a cadet force of the RAF called the ATC. It was run at school by volunteer teachers (I spell sometimes in English and sometimes in American, and sometimes I misspell; don't disparage me for that). The teachers who ran it were constantly being accused of being gay (or whatever words were used then). In reality they were using their free time to introduce young people to Flying (chipmunks, wonderful planes) gliding, hiking, sailing and (at least in our squadron) wooden boat building. They were engaging youth and didn't give a hoot about the critics. In a small way I've tried all my life to emulate those teachers (and too have been accused of sexual motives). I know that Uffa Fox was involved in the "Sea Scouts" and probably had his contemporary critics, he probably did not give a hoot about them either. I know how important it was that people like him tried to keep the fabric of society together during WWII.

So back to my question: Has anyone seen a hard chine Flying Fifteen?

[ 12-13-2003, 06:56 AM: Message edited by: Hwyl ]

[garland reese]

http://www.uffafox.com/f15chine.jpg

Uffa designed the CHINE FLYING FIFTEEN in the late 1960s. The boat has similar principal dimensions to the Flying Fifteen but with 3 inches more beam and was designed for ease of construction from plywood. Three boats were built in Uffa's boat shop at the Commodore's House before being shipped to Majorca.

[jwaldin]

I apologise for my comment. Thankyou Andrew for your response.
For personal reasons I am trying to 'lighten up'. I'm not good at it and my attempt to be 'humorous' falls flat sometimes.

[Shalfleet]

I raced Flying 15s in ther UK many years ago and have always loved the elegant lines and planing ability. A design many years ahead of her time and still popular in many parts of the world. My parents are from Uffa country (the Isle of Wight) and recall him fondly as having local "rock-star" celebrity status. A great guy and personal hero of mine!

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I've never sailed one. I do have a Firefly, the second most modest of all Uffa's designs. Lovely boat, but will tip you in in flash!

[skuthorp]

I worked a summer as a rigger in a private yacht club on Sydney Harbour in the late 60's and a Flying Fifteen was my personal transport in my free time. Dont know whose it was, but no one objected. I'd sailed Gwens and Cherubs and it was a great boat.
Didn't know it was a Fox design though.
:D

[njcoaster]

I thought this thread was truly funny.

[rbgarr]

Gert-

Here's the International Tempest, even better than the Flying Fifteen!

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/pl_boat_full_detail.jsp?slim=quick&boat_id=661544&units=Feet&currency=USD&a ccess= (http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/pl_boat_full_detail.jsp?slim=quick&boat_id=661544&units=Feet&currency=USD&ac cess=) Public&listing_id=26546&url=

And a beauty of a F-15:

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/pl_boat_full_detail.jsp?slim=quick&boat_id=128166&units=Feet&currency=USD&access= Public&listing_id=1765&url=

[ 12-18-2003, 08:06 PM: Message edited by: rbgarr ]