International one design IOD

[mtlake]

Hi I am looking for information on an International One Design . They were designed by Bjarne Aas in the 1930s . They are very pretty boats but how do they sail? Do they like light airs? Anyone know of any for sale? Any condition or location. Thanks Steve

[Aramas]

Where did you come across them? The only info I know of is in Uffa Fox's "Racing, Cruising and Design" (Ashford Press/Int'l Marine, 1937).

Lovely boats - somewhat like a cruising version of the square metre boats. Evidently Bjarne had more class than aas smile.gif

There's supposedly a book on Bjarne Aas in progress.

Here's History of the Scandinavian IOD's (http://home.online.no/~maggr/iod/scandhist95.html) and here's one for sale in Connecticut. (http://www.boats.com/listing/boat_details.jsp?entityid=8187121)

[ 01-04-2004, 03:15 AM: Message edited by: Aramas ]

[Thad]

IOD -- One of the oldest ACTIVE racing classes. There are now glass boats in the class. There was one on e-bay a couple of months back. They are actively raced in Norway, Scotland, Bermuda, Maine, Marblehead, and Long Island Sound, at least. A one design class within the six meter rule, the IOD has succeeded because of it's excellent sailing qualities, its classic good looks, and it's well thought out design.

[lagspiller]

Bjarne Aas was one of the truely great designers and the IOD is one of his most famous designs - perhaps only topped by the Drake/Dragon.

I believe it was designed to the American "R" rule, but won't argue the with Thad as I am not really up on rules.

IOD is a deep, narrow keelboat. Tall mast. High aspect rig. Goes well to the wind. Would probably fit in with the following boats of different ages and sizes: Etchel, US1, Yngling, Soling, Knarr and Nordic/Scandinavian Square Meter classes. Quite different than the 'flying iron' concept most boats are designed to today. Exciting boats.

In addition to Thad's locations... There used to be a number of them on the Great Lakes, which is probably better for you. Don't know how many survive now (my info is about 30 years out of date). But they are really well made boats, so I expect there are some mumber around still.

(Hey Thad! Say hi to my brother from me if you run into him in Marblehead. Peter Johnson... sailor and carpenter)

tom

[JeffH]

I haven't sailed an IOD, but have sailed several of that type, mostly the Shields. The Shields is a foot or two shorter than the IOD, but otherwise has the same long, deep, narrow hull, rudder mounted to fin keel, lots of ballast, monster rig. This hull type has very little initial stability, and thus tend to sail at high heel angles. If you're a white-knuckle sailor, this takes some getting used to. However, sail them in enough wind, and you soon find out that they only heel so far, and then the ballast takes over and it takes a lot to get them to go much further. Twenty knots of wind with full sail is exciting, to say the least. Some care is needed, though, since a flooded boat will sink like the big chunk of lead that it is. Sailing them the "modern way", with the main furled and just the jib set is an excercise in futility. They need both sails set or they go nowhere. A little fussing with the sail trim, and the Shields will effortlessly sail itself. In light air, thanks to the monsterously big mainsail and long waterline, I've literally sailed circles around other boats, and looked classy doing it ;) Good fun, if that's your cup of tea...

Incidentally, there's a large active fleet of IOD's in Northeast Harbor, Maine. They're out most any given day in the summer, if you have a hankering to see one in the flesh and you're in the neighborhood.

Jeff

[ 01-04-2004, 12:48 PM: Message edited by: JeffH ]

[rbgarr]

I second Jeff's comments about the Shields (I own one) but want to point out that the Shields weighs 4900 lbs all up, while the IOD has 4100 lbs of lead in the keel alone.

Does your screen name mtlake indicate that you'd be sailing the boat on a mountain lake?? If so, are there a lot of motorboats and crosswakes on the lake? One of the reasons I got the Shields was for its ability to sail well in light weather in those kinds of conditions. The big rig, narrow hull and weight in the keel enable the boat to build and maintain momentum. Good luck!

[mtlake]

Thanks for all the info. No we won't be on a lake , we would be in the protected waters of the San Juan Islands in northwest Washington state. We usually have light winds in the summer season so light air performance would be nice. We have a Sheilds in the fleet and several Solings. It would be nice to find a wood boat that would finish near the Solings,any ideas? Thanks Steve

[True Love]

Try the website for Cannell, Payne and Page yacht brokers - I believe they've had one for sale for most of '03. I don't know its shape, but suppose you could do better than the quoted price.

[Robin Dicker]

I own a wood IOD in the UK.

Originally designed as a slightly de-tuned and less wet International 6 metre. Smaller, more practical and a fraction of the cost of an 8 metre (with at least 90% of everything else).

Sailed every year as the yacht used for the Bermuda Gold Cup (by the likes of Russell Coutts, Chris Dickson etc). Long list of former Americas cup skippers from the 1930s onwards.

There is an IOD website and a series of web sites for most of the fleet; see http://www.internationalonedesign.org/

There are a couple of wooden IODs for sale in the UK at the moment although they tend to go quite quickly and you would have the shipping costs to contend with.

[Evan Showell]

In the interest of correcting the record, the International Dragon is a Johan Anker Design, not Bjarne Aas' work.

Edited for spelling.

[ 09-10-2004, 02:39 PM: Message edited by: Evan Showell ]

[bainbridgeisland]

Last I heard, San Francisco still had an active fleet of IODs. GOOGLE up "YRA" and "San Francisco" and maybe "IOD". Long ago, I found a web site for IODs this way.

[Don Z.]

I like IODs... but a benefit or curse may be how rigidly controlled the fleet is. For example, sails are bought by all once a year...

Isn't there an IOD in "Save a Classic" this month?

[Robin Dicker]

If IODs were designed by Johan Anker rather than Bjarne Aas, then I am not sure why my IOD (GBR 17) has a small brass plate in the cockpit bearing Bjarne Aas' name and the date she was completed!

[bamamick]

mtlake; I think that IOD's are great (I've seen them in Maine. Beautiful boats), but in the interest of logistics maybe a Dragon would be better for you?

If you are in the Pacific northwest then there are Dragons hiding all around you. You just have to seek them out. The is an active fleet at the RVYC now, and at one time there was a healthy fleet in Seattle. Someone in Vancouver might have a lead on a boat for sale, or you might walk through the different clubs and just look.

Dragons feature some of the same lines that you enjoy in the IOD, but are about half the weight, and are 29' loa rather than the 36' or so of the IOD. That translates into a lot less expense when you consider dockage, maintenance, towing, etc. As far as performance goes the Dragon is a fine boat, as I am sure the IOD is. The Dragon is the fastest growing keel boat in Europe. Over 200 boats will show up in St.Tropez for the 75th anniversary regatta this fall.

Well, that's my .02 worth. If you need more information about Dragons let me know and I will see if I can put you in touch. The class is based in Cleveland in the US.

Mickey Lake

[Tom Robb]

I don't know where in WA you're located, but if you can get to Seattle's Center for Wooden Boats, I think there's an IOD belonging to a private party there. At least there was last spring. The owner(she) seems nice and may, with a bit of encouragement, be happy to show her (the boat) off.

[Don Z.]

Robin,
Please re-read Evan's post...

[Robin Dicker]

Dear Don,

I should have read Evan's post more carefully.

Apologies, Evan.

[Paul Stohlman]

The IOD was designed and originally built by Bjarne Aas. They were commissioned by Cornelius Shields after he saw the Six Metre Saga (now 6 US 73) in Bermuda. He was struck by Saga's beauty, and was looking for a replacement one design. The whole story is in print in several places.

The IOD that was listed with Cannell, Payne and Page was sold and is now in Deer Harhor, on Orcas Island WA. I raced against her last week and she was one of the few boats that finished after sneaking through a passage on a dying breeze...so they go well in light air too.

The Six Metre Saga also lives in the Puget Sound, and frequently cruises the San Juans