Early International Fourteen Foot Dinghies

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

This is an exceptionally interesting picture, taken by John Green of Cowes and posted on his Facebook page.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

K4 is Laura, the earliest surviving boat built to the National Fourteen Foot rule, which was a merger of the West of England Conference and Norfolk Dinghy Rules. 1922, designed by Bill Atkey as in Pascal Atkey.

K545 is Sunrise, hot moulded by Fairey Marine to an Uffa Fox design in 1949 and first owned by Charles Currey. The first « « production » International Fourteen.

[neil.henderson]

I wonder if the primary difference is their rigging? Are their hulls shaped the same, but built using different materials/techniques?

Would also be interesting to know how they perform - is the older boat faster or slower?

Certainly a great photograph.

Regards Neil

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I’m not an expert though I am the custodian of K478, Galatea, a 1946 Uffa Fox 14. Her construction is an inner skin of 1/16” Honduras mahogany laid diagonally, a layer of oiled cloth, an outer skin of 3/16” Honduras mahogany laid fore and aft and held to 3/8” x 1/4” Canadian rock elm bent frames at 2” centres. She is amazingly light and strong.

I haven’t seen “Laura” but I have seen pre-WW1 Morgan Giles dinghies and they are generally similar.

”Sunrise on the other hand is hot moulded with three skins.

In light airs I would expect Laura to keep up; in a stronger wind “Sunrise” will be able to plane and will vanish into the distance.

[Toxophilite]

Are these the internationals with the 25 ft masts??
I stupidly turned down a clinker, cedar on oak version project that was on an over-sized trailer I could've sold for more than the boat and trailer's asking price. Lovely boat, wish I'd bought it. At the time I thought it was more project than I could handle.

[Boatbum]

This is an exceptionally interesting picture, taken by John Green of Cowes and posted on his Facebook page.

If the designers of these boats could see the current configuration they would be shocked. It is almost funny to see a gaff rigged 14. Not that they are not pretty boats, it is just that the 14's are usually on the vanguard of go-fast technology.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

It’s always been « the » racing dinghy. As a development class, its hugely expensive, but one must admire the sailing ability and the athleticism of the owners and crews.

Nice article here:

https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/ne...35/14s-Forever

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I have borrowed this photograph of the Morgan Giles West of England Conference 14ft dinghy “Mysotis”, taken in 1908, because it shows her planing.

Downwind, of course (she is flying her spinnaker!) but unmistakably planing. The gunter rig was a requirement of the Rule which stipulated that “all spars must stow in the boat”.

The WEC 14 footers were, along with the Norfolk Dinghies, the progenitors of the National Fourteen class.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Here is “Avenger” herself sailing up Lowestoft Outer Harbour after winning the Prince of Wales’ Cup in 1927.



The spars still stow in the boat - her Bermudian mast has a “fishing rod joint” in it. This caused the rule to be revised.

[bamamick]

Some of the photos John has been posting are awesome (well, they are all awesome, but, you know).

I love to see beautiful small boats out sailing.

Mickey Lake

[Ben Fuller]

Some of the photos John has been posting are awesome (well, they are all awesome, but, you know).

I love to see beautiful small boats out sailing.

Mickey Lake

One of the main reasons to go one design racing. You see yourself sailing.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Some of the photos John has been posting are awesome (well, they are all awesome, but, you know).

I love to see beautiful small boats out sailing.

Mickey Lake

Mickey - you may know this already but I very highly recommend the Facebook page of John Green - Cowes.

He is the Keith Beken or the Morris Rosenfeld of our day but unlike them he has done a huge amount of serious racing himself. I guarantee that you will love it.

[bamamick]

A C-B, John and I have been friends on Facebook for a long time. He is also on IG, so he covers a lot of ground. I loved the photo essay he did last winter of the new (and winning) British 5.5. Living where he does I suppose affords him the opportunity to see an awful lot of awesomeness.

Mickey Lake