Comet (dinghy)
The Comet, sometimes called the Comet OD or Comet One-Design, is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by C. Lowndes Johnson as a one-design racer and first built in 1932. The design has evolved over time via modifications.[1][2]
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | C. Lowndes Johnson |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1932 |
| No. built | 4,100 |
| Builder(s) | Lippincott Boat Works Customflex Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co. Siddons & Sindle Whitecap Composites |
| Role | One-design racer |
| Name | Comet |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 260 lb (118 kg) |
| Draft | 1.75 ft (0.53 m) with the centerboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | Monohull |
| Construction | wood or Fiberglass |
| LOA | 16.00 ft (4.88 m) |
| LWL | 15.00 ft (4.57 m) |
| Beam | 5.50 ft (1.68 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | centerboard |
| Rudder(s) | transom-mounted rudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | Fractional rigged sloop |
| Mainsail area | 110 sq ft (10 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 25 sq ft (2.3 m2) |
| Total sail area | 135 sq ft (12.5 m2) |
| Racing | |
| D-PN | 92.0 |
The design was intended as a smaller version of the Star keelboat, making it easier to transport.[3]
Production
The design was first shown in an article in Yachting in 1932 and was initially built from wood by the Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co. Later builders included the Lippincott Boat Works, Customflex and Siddons & Sindle. The current builder is Whitecap Composites of Peabody, Massachusetts, United States. It remains in production, with more than 4,100 boats completed in total.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Plans for the design remain available for amateur construction.[9]
Design
The Comet is a recreational planing sailboat, built predominantly of wood or fiberglass. It has a fractional sloop rig with aluminum spars, running backstays and an optional headstay. The hull features hard chines, a spooned raked stem, an angled transom, a rounded, transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable, drum-controlled, metal centerboard. The boat displaces 260 lb (118 kg).[1][2][3]
The Comet has a draft of 1.75 ft (0.53 m) with the centerboard extended and 6 in (15 cm) with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.[1]
To keep it up to date, the class association has allowed modifications to the design over the years, including the addition of self-bailers, a full width mainsheet traveler, windows in the mainsail and jib for visibility and buoyancy tanks to make the boat unsinkable.[2]
The boat has a boom vang and adjustable backstays. It has two different rigging options, one with three stays supporting the mast and an alternate rig with a jumper and seven stays. Current factory options include a ball-bearing mainsheet traveler, mast rake controls and leading of all lines to the cockpit for control while hiking.[2][3]
The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 92.0 and is normally raced with a crew of two sailors.[2]
Operational history
The design is supported by an active class club, the Comet Class Association. The association has 14 fleets in the eastern US, plus one in Bermuda.[10][11]
In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "an older design, the Comet has many modern features. The bottom is flat and the afterbody is broad. She planes. The Comet is a one-design with rigid controls on size, shape, and materials. Minor modifications through the years have kept her up-to-date."[2]
References
- McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Comet OD sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 66-67. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN 0-395-65239-1
- Whitecap Composites. "Comet". whitecapcomposites.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co. 1893 - 1964". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Lippincott Boat Works (USA) 1946 - 1986". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Customflex (USA) 1964 -". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Siddons & Sindle (USA) 1963 -". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Whitecap Composites (USA)". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- Comet Class Association (2013). "Tips". cometclass.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Comet Class (USA)". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- Comet Class Association (2013). "Fleets". cometclass.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.