Class symbol
| |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Sparkman & Stephens |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1978 |
| No. built | 1500 |
| Builder(s) | Howmar Boats |
| Role | Sailing dinghy |
| Name | Designers Choice |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 315 lb (143 kg) |
| Draft | 3.00 ft (0.91 m) with the centerboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | Monohull |
| Construction | Fiberglass |
| LOA | 14.87 ft (4.53 m) |
| LWL | 12.75 ft (3.89 m) |
| Beam | 6.08 ft (1.85 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | centerboard |
| Rudder(s) | transom-mounted rudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | Fractional rigged sloop |
| Mainsail area | 82 sq ft (7.6 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 38 sq ft (3.5 m2) |
| Total sail area | 120 sq ft (11 m2) |
| Racing | |
| D-PN | 101.3 |
The Designers Choice is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a sail training and racing boat and first built in 1978. It was Sparkman & Stephens' design #2349.[1][2][3]
The Designers Choice was later developed into the Shadow, by making the cockpit longer and deeper and adding internal seating.[1]
The design was built by Howmar Boats in the United States starting in 1978. A total of 1,500 boats were produced, but the company went out of business in 1983 and the boat went out of production at that time.[1][3][4]
The Designers Choice is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fiberglass. The hull design is flat aft, so the boat will plane. It has a fractional sloop rig with anodized aluminum spars and a loose-footed mainsail. The hull has a slightly raked stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung, kick-up rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable centerboard. The forward part of the boat is open, without a foredeck. The aft deck includes a small stowage locker. The cockpit is self-draining. The boat displaces 315 lb (143 kg).[1][3]
The boat has a draft of 3.00 ft (0.91 m) with the centerboard extended and 5 in (13 cm) with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.[1]
For sailing the design is equipped with an outhaul, boom vang, a Cunningham and a jib window. It is also fitted with foam flotation for buoyancy, hiking straps and may also be optionally equipped with a spinnaker for sailing downwind.[3]
The boat may be fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.[3]
The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 101.3 and is raced with a maximum crew weight of 900 lb (408 kg).[3]
In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "this is a combination boat, meant for training, racing, or general sailing. The Designers Choice has curved sections forward and is relatively dry. With flat surfaces aft, she planes."[3]
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Sparkman & Stephens naval architecture and yacht brokerage firm
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