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Embracing Speed and Innovation: The Rise of Scow Hulls in Modern Racing Sailboats

In the world of racing sailboats, innovation and design play a crucial role in pushing the boundaries of speed and performance. Among the various hull designs that have emerged, scow hulls have gained significant attention for their unique characteristics and superior speed capabilities. In this article, we will explore the rise of scow hulls in modern racing sailboats, their advantages over conventional designs, and their impact on the competitive sailing scene.

Unleashing Speed

Enhanced stability, reduced wetted surface, handling challenging conditions, class associations and adaptation.

The emergence and rise of scow hulls in modern racing sailboats have brought a wave of innovation, speed, and excitement to the competitive sailing scene. With their ability to unlock impressive speeds, enhance stability, reduce wetted surface, and tackle challenging conditions, scow hulls have revolutionized the way sailors approach racing. As the sport evolves and embraces new technologies, scow hulls stand at the forefront, pushing the limits of performance and inspiring a new generation of sailing enthusiasts.

Are you ready to experience the thrill of speed and innovation in modern racing sailboats? Discover the BoE 26 , a cutting-edge sailboat that combines the latest advancements with the time-tested principles of scow hull design. Designed for speed, stability, and unmatched performance, the BoE 26 embraces the advantages of scow hulls, propelling you to new heights on the racecourse. Visit the boat's page today to learn more about the BoE 26 and embark on your journey to competitive sailing excellence. Unleash your potential with the BoE 26 at Andante Marine .

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A Scow History

J.O. Johnson, Boat Builder J.O. Johnson was born in Norway in 1875, and orphaned at a very young age.  He was sent off to live with relatives.  At age 14, he worked as a galley boy on a mail and freight delivery schooner up and down the coast.  His future employer, Gus Amundson, while on a visit to his homeland, offered Johnson a job if he ever came to the United States.  In 1893, when he was 18 years old, J.O. Johnson came to his new home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

The Early Days For 2 years, J.O. worked for Amundson, building rowboats and traditionally styled displacement sailboats for the inland lakes of Minnesota, but he was more fascinated with boat design than he was with construction.  He was convinced that the displacement sailboats offered too much resistance and began designing a radically different type of sailboat; one that would ride on top of the water, instead of plowing through it.  He proposed this new design to Amundson, who would not hear of it.  If Johnson wanted to build such a boat, he would have to do it on his own time and in his own shop. 

One afternoon, while conversing with one of Amundson’s customers, Johnson “leaked” his idea.  This customer agreed to foot the bill for this new design, just for the fun of putting one over on his friends at the White Bear Yacht Club, the exclusive domain of some of Minnesota’s wealthiest sailors.

The Birth of the “Inland Scow” Overnight, J.O. Johnson became self-employed.  He rented a building on the site where the White Bear Boat Works would stand for over 100 years, and started work on his new design.  At that time, he didn’t know how to draft plans, and this new boat turned out to be 38 feet long with square ends and a centerboard.  Unlike the other deep-hulled, heavy ballasted boats usually raced in inland waters, Johnson’s scow had a radical dish design so it could skim across the top of the water.  A centerboard provided stability. 

When the Yacht Club called one of their regularly scheduled races in 1896, and with a minimum of preparation, Johnson entered his new design.  Johnson’s boat looked so different that all his friends laughed and teased him saying, “It looks like a slice of bread” and “It looks like a scow”.  This jeering was short-lived, however, as the Johnson Scow not only lapped the fleet, but was home with the sails down by the time the second place boat crossed the finish line.

This invention was the first sailing scow.  It became the heart of a family business which Johnson established within a block of the Amundson Boat Works.  His old boss became his competitor, but they remained lifelong friends.

Impressed by Johnson’s victory and apparent foresight, C. Milton Griggs, a wealthy sailing enthusiast living on Manitou Island in White Bear Lake, rendered Johnson enough financing to produce another boat.  By the turn of the century, Johnson offered the sailing world a 38 foot, flat bottomed scow, named the “Minnezitka” with a profile as “low as the waves themselves”.  The Minnezitka was sleek and narrow with an impressive mast, and yards of sail.  She racked up victory after victory.  The Minnezitka became the predecessor of the legendary Class A Scow that we still race today.

The Johnson Scow became the talk of the inland sailing fraternity.  Orders for more scows came in and Johnson started hiring men to help him.  By 1904, the Johnson Boat Works of White Bear Lake was in full production, and J.O. Johnson was recognized as one of the top designers of sailboats for racing on inland lakes.  In the early 1900s, a 32-foot, Class B Scow became popular, along with the 20-foot, cat-rigged C Scow.  Several of these Class B boats were shipped to Montreal, Canada for international races during prohibition.  When they returned, they were secretly packed with liquor for the “deprived” White Bear yachtsmen.

The last wooden A scow built for Jack Pillsbury of Lake Minnetonka rolled out of the Johnson shop in the spring of 1963. She was named XXXX, presumably after the Pillsbury flour brand carrying the same emblem, but her owner was heard to say that it was the only name that spelled the same right side up or up side down. Pillsbury went on to win the ILYA Championship with the boat. Remarkably, this boat is still racing today and has been completely restored and fitted with a carbon mast and boom and a bow sprit. It is owned by Fletcher Driscoll of the White Bear Yacht Club and Steve Johnson, J.O.’s grandson is the helmsman. J.O. Johnson passed away in 1963 at the age of 88, but his legacy lives on. He went on to create several classes of scows after the A scow, but none were longer or carried more sail area than his early design.

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• Sailboat Guide

A Scow is a 37 ′ 11 ″ / 11.6 m monohull sailboat designed by John O. Johnson and built by Johnson Boat Works and Melges Performance Sailboats starting in 1901.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

The largest of the inland racing scows sailed in mid-western USA. Nominally a one-design class, today’s ‘A’ Class Scow is the result of a long evolutionary path with origins that can be traced to a prototype that appeared in 1896. (Designed and built by John O. Johnson, original founder of Johnson Boat Works, a major builder of scows for many years).

Main: 350 sq.ft. Jib: 150 sq.ft. Spinnaker: 1200 sq.ft.

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Scow stability explained.

This has to be one of the best descriptions of the dynamics at play in scow sailing and why many people find the boat to behave so, well, kindly at high speeds and fresh winds.   The Melges 17 scow referenced here has many of the high tech innovations found in modern skiffs, but all scows enjoy the hull characteristics. 

This post was originally made on Sailing Anarchy.

http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=102879&st=25&gopid=2712116&#entry2712116

I’ve seen your attempt to discuss the M17 on the Sportboat Forum (talk about a hostile crowd!), and as Dinghy Anarchy is probably the closest fit you’re going to find for the M17 on Sailing Anarchy, I thought I’d write something to support your efforts (and as you can see from my posting history, I hardly ever write anything here). So if you’ll forgive my making a few comments, here goes:

1) A Scow is a Scow

First off, I understand why you’ve been describing the M17 as a sort of a cross between a sportboat and a dinghy and a catamaran (in terms of the sailing experience) — but as you’ve discovered on Sportboat and are getting hints of here (e.g., Pete M’s posts), doing so can irk those who love a particular type of boat and feel you’re somehow insulting their genre by making the comparison. So (if you’ll excuse my offering unsolicited advice) I think you should embrace the M17’s “scowness” and shift instead to explaining to folks why scows are so fun (e.g., as in Fugu’s observation that M16 husband & wife crews seem happy on heavy air days).

Now LS, as you regularly sail a scow, you can do a far better job at this than I (I’m a trapeze dinghy sailor, and my scow acquaintance extends only to MCs on an afternoon’s visit to Minneapolis); but from my own meager scow exposure and from what I’ve heard from talking with scow owners, here’s how I’d describe the scow experience to fellow dinghy sailors:

A. (Presumably) an M17 won’t have the light, “danceable” feeling of Fugu’s Swift, Pete M’s International 14, or (many peoples’) 505s; nor will it have those boats’ ability to punch through big waves, nor their hair-trigger balance, nor (in the case of the more extreme dinghies and skiffs) their outright speed, nor the 505’s all-weather ability. But what it will have is accessible speed in light-to-moderate wind: it has a (2006) US Portsmouth rating of 79.0 (compared with the 505’s 79.9), so it’s no slouch around the race-course — but more importantly it can be fairly easily sailed by couples, father/child teams, and folks who are no longer teenagers even at heart. 🙂

B. The accessibility lies partly in how a scow feels: unlike high-performance dinghies, which have to be balanced flat (which is part of the appeal!), upwind the M17 will heel over and take a definite set; that is, while it’s of course possible to under or over-heel the thing, the scow has a natural heel angle into which it likes to settle, and as such it’s forgiving to less-than-zenlike crews. In addition, it tracks upwind in a way that’s uncommon for many dinghies: when heeled, the underwater hullform is essentially that of a narrow 17-foot long canoe, and whilst the bow will certainly rise and fall with the waves (perhaps excessively so for those used to skiffs and modern dinghies), the boat won’t be easily thrown off course, and the steering isn’t affected by small changes in heel angle. This combination of speed, steady-tracking, and forgiveness-in-heel makes the M17 feel almost akin to a narrow (and unusually fast) keelboat when close-hauled, and the feeling of power is surprising in something so small and unballasted.

C. Off the wind is when a scow can feel most like a dinghy — but even there it’s a little “odd”. If there’s enough wind to plane, you’ll stop heeling and you’ll sail the thing flat. When you do that, the hull’s odd rocker (fairly flat fore and aft, with a pronounced bend in the mid-section) will bring much of the (flat) bow sections off the water, and the hull will sit on the flat aft sections, with the mid-rocker acting as a sort of shovel-nose. This is a fantastic planing shape in the old-fashioned sense of the word: contrary to the “stepless” transition of ‘9er skiffs, there’s an enormous gulf between planing and not-planing; and once planing there’s an enormous amount of noise, spray, and bouncing over the waves. This does not only feel extremely fast (because of all the commotion), it is extremely fast — not skiff-fast, but faster than many trapeze dinghies if the water’s fairly flat (and heaven help you if it’s not). For a dinghy sailor, the surprising thing here is how controllable everything remains even at top speed: not only does a scow’s (completely flat) hull shape naturally tend to plane upright, but when it does roll or heel, the heel angle doesn’t try to steer the boat and overpower the rudder. Hence broaches and death rolls are not a dominant concern, and as the boat is fairly heavy and the downwind sailplan fairly immense, overall there’s a feeling of tremendous power.

In short, while an American lake scow can be said to (sort of) feel a little like a big dinghy, and (sort of) a little like a small sportboat — in reality it’s unlike either, and it’s its own thing. And on a sheltered bay or lake, it’s great fun — have I got it right, LS? 🙂

2) The Melges 17 is Exciting Because it Brings Dinghy Technology to the American Lake Scow

I think part of the misunderstandings that have arisen in this thread have to do with the scow-focused marketing material that Melges has published, and which has been somewhat repeated here. To wit: as you (and Melges) have pointed out, the M17 is unique among American scows for having shaped (non-flat-plate) high-aspect ratio leeboards, a lightweight carbon rig, a one pull-hoist asymm/pole arrangement, and other pieces of technology drawn from the high-performance dinghy/skiff/sportboat worlds. When these elements are integrated into the basic scow platform (which has some formidable starting advantages), the result can be pretty amazing(!) — but if one cites these innovations without the “first time in a scow ” proviso, it can sound like you’re making much broader claims, which then incites skepticism and hostility. (That being said, this has mostly been a kindly thread; folks like TeamFugu, Bistros, GybeSet (and 505 sailors in general) are — as can be seen in their many other posts — decidedly a class act!)

Now, the above notwithstanding, the M17 is a fascinating boat, as it’s the first real attempt anyone’s made to create a truly modern American lake scow in a manageable 2-person size. As mentioned above, scows have some major things going in their favor to begin with (for lake sailing in typical American summer conditions), and from all the reports, R/P have done an excellent job at bringing the genre up to date. It’ll probably be easiest to explain why by directly addressing peoples’ comments — and so if the rest of you will permit me….

3) Hiking a Scow is Not Like Hiking a High-Performance Dinghy

Bistro’s has pointed out that “Australians have been sailing deadly fast two man hiking boats for twenty to thirty years with similar performance and rigs.” :

Fast 2-man hiking boats have indeed been around for decades (in the UK and elsewhere as well as in Australia, and the Aussie-born Tasar has adherents in N.America)) — but as many people here have already found, they’re not the happiest boats to sail when fully powered up. There’s a reason so many posts in Dinghy Anarchy extoll the virtues of trapezes: when you race a high-performance hiking dinghy in heavy air, your speed through the water is highly dependent upon how hard you can hike. Upwind legs are thus a pain (literally, in the back, thighs, and abdominal muscles), and in a very short while you start thinking “Trapeze. Yeah. Good idea.”.

Scows are different. If you look at LS’s pictures on the first page of this thread, you’ll see that whilst people are (sort of) hiked out, they’re not killing themselves — instead, they’re mostly employing a lazyman’s / middle-aged sort of sit-hike, with their rear ends over the water and their upper bodies tilted at a reasonably comfortable angle. Now, the young’uns in the Glen Lake 2009 photo are hiking moderately hard — but even they are bent-legged and holding a position they (being young & fit!) can maintain quite easily. But more to the point, you don’t need hiking heroics to work a scow to weather in strong wind; hiking does help (obviously), but the performance gain per additional inch of body leverage is much lower with a scow than with a high-performance hiking dinghy, and if you want to relax a bit so your mind can focus on something other than how much pain your body is in, then you can do so without a huge performance hit. That’s why so many couples, father/offspring, and older sailors can be competitive in the M17 class — the hiking is much less misery.

4) Dinghy Intuition Does Not Fully Transfer to Scow Hulls and Righting Moments

I think highly of most everyone who’s posted here (and I’ve enjoyed posts from many of you for several years now) — but on this particular thread, GybeSet is displaying the best intuition. 🙂

As LS’s photographs show, the M17 (like most scows) has zero deadrise, little flare, and hard (though rounded) bilges. There is no skiff or high-performance dinghy with this set of characteristics, and indeed some dinghies possess the exact opposite. Couple these characteristics with the scow’s rectangular planform, and you have a hull shape that doesn’t behave as dinghy intuition might suggest:

A. The Center of Buoyancy Shifts Greatly With Heel With most dinghies, the center of buoyancy lies more or less near the center of the waterplane area. That is, if you heel a dinghy (or skiff) hull so that the chine (or bilge) is immersed and the centerline is about to come out of the water, then the center of buoyancy lies (very roughly!) about halfway between the centerline (keel line) and chine. That presumably is the basis of Pete M’s assertion that the M17’s CB shifts only a foot with heel (Post #33). But with the scow hull shape, the CB shifts laterally much farther than that. To get a rough idea, look at the photo on Post #28, and tilt your head so that the leeboard is “vertical” in your field of view; that perspective shows you the immersed hull shape when the scow is sailing, and the center of buoyancy lies slightly inboard of the leeboard. Eyeballing the photo suggests the offset from centerline lies somewhere in the 20-24″ range….

B. Flowlines Don’t Distort With Heel All high-performance dinghy shapes show marked waterline and flowline distortions when heeled — that is, if you heel very much at all, the immersed hull takes on a warped shape, and the passing water has to take strange paths to get around it. As a result, two (bad) things happen: the boat is slow; and the hull tries to steer itself in a direction the helmsman doesn’t want to go. In short, Heel Is Bad, and high-performance dinghy (and skiff) sailors have learned to sail their boats flat.

With a scow (and also with things like Open 60s), the hull is designed so that heeling yields an immersed body that’s straight and true — and which is narrower and has markedly less wetted surface than that of an unheeled hull (unless we start talking about things like International Canoes and narrow Moths). Hence scows go faster when they’re heeled (unless they’re planing flat), and they maintain control when heeled.

C. The Hull Adds Considerable Righting Moment Because dinghy hulls have to be sailed flat, the weight of the boat has no beneficial effect at all: boat weight does nothing to promote stability, and all it does is inhibit boatspeed.

With scows, however, the (considerable) weight of the broad, flat hull adds considerable righting moment of its own (this is one of GybeSet’s points, which was subsequently ignored). To do a quick back-of-the-envelope estimate: the published weight of the M17 is 335 lbs. If we use the lower of the above estimates for lateral CB shift (20″), that yields a righting moment of ~550 lb-ft (note: the cosine effect at 15-deg heel is less than 5%). To put that in perspective:

* If we were to turn the M17 into a round-bilged keelboat, with a 3-foot deep keel bulb supplying stability, then to achieve 550 lb-ft of righting moment at 15-degree heel, we’d need 700 lbs of lead in the bulb.

* Or, if we made the M17 a sail-it-flat conventional dinghy and put one of Pete M’s 185-lb crewmen on a trapeze (i.e., assume 5’6″ beam, 6′ crewman with CG halfway up his body, laying perfectly horizontal), then that crewman would provide ~1060 lb-ft. That is, the M17’s weight-induced righting moment is worth half a trapezing crewman (on a conventional dinghy).

D. The Total Righting Moment is Not Bad

Finally let’s put (via back of the envelope) the M17’s total righting moment in perspective. If we put 320 lbs of tired sit-hiking crewmembers on the deck of the M17 (LS, is 320 a typical crew weight?), with their CG about a foot beyond the deck edge, then the total righting moment is:

Crew Righting Moment: 320lb * ((5’6″/2) + 12″ + 20″) = ~1700 lb-ft Hull Weight Righting Moment (from above) = 550 lb-ft Total Righting Moment = ~ 2250 lb-ft.

Compare that to a 5’6″-beam conventional sail-it-flat dinghy with single trapeze and equal-sized (6′) crew:

Hull Weight Righting Moment = 0 Sitting Crew Righting Moment = 160 lb * ((5’6″/2) + 12″) = 600 lb-ft Trapezing Crew Righting Moment = 160 lb * ((5’6″/2 + 36″) = 920 lb-ft Total Righting Moment = `1520 lb-ft

Pretty neat, eh? 🙂 You can play around with the above numbers (e.g., if you make the M17 crew completely lazy, and have them sit-“hike” with their CG right on the gunwale, you get a total righting moment of ~1950 lb-ft; if you make the conventional dinghy twin-trap, you get 1840 lb-ft, etc.), but the overall picture remains the same: a scow like the M17 has more righting moment (considerably more righting moment) than a single-trapeze sail-it-flat dinghy of comparable beam, and roughly comparable righting moment of a double trapeze dinghy (again of comparable beam). Of course, balancing that you have the scow’s additional weight (and trapeze dinghies can have hull flares, wings, and racks to significantly increase their beam), but in the end, scows have surprising amounts of righting moment for their size, and that’s why they can carry so much sail.

5) Sundry Points

A. LS, asymmetric high-aspect ratio leeboards are used by many “Open” ocean racing classes (e.g., Open 60, VOR 70), so the M17 is not unique among monohulls here — but your point is well taken. When talking with dinghy sailors, you can mention that these leeboards are like jibing centerboards without any of the problems of such; plus, as you’ve pointed out, by being asymmetric, they can run at smaller AOA than symmetric boards, with concommitantly less drag.

B. On rereading the above, I see I’ve not made clear why the M17 can be less painful to hike on than things like a 59er: it has to do with how far away from the center of buoyancy is the crew CG, and how much the hull weight already contributes to righting moment. With a conventional dinghy, hull weight helps not at all (not if you’re sailing it flat like you’re supposed to), and a hiking crew is sitting so close to the CB that every bit of lean makes a significant addition to the overall righting moment. With a scow, the hull weight is already doing something, and you’re starting already pretty far away from the CB; hence the % change in righting moment is less greatly affected by leaning. (To give a practical example: on a Laser, you can feel every bit of hiking angle on the boat trim and speed — but if you’re on a trapeze and make similar changes in upper body position, the effect on the boat trim is far less….) Hiking still helps of course — but the incentive to kill yourself is far less than it is with a conventional hiking dinghy.

C. If I’ve made a misstatement anywhere above, I apologize! Ditto if I’ve flubbed a calculation, and double ditto if I’ve managed to offend anyone. And apologies in advance if anyone writes anything in expectation of a reply: it’ll probably be a good part of a year before I post again here, so best wishes to everyone, and may you all please have a great winter & spring (and summer & fall for the Aussies and Kiwis)!

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About the E Scow

The E Scow is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Arnold Meyer Sr as a one-design racer and first built in 1924. 

The design was initially built by Johnson Boat Works in White Bear Lake, Minnesota United States, but that company closed in 1998 and production passed to Melges Performance Sailboats, who continue to build it.

The modern Melges E Scow is elegant and sleek, the pinnacle of high speed one-design racing for sailors in North America, from lakes and bays to protected ocean harbors. With over 70 boats regularly hitting the starting line at the National Championship, the Melges E Scow is an ever-growing fleet driven by a design that’s always innovating.

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Simple, fun world-class racing at yachting's most celebrated venues. Corinthians and professionals alike. Year after year, that's what the Melges 20 Experience is all about. The Melges 20 fulfills the need for a more compact, yet spacious, fast, well-built sportboat. With its introduction, Melges Performance Sailboats delivered the next generation of sailboat racing and competition. An exclusive Reichel/Pugh keelboat design, it is advanced in every respect. Made with high-quality materials and easy to rig, the Melges 20 enjoys a well-established worldwide fleet and fan base.

Designed by Reichel/Pugh and built by Melges, the Melges 15 prioritizes stability, comfort, ease of use, and performance. The Melges 15’s stable hull shape and ergonomic cockpit make it a suitable layout for adult racing and educational sailing. Easy conversion from a club configuration (non-spinnaker) to a one-design setup, provides more versatility to club programs and options for individual owners. With the main design goals focused on stability and performance in a variety of conditions, the boat features a narrow overall beam and a flat cross-section shape for stability, righting moment, and ease of planing.

Designed by Reichel/Pugh, the Melges 14 is a modern singlehanded one-design with the ability to sail with two. With its large and open transom, there’s never a need to bail. The carbon mast and boom complement its flexible sail plan with three different size rigs. With boats in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa, the Melges 14 is a one-design fleet for the masses. Sailors can order a custom Melges 14 dolly, easily car top it or tow it behind any vehicle. It’s a perfect beach boat, family sailboat or a one-design racing platform. It is speed, quality, durability, comfort and fun wrapped into one dynamic sailing package.

MELGES A SCOW

With six to seven crew, the A Scow is the fastest and largest of the Melges Scow family. Nothing compares to its century of heritage, delivering a combination of raw power, speed and performance unmatched in one-design sailing. A true classic, the A Scow is monumental to watch, not to mention powerful to race.

MELGES E SCOW

The elegant and super sleek Melges E Scow™ delivers an electrifying ride. The ever-growing fleet of Melges E Scows boasts both impressive world-class competition and accessible family fun for everyone. For more than 80 years, the E Scow has founded the tradition of fun and fast sailboat racing all over North America, from lakes and bays to protected ocean harbors. More than 50+ boats can be seen on the starting line.

An alternative, double-handed scow, the Melges 17 has a reputation for being fast and fun in light or heavy air. The rivalry pairings range from husband and wives to teamed siblings, making the Melges 17 the ultimate family racer!

MELGES C SCOW

The C Scow was the first class of scow built by Harry C. Melges, Sr. in 1945; it quickly became an all-time speed favorite. Inspired by more than 100 years of competitive racing, this cat-rigged, maneuverable sailboat is great fun and a total pleasure to sail. A modern, versatile and easy-to-sail boat, it accommodates 2-3 crew and is super-charged with a large, powerful mainsail. Built with integrity, the Melges C Scow™ is fast and calibrated superlatively for speed. It is one of the most friendly and popular classes in the Melges Scow family, producing as many as 80+ boats on the starting line.

An original design by the Melges family, the Melges MC is cat-rigged boat with one of the largest one-design fleets in all of North America. It is unique in the fact that you can sail single-handed or double-handed – Sailing solo is easy, taking a crew is fun! There are more than 100 fleets nationwide with more than 2,700 MCs actively racing each year.

MELGES X BOAT

The Melges X Boat® makes learning to sail fun, easy and addictive. For youth sailors, it is a rewarding experience that ultimately fosters a deep passion for the sport. Boasting a regular showing of over 100 boats at the X Inland Championship, it is one of the most active youth sailing fleets in North America. The Melges X Boat Experience not just about the racing. It’s about the community – Making lifelong friends through sailing, volleyball, and just plain fun. The Melges X Boat is the perfect, uncomplicated trainer designed specifically to be safe for novice sailors yet competitive & fun for aspiring junior racers. Fast and super smooth, it truly enables concise development and instruction of basic boat handling skills, maneuvers and racing tactics.

O’PEN SKIFF

Designed specifically for juniors, the little dinghy has blown a big breath of fresh air through our sailing world, close to the new-generation skiff concept, very fast and very simple. 100% open, self-bailing, rapid and responsive, with an up-to-date versatile rig, the O'pen Skiff offers kids a machine that delivers maximum fun while helping them learn the skills and reflexes to enjoy racing on current, high-performance equipment. Hundreds of sailing clubs around the world have opted for the O'pen Skiff, for a new, fun way of teaching sailing to appeal to youngsters attracted to new sail sports.

SKEETA & NIKKI

The Skeeta and Nikki are singlehanded foiling designs built by Jim and David French in Melbourne, AUS. The scow’s stability and ease are only further enhanced by the performance and durability of the wings and aluminum foils. Melges Performance Sailboats is the exclusive dealer for the Skeeta and the Nikki in North America.

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Yachting World

• Digital Edition

First look: SailScow 37 – ocean racing inspired cruiser

• Toby Hodges
• October 17, 2023

The new SailScow 37 has been developed alongside a Vendée Globe racer and looks to bring performance and volume to the cruising market

Product Overview

Much of the drive towards scow bow cruising yachts is driven by top level racing sailors. Armel Tripon, who raced the then radical Sam Manuard-designed IMOCA 60 L’Occitane en Provence in the 2020 Vendée Globe , has lent his name to the SailScow brand that’s working on a range of four designs from 28-42ft.

“The hull I was able to test racing around the globe delighted me,” says Tripon. “I can easily imagine myself cruising on a scow to take full advantage of the sailing performance, the ease of passage through the sea and the incredible comfort at anchor – I can’t wait to try it out.”

The first SailScow model is a 37ft cruiser designed by Gildas Plessis, a strong advocate of this hull shape. It’s primarily of marine ply and epoxy and offers a step change in internal space compared to other yachts of this length. Options include a four cabin layout, with two doubles forward, both with rectangular beds, while aft there’s a further double, plus a twin cabin with bunk beds. Alternatively there’s space for a giant owner’s cabin forward, plus one aft double port and a generous technical and stowage area to starboard.

As with other scow bow derived cruisers there’s a massive amount of space on deck – plenty of room for sun bathing and to stow a tender without deflating it.

The SailScow 40 offers significantly more accommodation space than the SailScow 37, yet light displacement is only 5,600kg. The SailScow 42 is intended as an expedition boat with a protected doghouse and spacious three cabin/three head interior.

All models are offered as either a turn-key finished boat in the Optimum range, or as the Explorer range of ready-to-assemble CNC-cut plywood kits.

SailScow 37 specifications

LOA: 10.80m 35 ft 5in Draught: 1.9m 6ft 3in Price: POA Builder: sailscow.com

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