A Scow Explained

A Scow
Insignia:File:A-ScowLogo.png
Insignia Size:100px
Designer:John O. Johnson
Location:United States
Year:1901
Builder:Johnson Boat Works
Melges Performance Sailboats
Role:racer
Crew:at least five
Draft:4feet with a centerboard down
Displacement:18500NaN0
Hull Type:monohull
Construction:wood or fiberglass
Loa:38feet
Beam:8.25feet
Keel Type:dual centerboards
Rudder Type:dual, spade-type rudders
Rig Type:Bermuda rig
Sailplan:fractional rigged sloop
Sailarea Main:350square feet
Sailarea Headsail:150square feet
Sailarea Spin:1200square feet
Sailarea Total:500square feet

The A Scow is an American scow-hulled sailing dinghy that was designed by John O. Johnson as a racer and first built in 1901.[1]

The A Scow design was developed into the V38, by Victory by Design, LLC in 2005.[2]

Production

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.[1] [3] [4] [5]

Design

The A Scow traces its origins back to a Johnson-designed prototype in 1896. Over time the class has changed and evolved into essentially a one design class today. At 38feet length overall, the design is the largest scow raced today and is one of the largest dinghies produced.[1]

The A Scow is a racing sailboat, with the early versions built from wood and the more recent ones built predominantly of fiberglass. It has a fractional sloop with a masthead spinnaker. The hull is a scow design with a raised counter, vertical transom; dual spade-type rudders controlled by dual tillers and dual retractable centerboards. It displaces 18500NaN0 and carries no ballast.[1]

The boat has a draft of 4feet with a centerboard extended and 1feet with both retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.[1]

For sailing the design is equipped with an asymmetrical spinnaker of 1200square feet, flown from a retractable bowsprit.[1]

The design is raced with a crew of at least five sailors and normally has a total of six or seven crew members to help balance the boat.[5]

Operational history

The boat is supported by a national class club, the National Class A Scow Association, which regulates the class and organizes races.[6] The A Scow is mostly raced on lakes in the midwestern United States.[1]

A film was made about racing A Scows, The Ultimate Ride, by racer Peter Crawford.[7]

A review in Sailing World in 2006 by Gary Jobson, wrote, "these boats sail best when heeled more than 20 degrees, and in a breeze, it takes a lot of courage to do this. The boat rocks up and you feel as if you're about to be catapulted out of the cockpit. But a subtle tug on the tiller, a slight ease of the main and spinnaker sheets, and zingo, you're sailing at 25 knots. There's no crew weight limit, so depending on the wind strength, 5 to 7 crew can be piled on the rail with sailors rotating on or off in between races."[7]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Scow sailboat. 1 December 2020. McArthur. Bruce. sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20201201141122/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/a-scow. 1 December 2020. live.
  2. Web site: Design Story. 15 November 2020. Victory by Design, LLC. victorybydesign.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20170406232714/http://www.victorybydesign.org/design-story/. 6 April 2017. live.
  3. Web site: Melges Performance Sailboats. 26 November 2020. McArthur. Bruce. sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20200908184850/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/melges-performance-sailboats. 8 September 2020. live.
  4. Web site: Johnson Boat Works (USA) 1896 - 1998. 26 November 2020. McArthur. Bruce. sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20200908225439/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/johnson-boat-works-usa. 8 September 2020. live.
  5. Web site: The Melges A Scow. 27 November 2020. Melges Performance Sailboats. melges.com. 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200922070309/https://melges.com/melges-a-scow/. 22 September 2020. live.
  6. Web site: National Class A Scow Association. 1 December 2020. McArthur. Bruce. sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20201201140934/https://sailboatdata.com/association/national-class-a-scow-association. 1 December 2020. live.
  7. Web site: The Ultimate Ride, Indeed. 27 November 2020. Jobson. Gary. Sailing World. 4 October 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20201127190920/https://www.sailingworld.com/racing/ultimate-ride-indeed/. 27 November 2020. live.