| Isotope | |
| Class Image: | Isotope sail badge.png |
| Designer: | Frank Meldau |
| Location: | United States |
| Year: | 1962 |
| No Built: | 710 |
| Builder: | Fiberglass Unlimited |
| Role: | One-design racer |
| Crew: | one |
| Draft: | 2.5feet with the centerboards down |
| Displacement: | 2750NaN0 |
| Hull Type: | Catamaran |
| Construction: | Fiberglass |
| Loa: | 16feet |
| Beam: | 7.5feet |
| Keel Type: | twin centerboards |
| Rudder Type: | transom-mounted rudders |
| Rig Type: | Bermuda rig |
| Sailplan: | Fractional rigged sloop |
| Sailarea Main: | 140square feet |
| Sailarea Headsail: | 45square feet |
| Sailarea Total: | 185square feet |
| D-Pn: | 74.0 |
The Isotope is an American catamaran sailing dinghy that was designed by Frank Meldau as a one-design racer and first built in 1962.[1] [2]
The design is the larger stablemate of the Cheshire 14 catamaran.[2]
The design is built by Fiberglass Unlimited (now called Custom Fiberglass International) in Wake Forest, North Carolina, United States. A total of 710 have been built and the design remains in production.[1] [2] [3] [4]
The Isotope is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fiberglass. It has a fractional sloop rig, with aluminum spars, a sealed rotating mast and fully battened mainsail, with eight ash wood or fiberglass battens. The hulls have spooned raked stems, vertical transoms, transom-hung, kick-up rudders controlled by a tiller and retractable, self-tending centerboards. The hulls are joined with three cross-members. There are two stowage compartments, with hatches. The boat displaces 2750NaN0 and has flotation for positive buoyancy, plus a righting bar.[1] [2] [4]
The boat has a draft of 2.5feet with the centerboards extended and 6inches with them retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.[1]
For sailing the design may be equipped with options such as a mast limiter, roller furling jib and a trapeze.[2] [4]
The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 74.0. It is normally raced with a crew of one sailor although it can carry three people.[2]
In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "sister to the Cheshire, the Isotope is two feet longer and fivePortsmouth numbers faster."[2]
Related development