Comet (dinghy) explained

Comet
Designer:C. Lowndes Johnson
Location:United States
Year:1932
No Built:4,100
Builder:Lippincott Boat Works
Customflex
David Beaton & Sons
Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co.
Siddons & Sindle
Whitecap Composites
Role:One-design racer
Draft:1.75feet with the centerboard down
Displacement:2600NaN0
Hull Type:Monohull
Construction:wood or Fiberglass
Loa:16feet
Lwl:15feet
Beam:5.5feet
Keel Type:centerboard
Rudder Type:transom-mounted rudder
Rig Type:Bermuda rig
Sailplan:Fractional rigged sloop
Sailarea Main:110square feet
Sailarea Headsail:25square feet
Sailarea Total:135square feet
D-Pn:92.0

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]

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 2600NaN0.[1] [2] [3]

The Comet has a draft of 1.75feet with the centerboard extended and 6inches 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]

See also

Related development

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Comet OD sailboat . 2 September 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20200902200839/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/comet-od-usa. 2 September 2020. live.
  2. Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 66-67. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994.
  3. Web site: Comet. 2 September 2020. Whitecap Composites. whitecapcomposites.com. https://archive.today/20200902203802/http://www.whitecapcomposites.com/comet/. 2 September 2020. live.
  4. Web site: Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co. 1893 - 1964. 2 September 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20200902201030/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/skaneateles-boat-canoe-co. 2 September 2020. live.
  5. Web site: Lippincott Boat Works (USA) 1946 - 1986. 2 September 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20200711210721/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/lippincott-boat-works-usa. 11 July 2020. live.
  6. Web site: Customflex (USA) 1964 - . 2 September 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20200902200935/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/customflex-usa. 2 September 2020. live.
  7. Web site: Siddons & Sindle (USA) 1963 - . 2 September 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20200719183421/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/siddons-sindle-usa. 19 July 2020. live.
  8. Web site: Whitecap Composites (USA). 2 September 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20200707163258/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/whitecap-composites-usa. 7 July 2020. live.
  9. Web site: Tips. 2 September 2020. Comet Class Association. cometclass.com. 2013. https://archive.today/20200902205428/http://cometclass.com/tips.htm. 2 September 2020. live.
  10. Web site: Comet Class (USA). 2 September 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20200902201129/https://sailboatdata.com/association/comet-class-usa. 2 September 2020. live.
  11. Web site: Fleets. 2 September 2020. Comet Class Association . cometclass.com. 2013. https://archive.today/20200902205040/http://cometclass.com/fleets.htm. 2 September 2020. live.