Cal Yachts
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Cal Boats was originally the Jensen Marine Corporation. The Costa Mesa, California, headquartered company was founded in 1957, among the earliest of all-fiberglass, mass-production boat builders. Jensen Marine and its subsequently renamed incarnations was a manufacturer of performance oriented fiberglass sailboats from the time of its founding through much of the 1980s, under a series of different owners, after the founder, Jack Jensen, a genuine pioneer in fiberglass boatbuilding, initially sold his company to Bangor Punta Corporation in 1968. Jensen also produced Ranger brand sailboats and a line of molded fiberglass recreational vehicles. Although the Cal brand has been out of production for nearly two decades, the existing fleet is still very active in racing and cruising and has a vibrant presence on the Internet, including Yahoo!Groups, Sailnet.com and SailboatOwners.com.
Nearly 18,000 individual boats were built under the Cal name alone. As noted in the long list below, there were many different models, but perhaps the most famous is the Cal 40. The first of the ultra-light, production ocean racers, the Cal 40 was inspired by ocean racing legend, George Griffith, of the Los Angeles Yacht Club, and was purportedly first sketched by him in 1962 on the back of a cocktail napkin. Following Griffith's inspiration, the Cal 40 was designed by the prolific and ground-breaking naval architect, C. William "Bill" Lapworth and was lofted by Willis Boyd. A major undertaking for its time and radically different from other production racing sailboats with its fin keel separated from a spade rudder mounted well aft, the Cal 40 continues to rack up an impressive string of ocean racing victories more than four decades after its initial launch, winning major competitions such as the venerable Newport to Bermuda Race as recently as 2006. Among other ocean racing classics, Cal 40s still compete as a class in the Transpac Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu and in 2005 recorded 14 entries, more than any other production sailboat at any time in the century-long history of this, America's longest-running ocean yacht race.
Jack Jensen was a bright young mechanical engineer when he decided to become a production boatbuilder. He was noted for his self-deprecating sense of humor and his congeniality. Under his hand Jensen Marine became a highly efficient and yet deeply employee-oriented company, far ahead of its time. After selling the company, Jensen departed on a 'round-the-world cruise aboard his Cal Cruising 46. He died in Tahiti of a rare blood disease in 1978 after having completed his circumnavigation. He was 47 years old at the time of his death.
The Jensen-Lapworth collaboration resulted in some amazingly competitive racer/cruiser sailboats. Compare the PHRF ratings below to those of recent hull designs; you will find that the Cal designs are relatively fast boats. This is one of the reasons these ruggedly built and surprisingly affordable boats remain pupular nearly fifty years after they first appeared in the recreational marine marketplace.
[edit] Models
PHRF handicap Based on Southern California Buoy Rating
- CAL 9.2 - PHRF 174
- CAL T/4 - PHRF 252
- [CAL20 - PHRF 276]http://www.cal20.com
- CAL2-24 - PHRF 228
- CAL24 - PHRF 234
- CAL24-2 - PHRF 228
- CAL25 - PHRF 222
- CAL25-2 - PHRF 216
- CAL27 - PHRF 198
- CAL27-2 - PHRF 204
- CAL27-3 - PHRF 192
- CAL27T - PHRF 186
- CAL27T2 - PHRF 195
- CAL28 - PHRF 192 http://www.stirlinglaw.com/cal28
- CAL28-2 - PHRF 192
- CAL29 - PHRF 180
- CAL29-2 - PHRF 180
- CAL30 - PHRF 192
- CAL30-2 - PHRF 180
- CAL30-3 - PHRF 168
- CAL30-3T - PHRF 153
- CAL31 - PHRF 162
- CAL33 - PHRF 156
- CAL34 - PHRF 174
- CAL34-1 - PHRF 174
- CAL34-2 - PHRF 168
- CAL34-3 - PHRF 168
- CAL34T - PHRF 165
- CAL36 - PHRF 150
- CAL36T - PHRF 141
- CAL37 - PHRF 114
- CAL39-1 - PHRF 102
- CAL39-2 - PHRF 114
- CAL39-2T - PHRF 108
- CAL40 - PHRF 114
- CAL43 - PHRF 108
- CAL43T - PHRF 102
- CAL46-1 - PHRF 162
- CAL46-2K - PHRF 156
- CAL48 - PHRF 96
- CAL9.2 - PHRF 165
- CAL9.2R - PHRF 159
- CALCR35 - PHRF 192
- CALCR36 - PHRF 156
[edit] Cal 25
The Cal 25 is one of the most popular and successful Cals ever built. Over 2000 hulls were constructed, and although they were designed over 40 years ago, they remain one of the more popular one-design racing yachts throughout the U.S. with fleets in Detroit, Mi; Annapolis, Md; New Orleans, Ls; San Diego, Ca and more. They are also one of the first boats to be designed as Racer/Cruisers which have both a cruising interior, but are set up for racing. They are also quite affordable, and relatively innexpensive to maintain. A well equipped Cal 25 can be had for around $4000. Problem areas include the plywood cored deck, and transom. But the hull is solid glass and rarely has any problems.
