GP14 (dinghy)
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The GP14 is a 4.2m (14 ft) sailing dinghy developed in 1949. Almost 14,000 GP14s have been built and the class is active in the UK, Ireland, Australia and South Africa. It is relatively heavy (133 kg) but stable, and an ideal boat to learn to sail in. It is also raced competitively, and offers good close racing.
The idea behind the design was to build a General Purpose (GP) 14-foot dinghy which could be cruised, raced and rowed equally well. It can also be powered effectively by a small outboard motor. In the early 1990s a new internal layout was introduced in the wooden and foam-reinforced plastic (FRP) boats (the "Series 2"), with built-in underfloor buoyancy. This was further modified over the following years, led by boat builders Alistair Duffin, who builds in wood, and Holt Allen, now Speed Sails Ltd, who manufacture in GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) and FRP. New boats are currently available in wood, GRP and FRP.
The most recent GP14 World Championships, held at Sligo, Ireland, in July/August 2006, attracted an entry of over 110 boats. The 2008 World Championships are due to be held in the UK.
People often wonder why the class symbol is a bell. This is alleged to be because the boat's designer, Jack Holt, designed it whilst in Aberdyfi, Wales, and it is a reference to the legendary bells of Cantre'r Gwaelod. A more likely explanation, however, is that it relates to the original manufacturer, Bell Woodworking, who also produced the Bell Seagull and Seamew cruisers.
- Designer: Jack Holt (1949)
- LOA: 4.27 m
- Beam: 1.54 m
- Minimum weight: 132.9 kg
- Sail area: main & jib 12.85 m² + spinnaker 8.4 m²
- PN (2005): 1127
