Phantom (sailboat)
| Current Specifications | |
|---|---|
 Sloop rig at Burghfield Sailing Club | |
| Crew | 1 |
| LOA | 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m) |
| Hull weight |
Sloop: 135 lb (61 kg) Lateen: 120 lb (54 kg) |
| Mainsail area |
Sloop: 105 sq ft (9.8 m2) Lateen: 85.4 sq ft (7.93 m2) |
| RYA PN | 1025 |
There are three designs of Phantom sailboats, one is a sloop design which is often raced, another is a lateen rig that was designed after the Sunfish model sailing dinghy, and a third is blue water cruiser/racer sloop designed and built in Sydney, Australia.
Sloop Design
The first Phantom mentioned is a high performance singlehander sailing dinghy designed by Paul Wright and Brian Taylor in 1971. It is a very popular class in the UK with a few scattered around Europe and South Africa.
The boat was designed to cater for the larger sailor and occupies a similar market space to the Finn. In fact there is a degree of healthy rivalry between the classes and many Phantom sailors also sail Finns and vice versa.
The competitive weight for racing is around the 100 kg mark
The Phantom class rules are very flexible in terms of construction materials. The outer hull is strictly one design with a good degree of latitude allowed for deck and cockpit design.
Originally, the sloop designed Phantoms were built from plywood with metal masts and Dacron sails. Modern Phantoms are generally built with epoxy GRP hulls rigged with carbon masts and Kevlar sails.
The sloop designed Phantom is 14 ft 6 inches (4.42 m) long yet only weighs 135 lbs (61 kg) with a rig of 105 sq ft (9.75 sqm) and RYA Portsmouth number of 1025.[1]
Lateen Rig
The second Phantom mentioned is a lateen rigged sailing dinghy originally produced by Howmar Marine in 1982. The molds were purchased by J-Point Marine, and they now produce a similar boat with a few updates, that is still in production under the name "Pointer-14".
The lateen rig design of the Phantom is almost identical to the Sunfish model sailboats, but has a slightly larger cockpit and fiberglass daggerboard and tiller. It is a well built sailing dinghy designed for one person. The boat weighs 120 lb (54 kg). and has a sail area of 85.4 sq ft (7.93 m2). with a luff of 12' 10", a foot of 13' 4 ", and a leech of 14'. There are many lateen rigged Phantoms still sailing and parts are still available.
Larger Phantom
The third Phantom mentioned is a Bermudan rigged sloop, a cruiser racer designed by Nick Shein and built by Phantom Yachts in Sydney, Australia. Production commenced in 1979, ending in the mid 90's. Around about 100 phantoms were made, mostly 32 feet in length, however there were 33's 34's and around 6 40's made. The first four 32 foot hulls were manufactured by a spray gun laminator. Subsequent hulls were hand laid under the direct supervision of Nick Shein. Around 1989 the mould was altered to 33 feet in length, the 33 had slightly more beam, a sugar scoop stern and a wider aft quarter berth. The hulls were all manufactured to exceed standards laid down by Lloyds and USL code for GRP yachts. Phantom 32's had single or double inline spreaders, depending on customers preference. Draft was 1.6 Metres with a displacement of 4.25 t. The phantoms are well built vessels capable of cicumnavigating (Mr Walker, a Phantom 32 did so in the late 80's) and can be easily sailed short handed.
References
- ↑ "Portsmouth Number List 2012". Royal Yachting Association. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
External links
- Phantom Class Association
- Phantom Owners Group
- Lynall Boats, RS and Dinghy Specialist
- Yachts & Yachting Phantom Class Page
- JJ Boats - Phantom Dinghy Builder
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