The Bay Hen 21 is an American trailerable

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by

Reuben Trane Reuben Nicholas Trane (September 13, 1886 – September 5, 1954) was an American mechanical engineer. Together with his father James Trane, he founded the heating and air conditioning company, Trane. Biography Reuben Trane was born in La Cross ...

as a

pocket cruiser A pocket cruiser is a sailboat designed for recreational Cruising (maritime), cruising and club racing, under in length. Like the similar and usually smaller trailer sailer, they have design features such as light weight and short Sailing ball ...

and first built in 1984.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 85.

International Marine McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

, 2010.

Production

The design was built by a series of builders in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, but it is now out of production. These include the Florida Bay Boat Company 1984–1987, Mirage Fiberglass 1988–1991, Custom Fiberglass 1992–1997,

Sovereign America Sovereign Yachts was an American boat builder based in Port Richey, Florida. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats. The company was founded by Doug Steeg in 1978 and closed in 1998. History Steeg starte ...

1997 and Nimble Boats 1998–2003.

Design

The boat is based upon the Lightfoot Sharpie open boat daysailer that was designed by Bob Johnson, creator of the Island Packet Yachts series of boats. The Florida Bay Boat Company, owned by Trane bought the molds and Trane designed a new deck and cabin for the hull to create the Bay Hen 21. The Bay Hen 21 is a recreational sharpie, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

, with wood trim. It is a gaff rigged

catboat A catboat (alternate spelling: cat boat) is a sailboat with a single sail on a single mast set well forward in the bow of a very beamy and (usually) shallow draft hull. Typically they are gaff rigged, though Bermuda rig is also used. Most are f ...

with a single

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast (sailing), mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. T ...

; a

plumb stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

; an angled transom; a shallow-draft, transom-hung

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

controlled by a

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn ...

and twin, retractable

centerboard A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a ''centreboard trunk'' (UK) or ''centerboard case'' (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised t ...

s, mounted side by side in separate trunks. It displaces and carries no ballast. The boat has a draft of with a centerboard extended and with both retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. The boat is normally fitted with a small

outboard motor An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

, mounted in a stern well, which is forward of the rudder, for docking and maneuvering. The design has sleeping accommodation for two people, with a double berth in the cabin, that can be folded into a settee. The

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

is located under the

companionway In the architecture of a ship, a companion or companionway is a raised and windowed hatchway in the ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins. A companionway may be secured by doors or, commonly i ...

ladder and is a pull-out design. A hatch is provided forward for ventilation. Cabin headroom is . The design has a

hull speed Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to- ...

of .

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel praised the large cockpit and the aft outboard motor well. He wrote, "the boat handles like a typical flat-bottomed sharpie, pounding a bit going upwind, and her shallow sharpie rudder can result in considerable

weather helm Weather helm is the tendency of sailing vessels to turn towards the source of wind, creating an unbalanced helm that requires pulling the tiller to windward (i.e. 'to weather') in order to counteract the effect. Weather helm is the opposite of ...

in a breeze. Construction quality may vary from one model year to another, since several different builders came and went."

References

{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Sharpies 1980s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Trailer sailers Sailboat type designs by Reuben Trane Sailboat types built by Sovereign Yachts Sailboat types built by the Florida Bay Boat Company Sailboat types built by Mirage Fiberglass Sailboat types built by Nimble Boats

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References