The Lehman 12 is an American

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

Barney Lehman The PlastiGlass Company (usually just called PlastiGlass) was an American boat builder based in California. The company was an early pioneer in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats. The company was founded by boat designer Barne ...

as a one design

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...

sailing dinghy Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats by using five essential controls: * the sails * the foils (i.e. the daggerboard or centreboard and rudder and sometimes lifting foils as found on the Moth) * the trim (forward/rear angle of ...

and first built in 1953.

Production

The design was first built by Lehman's own company,

PlastiGlass The PlastiGlass Company (usually just called PlastiGlass) was an American boat builder based in California. The company was an early pioneer in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats. The company was founded by boat designer Barney ...

founded in 1950 on the United States west coast. It was one of the first production boats to be built from

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...

, a new material then.

W. D. Schock Corp The W. D. Schock Corporation (usually styled W. D. Schock Corp) is an American boat builder originally based in Newport Beach, California, later in Corona, California and currently located in Santa Ana, California. The company was founded by W ...

purchased PlastiGlass in 1955 and continued production of the boat design for a number of years, but it is now out of production. The Lehman 12 design led to a slightly larger boat, the Lehman 14 which, in turn, led to the highly successful

Lido 14 The Lido 14 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Barney Lehman and William D. Schock and first built in 1958.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 40-41. Houghton Mifflin C ...

. A total of 400 Lehman 12s were built.

Design

The Lehman 12 is a recreational planing sailing dinghy, built predominantly of

, with mahogany and oak wood trim. It has a loose-footed

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 ...

rig, 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 ...

and

transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...

, a transom-hung

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

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 or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder ...

and a retractable

daggerboard A daggerboard is a retractable centreboard used by various sailing craft. While other types of centreboard may pivot to retract, a daggerboard slides in a casing. The shape of the daggerboard converts the forward motion into a windward lift, co ...

. It displaces and has positive flotation buoyancy tanks, making the boat unsinkable. The boat has a draft of with the daggerboard extended and with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, beaching or ground transportation on a trailer or car roof. In 1998 W. D. Schock Corp carried out a redesign of the boat, as part of their program of modernizing many models in their product line, to simplify production and also maintenance for owners. The changes were made in consultation with the class association and the new design complies with class one design rules. The wood that had been used for the rails, thwarts, flotation tanks and other components was replaced with fiberglass, thus eliminating requirements for varnishing and reducing weight. The wooden tiller was replaced with

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It h ...

. The new hull also incorporates flared hiking rails and structural strengthening stringers.

Operational history

The

United States Sailing Association The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing) is the national governing body for sailing in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Bristol, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers t ...

describes the boat, "Lehman 12 Dinghies have been a staple in Southern California one design racing since its inception in 1953. Lehman 12s are very responsive to weight, trim, and steering making it a challenging and competitive class. The Lehman 12 class is still one of the most active racing dinghy classes in Southern California." Ullman Sails says, "the Lehman 12 is an exceptionally responsive two-man planing dinghy that quietly glides through the water with only a whisper of wind. It is a daggerboard boat with a loose-fitted cat rig and a deep rudder. The simple, uncomplicated design of the Lehman 12 makes it great for the husband-and-wife team."

References

External links

Photo of Lehman 12s racing
{{Sailing dinghies and skiffs Dinghies 1950s sailboat type designs One-design sailing classes Sailboat type designs by Barney Lehman Sailboat types built by W. D. Schock Corp Sailboat types built by PlastiGlass

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References

External links