The US Sabot is an American pram

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 Charles McGregor as a

one-design One-design racing is a racing method which may be adopted in sports using complex equipment, whereby all vehicles have identical or very similar designs or models, avoiding the need for a Handicapping, handicap system. Motorsport One-make racing ...

racer and first built in 1939. The design is a development of McGregor's

Sabot Sabot may refer to: * Sabot (firearms), disposable supportive device used in gunpowder ammunitions to fit/patch around a sub-caliber projectile * Sabot (shoe), a type of wooden shoe People * Dick Sabot (1944–2005), American economist and bus ...

, based upon the plans published in ''The Rudder'' magazine in 1939. The basic Sabot design has been widely adapted and other derivations include the

leeboard A leeboard is a form of pivoting keel used largely by sailboats, very often in lieu of a fixed keel. Typically mounted in pairs on each side of a hull, leeboards function much like a centreboard, allowing shallow-draft craft to ply waters ...

-equipped Naples Sabot, as well as the

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 ...

-equipped El Toro, Wind'ard Sabot and the Australian Holdfast Trainer.

Production

The boat was originally intended for

home construction Home construction or residential construction is the process of constructing a house, apartment building, or similar residential building generally referred to as a 'home' when giving consideration to the people who might now or someday reside t ...

from wood, by amateur builders. The design was later mass-produced by W. D. Schock Corp and Catalina Yachts in the United States, but it is now out of production.

Design

The US Sabot is a recreational

sailing dinghy Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats - usually for fun, learning necessary sailing skills (often also within family), and competition. RYA lists Five essentials of sailing dinghies as: * The sails * The hydrofoil, foils (i.e. t ...

. The early versions were built from

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

, while later production boats were made with hand-laid

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 ...

hulls over cores, providing positive flotation. The boat has a cat rig, a squared pram

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

, a nearly-plumb transom, a 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 a retractable square daggerboard. It displaces . Catalina-produced Sabots have tapered fiberglass masts and anodized

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

booms. The boat has a draft of with the daggerboardextended. With the daggerboard removed it may be sailed in shallow water, beached or ground-transported on a trailer or automobile rooftop.

Operational history

At one time the boat had a class club that organized racing events, the ''US Sabot Class Association'', but by early 2013 its website had been taken down and it seems to be no longer active. A 2013 review on ''boat.com'' noted that the design is, "the perfect first boat for the beginning sailor and popular with junior sailing programs for its simplicity and safety. Equipped with the racing package, the Sabot offers all the sail controls of a larger boat, so learning sailors can develop the full range of sail trimming skills." Lynn Boats described the Catalina-made US Sabot as, "the perfect first boat for the beginning sailor. Simplicity and safety make the U.S. Sabot popular with junior programs ... The U.S. Sabot is built to withstand the tough use of a learning sailor."

References

External links

Photo of a US SabotPhoto of US Sabots racing
{{Sailing dinghies and skiffs Dinghies 1930s sailboat type designs One-design sailing classes Sailboat type designs by Charles McGregor Sailboat types built by Catalina Yachts Sailboat types built by W. D. Schock Corp

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References

External links