Stuart Walker's Analysis of the Designs of the 1950's

International 14's rounding a mark in Annapolis; mid 1950's. US 580 is Walt Lawson of Annapolis, K583 is the famous Windsprite, which made it over to the U.S., US 596 is Cmdr Bob Empey of Annapolis, and US 578 is Stuart Walker.

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I reprint Stuart Walker’s International 14 design analysis covering the most popular designs of the 1950's, written in "On The Plane", January 1959

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No Int. 14 has been outclassed in the last 20 years...Given proper conditions any one of the presently raced designs may have its day.

US One-Design

This design by Sandy Douglas was taken from Uffa Fox’s 1935 Alarm. In light air the low wetted surface and fine lines are almost unbeatable. It is capable of beating the best of the new boats upwind in moderate conditions.

Charles Bourke - pre 1950

These narrow 14's are still leading at the windward mark under almost any conditions. Usually best sailed by heavyweights.

Charles Bourke - 1951, 1953, 1958

The usual top boats in North American regattas, outstanding upwind, particularly in a breeze, but excellent planers as well. They take heavy crews and because they are so often sailed by top helmsmen they are difficult to evaluate objectively.

Fairey MkI through MkIX

These are probably the best all round 14’s. Although they have been improved gradually over the past 10 years, they rarely (except in planing) seem distinctly superior. However, with crews of all weights, upwind and downwind, in light and heavy airs, they always stay with the best. For consistency in series scoring they are hard to beat.

Austin Farrar

Since the original Windsprite (editor's note: Windsprite, sailed by Bruce Banks and Keith Shackleton had won four POW's in the 1950's) days of 1950, these boats have been considered the world’s best 14’s to windward in a breeze. Two design improvements since the original have apparently improved the off-wind ability as well. They are generally considered heavy weather boats; fine deep forefoots and broad flat after sections.

Ian Proctor

Two designs by this outstanding British designer are now in active competition. They are certainly excellent boats to windward (1st 1957 Buzzards Bay Bowl) and the new design is extremely fast planing as well.

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Editors Note:

As he wrote this Stuart had made up his mind for his new I-14 hull. He may have already had it in hand as he wrote this article for he would introduce her in 1959. It would be a Farrar design, Salute, which he would skipper to a POW win.

2016 Aykroyd Catboat Regatta This Weekend

I just got off the phone with Brett Somerville from the Juniper Island Store who confirms that the 2016 Aykroyd Catboat Regatta on Stoney Lake, Ontario is this weekend, August 6 and 7. The Aykroyd "cottage" 14-footer was part of the L.S.S.A 14-footer class, the dinghy class that was the predecessor of the International 14 dinghy, primarily in Canada but also in Rochester, New York. The Stoney Island cottagers, led by Hugh Drake and Jay Matthews, have been busy restoring these pre-WW II cat-rigged dinghies since the 1960's and now have a robust fleet of around 15 of these lapstrake beauties out for weekend racing. I'm working on getting some contact with fleet members so I can fill out more details of this interesting historical collection of dinghies.

I've pulled some photos from the 2015 Aykroyd Championship, taken by Nick Glas, which I found on the Web and will repost them shortly.

Click here to view some of the other posts about the L.S.S.A 14-footers on the CBIFDA blog.

Charlie Bourke's Riptide on Toronto Docks

From the Toronto newspaper, The Mail and Empire, a photo of Charlie Bourke's Riptide sitting on the docks during the 1934 Team Races with the English and Americans. The photo definitely shows that Riptide was still a LSSA 14-footer though, probably at this point, sailing with a sloop rig instead of a cat rig.

Charlie Bourke Models

Charlie Bourke, courtesy of the Canadian International 14 Newsletter

Some may consider Charlie Bourke as Canada's greatest 14-foot dinghy designer (even surpassing Bruce Kirby, but that may elicit some arguments!). Charlie designed and raced both the LSSA 14-footers and the International 14's and his post war International 14 designs dominated Canadian racing up into the 1960's when the Kirby designs took over. His design career spanned over 35 years and he was the instrumental mover and shaker that converted the Canadian LSSA 14-footer over to the International 14 class in the late 1930's. His victories and membership in Canadian teams are too numerous to document here.

Scott Kerr, who is married to Charlie Bourke's grand-daughter, Meghan, sent along some photos of two of Charlie Bourke's own hand carved models. They are of interest because these are designs Charlie was doing after competing against the Uffa International 14's at Seawanhaka Y.C, 1933. One model of Riptide is dated 1934, the year after the Seawanhaka Team Races. Here is my reply to Scott Kerr:

"The Seawanhaka Team Races, where the English and the Canadians and the U.S (Seawanhaka club members) raced the LSSA 14's and the English International 14's against each other, was held in Sept 1933. The English came back to race the Canadians and the U.S in 1934 in Toronto. So Riptide is what Charlie was designing after he saw the English open International 14's in 1933 (and to Charlie the two approaches to a 14 dinghy were like chalk and cheese). It is interesting that in 1934 Charlie still maintains the fore-deck as was allowed in the LSSA 14's. The model looks very much flatter than I would have expected. The LSSA 14's were very fine lined dinghies with balanced rocker whilst the Uffa Fox International 14's were broad transom, rocker forward designs."

The 1934 Riptide side view. It's hard to discern from the photograph but it looks as if there is a little bit of flare at the gunwhale.

The 1934 Riptide top view. (Note that Charlie has retained the fore-deck of the LSSA 14-footer, the English Uffa International 14's were open dinghies.)

The inscription on the inside, bottom of the model of Riptide.

The other Charlie Bourke model is definitely in the International 14 design camp. There seems to be some tumblehome which was a characteristic of English Uffa pre-war designs. Rocker has deepened and moved forward.

Many thanks to Scott Kerr and wife Meghan for sending along the photos.

Picture of a Pre-War Ribbed Bourke

Peter Sly of the Prince Edward Yacht Club in Picton, Ontario, sends along this photo of a pre-war ribbed constructed Bourke International 14 (probably built in 1936 or 1937). Photo was taken in 1956 on one of the PEYC docks. Those pre-war International 14's were just gorgeous craft (see the rebuilding of US 112).