Born in the USA
North American designers and builders have had a huge influence on both sides of the Atlantic, with designs from numerous iconic naval architects such as Herreshoff, Sparkman & Stephens and Dick Carter and Doug Peterson being adopted enthusiastically by builders across Europe. Equally, in the 1960s, 70s and 80s a number of models from extremely successful American yards were licensed for production by builders in the UK.
Given the size of the continent, and the widely diverse sailing conditions that vary as much as across Europe, boatbuilders in different regions have developed distinctly different traits. Today designs from New England often combine new technologies with traditional styling, though 40 years ago some of the most radical hull shapes in the world came from designers in this part of the USA. Equally, given the often shallow waters in Florida and the Bahamas it’s no surprise that builders in this area tend to focus more on shallow draught designs.
Sunfish
US$800-$1,800
Today Britain is the world’s largest producer of sailing dinghies, but the story was different 50 to 60 years ago, when many countries produced huge numbers of small boats as sailing rapidly gained popularity across the developed world.
Connecticut-based Alex Bryan and Cortlandt Heyniger launched the 11ft 8in (3.5m) Sailfish – a beautifully simple, but narrow, board style sailing dinghy with a crab claw rig – in 1945.
Available as a fully-finished boat, a kit of parts, or built from plans, it proved massively popular and contributed in a
