Flying Fifteen

The Flying Fifteen is a British sailboat that was designed by Uffa Fox as a one design racer and first built in 1948.[1][2][3]

Flying Fifteen
Development
DesignerUffa Fox
LocationUnited Kingdom
Year1948
No. built3,700
Builder(s)Fairey Marine
Halmatic Ltd.
Ovington Boats
Rob Legg Yachts
Windrush Yachts
Stebbings & Sons
Copland Boats
Chippendale Boats
Boat
Crewtwo
Boat weight725 lb (329 kg)
Draft2.50 ft (0.76 m)
Hull
Typemonohull
Constructionwood or fibreglass
LOA20.00 ft (6.10 m)
LWL15.00 ft (4.57 m)
Beam7.00 ft (2.13 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typeswept fin keel
Ballast372 lb (169 kg) minimum
Rudder(s)internally-mounted spade-type rudder
Rig
Rig typeBermuda rig
I (foretriangle height)15.00 ft (4.57 m)
J (foretriangle base)5.50 ft (1.68 m)
P (mainsail luff)20.50 ft (6.25 m)
E (mainsail foot)9.80 ft (2.99 m)
Sails
Sailplanfractional rigged sloop
Mainsail area100.45 sq ft (9.332 m2)
Jib/genoa area41.25 sq ft (3.832 m2)
Spinnaker area150 sq ft (14 m2)
Total sail area141.70 sq ft (13.164 m2)
Racing
D-PN91.0

Production

In the past the design was built in the United Kingdom by Fairey Marine, Halmatic Ltd., Rob Legg Yachts, Stebbings & Sons, Copland Boats and Chippendale Boats. It remains in production in the UK by Ovington Boats and in Australia by Windrush Yachts. A total of 3,700 boats have been completed.[1][3][4][5]

Design
Flying Fifteen

The Flying Fifteen is a recreational keelboat, originally built from wood and more recently of fibreglass. It has a fractional sloop rig, a spooned and highly raked stem, a plumb, raised counter transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller with an extension and a swept fixed fin keel. It displaces 725 lb (329 kg) and carries class imposed minimum of 372 lb (169 kg) of ballast.[1][3]

The boat has a draft of 2.50 ft (0.76 m) with the standard keel.[1]

The boat was accepted as in international class in 1981.[3] The design has changed over time, with modifications to the rig and the hull construction. The hull tolerances were originally set at +/- 1.00 in (25 mm) of the plans. In 1984 the class club reduced the hull tolerances to +/- 0.60 in (15 mm) and introduced the first measurement templates. In 1993 there was a further reduction in tolerances to +/- 0.28 in (7 mm) was introduced, along with additional adjustments to the median plan lines equal to the current design. Older boats built to the previous tolerances are known as "classics" within the class, are grandfathered and still permitted to be raced.[1]

For sailing the design is equipped with a self-bailing cockpit, a Cunningham, boom vang, downhaul, outhaul, a 150 sq ft (14 m2) spinnaker and air bag flotation for safety. The class rules require positive buoyancy and hiking strapss, while prohibiting the use of instruments and mast adjustments on the water. Roller furling for the jib is permitted.[3]

The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 91.0 and is raced by a crew of two sailors.[3]

Operational history
Flying Fifteens racing downwind

The design is supported by a class club that controls the design and organizes racing events, the Flying Fifteen International,[6] with a club in Australias as well, Flying Fifteen International – Australia[7]

There are racing fleets in Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa as well as in Britain and the United States east and west coasts.[1][3]

In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "the Flying Fifteen is an ultra-light-displacement keel boat that has been clocked at 16 knots."[3]

See also

References
  1. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Flying Fifteen sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  2. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Uffa Fox 1898-1972". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  3. Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 106-107. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN 0-395-65239-1
  4. Ovington Boats. "F15". ovingtonboats.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  5. Windrush Yachts. "Flying Fifteen". windrushyachts.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  6. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Flying 15 Class". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  7. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Flying Fifteen Australia". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
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