The C Scow is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by John O. Johnson as a one-designracer and first built as early as 1905. Sources disagree as to the first-built date, with claims of 1905, 1906 and 1923.[1][2]
The C Scow is a recreational sailboat, with the early examples built predominantly of wood and later ones from fiberglass. It has a catboat rig with wooden or aluminum spars. The hull has a scow hull with a plumb transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller, twin retractable centerboards and polystyrene foam flotation for safety. It displaces 650 lb (295 kg).[1][2]
The boat has a draft of 3.30 ft (1.01 m) with one centerboard extended and 2.5 in (6.4 cm) with both retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.[1]
For sailing the design is equipped with running backstays, a raked mast and a boom that is very low to the deck, necessitating a recessed radial track for the boom vang. The boat's forestays can be adjusted while sailing, controlled by a lever mounted aft of the boom vang's recessed radial track. There are quick-releases for the backstays and turnbuckle adjustments for the shrouds. Class rules prohibit pulling the mast to the windward side, however. The design has a ballbearing-equipped mainsheet traveler. The boat has a double-ended outhaul with a 6:1 mechanical advantage, plus a Cunningham, to control mainsail shape.[2]
The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 79.7 and is normally raced with a crew of two or three sailors, with a class-imposed maximum crew racing weight of 475 lb (215 kg).[2]
Operational history
The design is regulated and racing organized by a class club, the National C Scow Sailing Association.[6]
In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "As may be seen from the rating, this cat-rigged scow is fast. Scows were developed in the Midwest, but the C-Scow can also be found in Texas and California. There is extensive control ... These boats are one-design, with strict control of hull shape."[2]