Challenge sailing dinghy

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Phantomman
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:58 pm

Challenge sailing dinghy

Post by Phantomman »

Hi all, one of the guys that sail across the water asked me to ID his craft I'm certain it's a challenge dinghy, as its got a CH on the sail, do any of you chap know anything more interesting about it, ie builder build numbers etc. thanks in advance
davidh
Posts: 3166
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:43 am
Location: Ventor Isle of Wight

Re: Challenge sailing dinghy

Post by davidh »

Phantom man.........

yes, the Challenge was made just down the road from where I was brought up - a hard chine performance boat that attracted the rather unfair monniker of 'the poor mans 505'.

have loads of pics and details but if it is a Challenge (given that sails can easily be migrated from one boat to another) then you're looking at a 16 ish hard chine dinghy with a very flat run aft and flat panels leading back from middships to the transom.

Designed by Bill O'Brien the Class never really escaped the Solent in any numbers and when Weston moved it's clubhouse from the old 'seaweed hut' to their current location they insisted on class racing - with the 505 getting the nod as the adopted 2 man performance dinghy. All the 'rest' upped sticks and went off to form Southampton Sailing Club - about 3/4 mile further along the shore.

A light, flat hull with a big sail plan, the Challenge could fly offwind in breeze and flat water - yet the boat lacked the increasing sophistication of the five-o - and given that weston was rich in talented world class five-o sailors, the boat never got a chance to shine. If you do a search on here for Challenge you should find some pictures that i've posted in the past.

BUT - be careful - for Bill O'Brien also made a smaller version of the Challenge - the Daring - that would be a huge, huge find IF one ever reappears!

D
David H
phil58490
Posts: 203
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2012 1:23 pm
Location: Kellow, Looe, Cornwall

Re: Challenge sailing dinghy

Post by phil58490 »

There might be a confusion with your Challenge dinghy, there is also a Challenger (note final R ) dinghy that has a sail emblem of CH. and a yardstick 0f 120. This is a 11"0' gunter rigged dinghy made of GRP, apparently available in mid blue or oxford blue, I know no more as I just found those details in an old book of dinghies!
Just across the Tamar in South East Cornwall

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SoggyBadger
Posts: 282
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:39 pm
Location: Staffordshire

Re: Challenge sailing dinghy

Post by SoggyBadger »

The dinghy database also shows the Chichester Harbour 12 as having CH (underlined) as it's insignia.
Best wishes


SB
Rupert
Posts: 6255
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Challenge sailing dinghy

Post by Rupert »

B O'B's Challenge has a sword and arm as the insignia.

When you say across the water, I assume you mean USA, not IOW?
Rupert
Phantomman
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:58 pm

Re: Challenge sailing dinghy

Post by Phantomman »

Ah it could possibly be a challenger then as its blue and grp, I will get them to send me a photo
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