Highlander (dinghy)

Highlander
Class symbol
Development
DesignerGordon K. (Sandy) Douglass
Year1949
DesignOne-Design
NameHighlander
Boat
Crew3
Draft0.67 feet (0.20 m)
5.0 feet (1.5 m)
Hull
TypeMonohull
ConstructionWood or Fiberglass
Hull weight830 pounds (380 kg)
LOA20 feet (6.1 m)
LWL19.5 feet (5.9 m)
Beam6.67 feet (2.03 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typecenterboard
Rig
Mast length27.08 feet (8.25 m)
Sails
Mainsail area169.44 square feet (15.741 m2)
Jib/genoa area228.54 square feet (21.232 m2)
Spinnaker area300 square feet (28 m2)
Upwind sail area228.54 square feet (21.232 m2)

The Highlander is a large (20 foot LOA) high performance one-design racing dinghy, also used for day sailing, popular in the United States. It was designed by Gordon K. (Sandy) Douglass in 1949, to be a more comfortable alternative to the Thistle.[1] The Highlander was the last boat built by the Douglass & McLeod company. It was later built by Customflex Inc., and is currently built by Allen Boat Company. Highlander features an 88-pound centerboard. The Highlander sails with a main, jib and spinnaker. With over 1000 boats built, the Highlander has gained reputation for being stable and secure. There are currently 14 racing fleets of Highlanders located in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.[2]

Douglass' Flying Scot is known as the little sister to the Highlander.

Highlander downwind
  1. ^ Douglass, Gordon K., "Sixty Years Behind the Mast: The Fox on the Water". McClain Printing Company. ISBN 0-9617502-0-0. pp. 231-34
  2. ^ "Fleet Information". The Highlander Class Association Website. Archived from the original on 13 June 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2010.