Snipe (dinghy)
Class symbol
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| Crew | 2 |
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| Draft | 3 ft 3 in (0.99 m) |
| Hull weight | 381 lb (173 kg) |
| LOA | 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) |
| Beam | 5 ft (1.5 m) |
| Upwind Sail Area | 128 sq ft (11.9 m2) |
| D-PN | 91.9 |
| RYA PN | 1117 |
The Snipe is a 15 1⁄2 foot, 2 person, one design racing dinghy. Designed by William Crosby in 1931, it has evolved into a modern, tactical racing dinghy with fleets around the world. The class is governed by the Snipe Class International Racing Association (SCIRA) and recognized by the International Sailing Federation as an International Class sailed in 26 different countries. There have been over 31,000 Snipes constructed worldwide.
The global Snipe slogan is "Serious sailing, Serious fun".
The Snipe class has both developed and attracted some of the sailing world's top competitors. Four of the top olympic medalists in sailing (Torben Grael, Paul Elvstrøm, Robert Scheidt and Mark Reynolds) have competed in the Snipe. Five Snipe sailors have received the ISAF World Sailor of the Year Awards: Mark Reynolds, Robert Scheidt, Torben Grael, Anna Tunnicliffe and Santiago Lange.
The Snipe is simple, making it easy to sail and trailer. It can be sailed by all types of persons, no matter their age, their weight, or their sex. Co-ed crews are very popular in Snipe sailing. Perhaps because of the very limited evolutions of the boat allowed over the years, there is an excellent second-hand market.
During a meeting of the Florida West Coast Racing Association in March 1931, Bill Crosby promised to publish a new trailer boat design in the magazine "The Rudder". This was done on the July 1931 issue, and the new boat was called "Snipe". The first unit, named "Adelaide", was built in Pass Christian, Mississippi, by Jimmy Brown and father, and was issued sail number 1 of the class in September 1931, and is now in the collection of the Antique Boat Museum, located at Clayton, New York. By May 1932, 150 boats were already registered, and by the end of the year the number reached 250. In July 1936, the class was the largest racing class in the world.
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Wikipedia