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Star (keelboat)

Star
Star red.svg
Class symbol
Star (keelboat).svg
Designer Francis Sweisguth
Year 1910
Crew 2 (Skipper + Crew)
S + 1.5 C ≤ 250 kg (550 lb)
Draft 1.016 m (3 ft 4 in)
Type keelboat
Hull weight ≥ 671 kg (1,479 lb)
(including keel)
LOA 6.922 m (22 ft 9 in)
LWL 4.724 m (15 ft 6 in)
Beam 1.734 m (5 ft 8 in) at deck
1.372 m (4 ft 6 in) at chine
Keel/Board Type bulb keel
401.5 ± 7 kg (885 ± 15 lb)
Rig Type sloop
Mast Length 9.652 m (31 ft 8 in)
Mainsail area 20.5 m2 (221 sq ft)
Jib / Genoa area  6.0 m2 (65 sq ft)
Upwind Sail Area ≤ 26.5 m2 (285 sq ft)
Former Olympic class

The Star is a 6.9 metres (23 ft) one-design racing keelboat for two people designed by Francis Sweisguth in 1910. The Star was the primary Olympic class keelboat from 1932 through 2012 (the last year for the event). It is now the primary class for the Star Sailors League circuit.

It is sloop-rigged, with a mainsail larger in proportional size than any other boat of its length. Unlike most modern racing boats, it does not use a spinnaker when sailing downwind. Instead, when running downwind a whisker pole is used to hold the jib out to windward for correct wind flow. Early Stars were built from wood, but modern boats are generally made of fiberglass. The boat must weigh at least 671 kg (1,479 lb) with a maximum total sail area of 26.5 m2 (285 sq ft). The Star class pioneered an unusual circular boom vang track, which allows the vang to effectively hold the boom down even when the boom is turned far outboard on a downwind run. Another notable aspect of Star sailing is the extreme hiking position adopted by the crew and at times the helmsman, who normally use a harness to help hang low off the windward side of the boat with only their lower legs inside.

The Star was designed in 1910 by Francis Sweisguth—draftsman for William Gardner's Naval Architect office—and the first 22 were built in Port Washington, New York by Ike Smith during the winter of 1910–11. Since that time, over 8,400 boats have been built, with more than 2,000 actively racing in 170 fleets.

The hull is a hard chine design with a slight curve to the bottom section, and a bulb keel. Stars were originally rigged with a large, low-aspect-ratio gunter mainsail and jib, which was replaced by a short bermuda rig in 1921, before the current tall bermuda sail plan was adopted in 1930. In 1965, fiberglass replaced wood as the primary hull material. Other changes to the strict design rules for the Star class, include adding flexible spars, an innovative circular-track boom vang, and self-bailers.


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Wikipedia

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