Randy’s Thistle Resources

 

 

The Boat

 

 

 

 

 

The Thistle Specifications

 

LOA ............ 17'0"
LWL ............ 17'0"
Beam ........... 6'0"
Dspl ........... 515lbs
Draft .......... 6"up and 4'6" down
Main and Jib ... 191 sq. ft.
Spinnaker ...... 220 sq. ft.

 

 

Thistle Photos

Coming soon

 

 

The Boat

 

See the plans…

 

The Thistle is a 17' dinghy designed for racing and day sailing. It was designed by Sandy Douglas, and first built in 1945. MR. Douglass worked with Uffa Fox (of International 14 fame), and, in fact, the lines of the Thistle are very similar to those of the International 14 from the mid-1940’s.  Today, the improvement in yacht design through the use of CAD/CAM designs is making most high-performance hull forms look remarkably similar to the Thistle.  It was truly ahead of it’s time!  Sandy Douglass was also instrumental in the development of the Highlander and the Flying Scot boats.

The Thistle's classic design is unique among current sailboats. One of the most noticeable differences between the Thistle and newer designs is the fact that, like the International 14, it does not have a deck.  This makes the boat lighter and causes it to ride up over waves, instead of attempting to power through them. The lack of a deck also lowers the center of gravity so that a Thistle does not tend to 'turtle' when capsized.

The Thistle’s sail plan consists of a main, fractional jib, and spinnaker. Thistles are most often raced with a crew of three, although they can be sailed by one person in lighter air, and raced with only two.  They are also very comfortable for up to 6 people on a day sail.

The Thistle has a round bottom, which increases in stability as it is heeled or as weight is added.  It has minimal wetted surface when sailed upright, and is therefore very fast.  The boat is designed to plane, and will plane easily in 10-12 knots of breeze.  Shock your power boating friends by telling them your new sailboat actually planes!  They will definitely be “interested”.

The class has active participation by women and juniors. A national event is held for each. 

The early boats were constructed of 5 ply molded plywood, using a cold-molding technique pioneered during WW1 for aircraft and PT boat construction.  Due to the high quality of the glues, the design, and the wood used, most wooden Thistles are strong and competitive to this day.  Thistle #1 consistently places very high in competition, winning the nationals several years ago.

The Class Association enforces strict one-design principles. While accepting certain state of the art rigging and construction, it maintains a rigging approach that leaves older Thistles in the competitive ranks.

Modern Thistles are built of fiberglass to a common set of specifications, with built in flotation and a metal mast and boom. Rigging the control systems is at the discretion of the owner. 

Good serviceable used boats can be shopped on the class association UsedBoat Clearinghouse.  Prices are generally under $3000 for decent used boats.  More competitive racers tend to run about $2500-$4500. Newer or 'proven' boats cost more.  New boats run about $14,000-$17,000.

The class encourages a low cost approach, and allows only one suit of sails per owner per year.  Check out the UsedBoat Clearinghouse for boats and gear currently listed for sale.   There is a section for sails and hardware, and one for “Boats Wanted”.

 

Buying Used Thistles – notes on selection…

Don Schaffner's tests for used Thistles

Information about all known Thistle builders (to Randy)…ever….

Northwest One Design is the west coast builder of Thistles.

Great Midwest Yacht Co. is the builder in the east (Ohio).

Frequently Asked Questions – mirrored from the TCA site.

 

For more information, email me…

 

Let’s go Thistling!…

 

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