Lyman-Morse building Dark Harbor 20S
by Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding 28 Jan 09:44 PST
Dark Harbor 20S © Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding
If you've spent time in Penobscot Bay, you're likely familiar with the Dark Harbor 20, a 30-foot LOA one-design classic sloop designed by Olin Stephens in 1934. Originally built as wooden plank-on-frame vessels, there were 21 Dark Harbor 20s built in the first half of the 20th century. Due to the dedication of their owners and the members of the Tarratine Yacht Club of Dark Harbor in Islesboro, Maine, most of the original DH20s still exist today and actively compete in the pristine waters of coastal Maine.
Olin Stephens of Sparkman and Stephens was the first yacht designer to successfully correlate scale model results with full-scale sailing testing, measuring the longitudinal driving force, aerodynamic side force and heeling moment. The correlation constants between model testing and full-scale performance as derived by his studies became known as the Gimcrack Coefficients.
The Gimcrack Coefficients were the first known comparison of this type, proving to be a significant breakthrough in the science of sailing yacht performance prediction. In 1934, Olin Stephens took the results from his Gimcrack testing and designed the Dark Harbor 20. His technological breakthrough proved successful, as most of the original 21 that were built are actively racing today.
Over 90 years later, we are proud to be continuing the legacy of these beautiful vessels. We're nearing completion of two Dark Harbor 20s at our Thomaston facility, now constructed of fiberglass.
In the words of Olin Stephens, "They are nimble, exciting to race... displacement is light, and the hull easily driven...The boats are also attractive in appearance, as would be expected of a class sailed in this stylish and long-established enclave."
We're looking forward to seeing these out with the fleet this summer, and honored to be carrying on the legacy of such esteemed yachting heritage.