Description from Guideboat Co.
First built in the 1940’s the Naples Sabot was named from the district of Long Beach, California where this amazing little sailing, rowing and motoring dinghy was conceived and first launched. Immediately embraced by sailors and yachtsman alike for its speed, lightness and ease in building, the Sabots were soon mass-produced. Like the original but trimmed out in cherry, our 8’ leeboard pram makes a fine tender, may be motored or sailed, sports a rich racing history, and is a wonderful first boat for young folks.
- LENGTH 7′ 10″
- HEIGHT BOW AND STERN 24″
- BEAM WIDTH 43″
- WEIGHT 70 LBS
- WEIGHT WITH SAIL 95 LBS
HISTORY : The first Naples Sabot was designed and built in the post-war 1940’s by Roy McCullough and R. A. Violette, two men who’d unsuccessfully searched for a suitable sailing dinghy to buy. They developed their design, borrowing from the Balboa dinghy and from a design of the MacGregor Sabot which had appeared in Rudder Magazine. Others became intrigued with the design and built the boat. A May 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics heralded the boat, providing plans for inexpensively constructing in plywood. Soon afterwards composite hull Sabot’s appeared with builders like W. D. “Bill Shock” producing the first in fiberglass. We’ve included a photo of Bill’s wife Betty on a spirited Sabot sail in the late ’40’s.
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