Sail Number:
Type: Lightning
LOA: 19″0″ / 5.79m – LWL: 16’0″ / 4.87m – Beam: 6’6″ / 1.98m – Draft: 4’11” / 1.49m – Current Owner: Kevin Raymond – Home Port: – Year Launched: 1938 – Design Number: Design 265 – Hull Number: 66 -Hull Material: wood – Displacement: 700 lbs – Ballast: – Sail Area: 177 – Ship Plan Location: Lightning Class Association
Historical:
At an Americas Cup fund-raiser at the Columbia Rope Company, in neighboring Auburn, New York, John and George Barnes, owners of the Skaneateles Boats Company, had met naval architects Rod and Olin Stephens, of Sparkman and Stephens, and discussed the idea of a completely new boat. This boat would be 19′ long, providing room for a family; it would incorporate the hard chine of the Comet, allowing simplified construction; and it would provide the high performance required of a one-design class racer.
By late 1935, Olin Stephens II had completed the plans for the Lightning. Over the next two years, the Skaneateles and Sparkman & Stephens teams consulted with each other on the construction of the boat that would become the Lightning. Hull #1 was launched in October 1938 at the Skaneateles Country Club and used as a test bed for the Lightning development program. In the winter of 1938, the Barnes’ took Lightning #1 to the New York City boat show, and were rewarded with numerous orders. It looked like the Barnes¹ had a successful design on their hands.
Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):
Owner/Guardian: Kevin Raymond