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Our Fleets

Half Moon Bay Yacht Club, like most yacht clubs, owns dinghies for our youth programs.  However, the Club is rare in also owning larger dinghies (for adults), keelboats, Stand Up Paddleboards (SUP's), and kayaks. Below is a list of the watercraft, including the safety boats, that the Club owns and are available for use by members who have been trained and checked out.

Note that all the Club's sailboats are maintained by members, so not only do members get the enjoyment of sailing, but they get the enjoyment of getting dirty, squeezing into small places, and bruising knuckles while doing various jobs to keep the boats in tip-top condition. For those members who do not know how to perform maintenance on boats, but are interested in learning, they will be trained in the various tasks, including, for example, how to repair fiberglass and how to apply gelcoat.

Members' Boats

Some Club members own their own boats, and this provides an opportunity for other members to sail on larger boats in other venues, such as San Francisco Bay. A list of the boats owned by members is here. The Club has a program where selected members take other members out on their personally owned boats. If interested, contact the Rear Commodore.

  • Optimist

    • The Optimist is a sprit-rigged pram dinghy. Crew: 1

      The Optimist, also known as the Opti, is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by children up to the age of 15. Contemporary boats are usually made of fiberglass, although wooden boats are still built. It is one of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world, with over 150,000 boats officially registered with the class and many more built but never registered.

      The Opti was designed in 1947 by American Clark Mills, at the request of the Clearwater Florida Optimist service club, to offer low-cost sailing for young people. The Optimist Club ran a soap box derby, but wanted more than a single-day event. Thus they were looking for a low-cost equivalent for sailing. He designed a simple pram that could be built from two 4' x 8' sheets of plywood, and donated the plan to the Optimists. The design was slightly modified and introduced to Europe by Axel Damgaard, and spread outwards across Europe. The design was standardized in 1960 and became a strict One-Design in 1995.

      Optis are sailed in over 120 countries, and it is one of only two yachts approved by the International Sailing Federation exclusively for sailors under 16. Many sailing schools and yacht clubs own a number of them and they are the first boat most beginners will sail.


      Specifications
      Construction Fiberglass
      Hull weight 77 lb (35 kg)
      LOA 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m)
      LWL 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
      Beam 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m)
      Mainsail area 35 sq ft (3.3 m2)
      Number built Over 150,000
  • Laser

    • The Laser is a cat-rigged dinghy. Crew: 1

      The Laser is a highly popular family of small one-design sailing dinghies using the same common hull and interchangeable rigs with different sail areas. The Laser is designed to be sailed single-handed, although class rules permit two sailors. The Laser is one of the most popular yacht classes in history. As of 2018, there are more than 215,000 boats worldwide. It is an international class with sailors in 120 countries, and an Olympic class since 1996. A commonly cited reason for its popularity is that it is robust and simple to rig and sail, while also providing very competitive racing due to the very tight class association controls.

      The boat's history began with a phone call between Canadians Bruce Kirby and Ian Bruce. While discussing the possibility of a car-topped dinghy (a boat small enough to be carried on a roof rack of a typical car) for a line of camping equipment, Bruce Kirby sketched what would be known as "the million dollar doodle." The plans stayed with Kirby until 1970, when One Design and Offshore Yachtsman magazine held a regatta for boats under $1000, called "America's Teacup." After a few sail modifications, the Laser easily won its class. The prototype was originally named the "Weekender;" the sail held the letters TGIF, a common abbreviation for "Thank God it's Friday." In December 1970, Dave Balfour, a McGill engineering student, suggested the name Laser and contributed the Laser sail insignia. The Laser sailboat was officially unveiled at the New York Boat Show in 1971.

      The first world championship was held in 1974 in Bermuda. Entrants came from 24 countries. The Laser became a men's Olympic-class boat at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and a special Olympic edition of the boat was released that year in commemoration. A version with a smaller sail, the Laser Radial, was first sailed as a women's Olympic-class boat at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

      Our Lasers have both the standard rigs and radial rigs, for smaller adults and youths.

      Specifications
      Hull Weight 58.97 kg (130.0 lb)
      LOA 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
      LWL 3.81 m (12 ft 6 in)
      Beam 1.39 m (4 ft 7 in)
      Mainsail Area 7.06 m2 (76.0 sq ft)
      Number built  over 215,000
  • Flying Junior

    • The Flying Junior is a sloop-rigged dinghy. Crew: 2

      The International Flying Junior (or FJ) is a sailing dinghy that was originally designed in 1955 in the Netherlands by renowned boat designer Van Essen and Olympic sailor Conrad Gülcher. The FJ was built to serve as a training boat for the then-current Olympic-class Flying Dutchman.

      The FJ is an ideal class to teach young sailors the skills of boat handling and racing. In 1960 the Flying Junior formed its own class organization, and by the early 1970s the Flying Junior was accorded the status of an International Class by the International Yacht Racing Union, the precursor to the International Sailing Federation.

      Today the FJ is sailed in Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the United States. In the US, many high school sailing and Intercollegiate Sailing Association programs own fleets of FJ's. The college and high school programs in the US use a version of the FJ known as the Club FJ, or CFJ. This boat is slightly different from the International FJ in that it does not use a trapeze and it has a smaller, non-spherical spinnaker, may have different hull dimensions, and shroud and forestay locations, with respect to the International FJ.



      Specifications
      Hull Weight  210 lbs
      Upwind Sail Area 100 sq ft (9.3 m2)
      Mast Length 20 ft (6.1 m)
      Spinnaker Area 80 sq ft (7.4 m2)
  • Coronado 15

    • The Coronado 15 is a sloop-rigged dinghy with trapeze. Crew: 2.

      The Coronado 15 (C-15) is a one-design class of sailing dinghy. These boats first came onto the scene in the late 60's and have gained the attention of racing and recreational skippers nationwide. The earlier boats are still raced and competitive. There are numerous one-design class races throughout the country. The one-design focus of the fleet is in developing skill rather than "deep pockets" and innovation. They can be single-handed, but in racing one crew member is specified in addition to the skipper, and there is room for a third person when day sailing. When racing, the crew is on a trapeze, and the skipper hiked out with straps. These factors, combined with a planing hull can make for some exciting racing.

      The original design of the C-15 was by Frank Butler. In the 90's the design of the C-15 hull underwent some improvements that came about by some of the nations top racing skippers, mainly an all-new deck. Although stronger and higher performing, some find the rounded deck of the earlier models more comfortable. Today's C-15 comes in either a standard day-sailor package, or a "Performance Package." The rig, hull, and deck are the same, a boat can start out with the standard package and easily upgrade later.

      The C-15 is known as being a comfortable and stable day sailor, or a confidence building racer. It is unsinkable, self-bailing, and easy to right when capsized. It features a friendly boom that it is relatively high. The rigging can be made simple or developed and optimized as the skipper’s skills develop. Another feature is that with a centerboard and kick-up rudder, the boat trailers easily and can be beached.

      The C-15 Owner's Manual is available here, and several tuning guides here.


      Specifications
      Construction Fiberglass
      Hull weight 385 pounds (175 kg)
      Upwind sail area 123 sq ft (11.4 m2) day sails; 139 sq ft (12.9 m2) racing sails
      Beam 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m)
      Number built Approx. 3,800
  • Cal 20

    • The California 20 (Cal 20) is a small recreational sloop-rigged keelboat with option for a spinnaker. Crew: 2-3.

      The Cal 20 is a fractional rig sloop with a transom-hung rudder and a fixed fin keel with a weighted bulb. It was designed by C. William Lapworth in 1960 and went into production in 1961, and quickly became the most popular of the Cal line of sailboats. Most of the production occurred throughout the 60’s when the Jensen Marine Factory in Costa Mesa, California was turning out as many as one boat a day!

      Cal 20s were (and still are) inexpensive to buy, own and maintain. The base price was $3,200 throughout most of the 60’s, which put her within reach of just about everyone.

      The cockpit is nearly 8' long and is self-bailing. For her 20' length, she is one of the most practical boats imaginable. With the advent of inexpensive fiberglass resin (during the fuel crisis of 1973) and the new I.O.R. rule, Cal 20's gained rapidly in popularity. A lot of people wanted an active, simple, inexpensive one-design class boat that wasn’t going to be outdated by the next measurement rule change.

      Today the Cal 20 enjoys popularity throughout North America as both a competitive and fun one-design racer, as well as a stable and forgiving day sailor. The beauty of the Cal 20 is its simplicity; it can be sailed with just two people in lighter air and three people in moderate to heavier winds. The Cal 20 offers something to every sailor, from the landlubber beginner to the seasoned salt.

      The Cal 20 Owner's Manual is available here, North Sails Tuning Guide here, and Ullman Sails Tuning Guide here.
      Specifications
      Construction Fiberglass
      Boat Weight 1,950 lb (885 kg)
      Hull Draft 3.33 ft (1.01 m)
      Total Sail area 195.30 sq ft (18.144 m2)
      E (mainsail foot) 10.00 ft (3.05 m)
      Number built 1,945

      HMBYC's Cal 20s

      Argo



      Cactus Flower


      Knot Now


      Mercury


      Merlin


      MinNehaha


      PLUTO



      Venus envy 2.0

  • SUP's and kayaks

    • The Club maintains a fleet of Stand Up Paddleboats (SUP's) and kayaks for members' use.  The number and type of Club-owned SUP's and kayaks is given below.
       

      Stand Up Paddleboards

      Quantity
      Brand/Name
      Color
       3 Bounce White/blue
       1 Liquid Shredder Orange/black/white
       1 Rubicon White/black

      Kayaks

      Quantity
      Brand/Name
      Color
      Single/Double
      2  Pelican  Light blue  Single
      1   Emotion  Dark Orange   Single
      1   Pelican  Red  Single
      1   Bro surf*  Green/white  Single
      1  Venus II ocean  Yellow  Single
      1  Lifetime (kids) sled  Orange   Single
      1  Cobra Tandem  Dark yellow  Double
      1  Malibu II  Light orange  Double
      1  Malibu II  Yellow  Double
      1  Old Town  Blue  Double
      1  Point 65N  Red  Single/double modular
      * this kayak is designed specifically for children and women and is not appropriate for medium to large adults
  • Boston Whaler

    • Boston Whalers are open, outboard-powered skiffs or cuddy cabin boats of length from 11 to 38 feet that have been employed for a variety of uses, from fishing to working oil rigs. They are famous for being unsinkable; there is a video where a boat is chain sawed in half, and each half floats while supporting a fully-grown man. Boston Whalers were originally produced in Massachusetts (hence the name), but today are manufactured in Edgewater, Florida.

      Starting in 1936, Richard "Dick" Fisher ran a company building small, lightweight boats made of balsa wood. In the 1950s, polyurethane foam, a stiff, lightweight, buoyant material, was invented. In 1954 naval architect C. Raymond Hunt created a design based on the Hickman Sea Sled, featuring three chines in a V-shape. In 1956, this design became the original Boston Whaler 13. In 1958, boats made by the Fisher-Pierce manufacturing company were first marketed and sold under the brand name Boston Whaler.

      The boat was very stable and had great carrying capacity. These two features, along with great performance and rough weather handling made it very desirable. Through the late 1980s, the classic 13 ft 4 in Whaler, and the 16 ft 7 in Montauk were the most popular models in terms of sales. Gradually though the company moved away from these designs to a more conventional deep-vee hull, and after 1996 no more of the classic tri-hull boats were manufactured.

      In 1969 the Boston Whaler boat operation of Fisher-Pierce was sold to the CML Group. In 1989, amidst financial problems, the CML Group sold Boston Whaler to the Reebok Corporation, where, despite several advertising campaigns and new hull designs, it did relatively poorly, and was sold to Meridian Sports in 1994. Two years later in 1996 Brunswick Corporation purchased Boston Whaler.

      Today Boston Whaler sells 13 models from 11.3 feet to 38 feet.

      ————————————————————//————————————————————

      The Club has two 13 foot Whalers with 9.9hp Honda outboards, called Angel 1 and 3, and one 15 foot Whaler with 20hp Honda outboard, called Angel 2.
      13 foot Specifications
      Length 13' 4"
      Beam 5' 5"
      Hull Draft 6"
      Dry weight 320 lbs (no engine)
      Capacity 1200 lbs
         
       
      15 foot Specifications
      Length 15' 3"
      Beam 5' 8"
      Hull Draft 9"
      Dry weight 630 lbs (no engine)
      Capacity 1300 lbs