Puddle Duck Racer
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A Puddle Duck Racer or PD Racer is an 8 foot (2.44 m) long spec series one design racing sailboat or day sailer. Billed as "the easiest sailboat in the world to build", the scow hull is a simple box, usually built of plywood. A sideview of the hull dimensions can be seen to the right. PD Racers have a Portsmouth Handicap rating of 140.0 and their USSA code is PDR.
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[edit] History and scope
The PD Racer was designed by David "Shorty" Routh, and was influenced by the Phil Bolger "Brick" design. While the hull designs look very similar, the PD Racer addressed some performance issues in the original Brick, with a significantly different rocker curve and a sloped bow plate. The first PD Racer hull was built in January 2004. Despite the design's young age, as of October 2006 there almost 120 PD Racers registered globally, primarily in the United States, but in other countries also, such as Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, and South Africa on a total of five contients. To register a hull and receive a hull number, the basic hull must be assembled (called "going 3D" by the builders). With two world championships under its belt, and many regional competitions, the series looks to continue growing at a steady rate.
[edit] Puddle Duck Hatch
During the weekend of April 28 - April 30, 2006, there was a "Puddle Duck Hatch"[1] held in Summerland, British Columbia. Organized by PD Racer enthusiast Gordon Seiter, the event, gathered various groups from the area to build PD Racers on Friday and Saturday, and then race them on Sunday. The build was sponsored by various local merchants. 10 boats were built at the hatch[2], which brougnt the number of registered hulls to 99, and hulls 100 and 101 "went 3D" during the same time in other locations, bringing the hull count to 101[3].
[edit] Intent
With a focus on a simplistic design that uses low cost materials, PD Racers are meant to be accessible to as wide a variety of people as possible. All the materials needed to build the boat can be found at a well stocked hardware store. While the boats are required to conform to a specific shape for use in class racing, the hull can also be used for recreational sailing, paddling, and motoring.
The PD Racer is unique in several aspects; its lack of sailing rig specification allows for any design of mast or sail, allowing builders a unique ability to express themselves through the rig they design and build. Additionally hull numbers are traditionally assigned by the plan number a builder is given. Since many people may order plans and never build the boat, this causes an inaccurate number to be given. PDRacer hulls are numbered after photographic proof is given that that hull has been completed.
[edit] Class rules
The full set of class rules (along with an FAQ) can be found at PDRacer.com.
[edit] References
- Origin of the PD Racer
- Why the PD Racer rocker is shaped like it is
- List of assigned hull numbers.
- 2005 Table of North American Portsmouth Numbers and Wind Dependent Handicaps, centerboard classes, March 2005, which contains the Puddle Duck Racer's handicap.
[edit] External links
- www.pdracer.com The worldwide mother site for PD Racers. How/Why/Where. includes Free Plan (and cheap plan) resources
- Yahoo group discussion group - home of the PD Racer class
- Sailing video clips of two Australian PD Racers, hull numbers 75 and 76
- More information on the Australian variant of the PD Racer - the OZ PD Racer
- Time lapse video of a PD Racer build in Idaho (hull number not known)
- Detailed Plans The first Detailed plans for the Puddle Duck Racer by boat designer Michael Storer
