Ross 13 Daysailer

Description

The Ross 13 Daysailer is an American-built fiberglass planing dinghy designed by Helen Ross and first produced in the early 1960s by the Granite Company Boat Division in Pomona, California (with additional builds by S. and H. Sailboats in Santa Ana), as a semi-open development class offering the exhilarating speed and responsiveness of the International 14 at a fraction of the cost, ideal for two-person club racing or spirited day sails on protected bays or lakes with its lightweight construction and emphasis on crew ballast for stability. Featuring a centerboard configuration for shallow-draft versatility and easy trailering, it displaces just 180 pounds with no fixed ballast, measures 13.42 feet LOA, 12.25 feet LWL, 4.58 feet beam, and drafts 0.33 feet board-up to 3.17 feet board-down, achieving a theoretical hull speed of about 5.3 knots and 110 square feet of sail area under a fractional sloop rig (I=10.92 ft, J=5.83 ft, P=16.50 ft, E=8.42 ft; mainsail 69 sq ft, jib 33 sq ft, genoa 51 sq ft, spinnaker 105 sq ft) typically without an auxiliary engine for pure, unpowered thrills. Renowned for its narrow beam enabling quick planing in moderate breezes, self-bailing open cockpit with tiller steering for up to two crew, and minimalistic no-cabin design focused on performance over accommodations, the Ross 13 was produced in limited numbers (around 50 units) primarily in Southern California before fading amid the fiberglass boom, enduring as a rare, low-maintenance classic for nostalgic enthusiasts seeking affordable agility and one-design purity in a sub-14-foot package where velocity and virtue eclipse versatility.