Slipper (Ray Greene)

Description

The Slipper by Ray Greene is an American sailboat designed by Ray Greene as a simple, versatile centerboard dinghy for recreational day sailing, youth training, or tender use on small lakes, ponds, or sheltered coastal waters. Introduced around 1938 by Ray Greene & Co. in the United States during the pre-WWII wooden boat era, it was Greene's early design reflecting his self-taught passion—he built his first boat at age 12 and later founded the company after studying mechanical engineering at Ohio State University. The Slipper emerged as a sloop-rigged variant of Greene's earlier Nipper dinghy, emphasizing affordability and ease for casual outings or informal racing. Production was small-scale (exact numbers unknown, likely <100 units), using plywood or fiberglass hulls with a fractional sloop rig for light-air performance and simplicity. The design features a wooden or fiberglass monohull with a centerboard for shallow drafts, a narrow beam for portability, and a basic fractional sloop rig for straightforward handling, with a low displacement/length ratio for quick acceleration and minimal ballast for lightweight responsiveness, though its low freeboard limits it to calm conditions.