America's Cup Famous Sailboat Models

Rainbow@TBA

America's Cup RainbowOn May the 15th 1934, the William Starling Burgess Design J Class Rainbow was launched at the Herreshoff Yard in Bristol, Rhode Island, USA. She was built to defend the America’s Cup against “Endeavour” in 1934. The first 2 races were tough for Rainbow but the last 4 races she beat the Challenger Endeavour. Owner Vanderbilt laid Rainbow up in a dry dock and then refitted her. In 1937 she was sold to Chandler Hovey and contended for Defence of the Cup. Sadly for her, Ranger won and became the new defender for the next Cup.

Lionheart | photo by Ed Holt

With the launch of the new J Class Lionheart the renaissance of this classic, 1930s racing class continues to deliver outstanding, elegant and powerful yachts. While the use of modern materials and new design technology is permitted with replica J Class yachts and strict rules are applied to the hull shape, each new design is subtly different and Lionheart successfully combines comfort and outstanding looks with breathtaking sailing.

A fundamental tenet of the modern J Class rule is the hull design, which must be based on one of the original 18 1930s J Class designs from the drawing boards of L Francis Herreshoff, Frank C Paine, Charles Nicholson, the American design duo of W Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens, and Swedish designer Tore Holm.

1930 America's Cup Whirlwind

Whirlwind, the second J, was the most revolutionary of the four. Francis L Herreshoff had moved away from conventional yachts and designed a boat, which took the new rule to its extreme. Whirlwind combined many new ideas and Herreshoff experimented with hull shape and rig. She was the longest of the early J’s at 86ft on the waterline and remained so until Ranger and Endeavour II were built in 1937.

America's Cup Lionheart