E-Scow
Encyclopedia
The E-Scow is the younger sister of the A-Scow
, both boats are manufactured by Melges Performance Sailboats. Its rigging is similar to the A-Scow, and their hull
shapes are almost identical, just 10 feet shorter. The boat is competitively sailed in Minnesota
, Wisconsin
, Iowa
, Michigan
, New York
, New Jersey
, South Carolina
, Indiana
, Ohio
, Illinois
and Colorado
. Only recently has
the E-Scow class spread to Europe. There are boats at least in Switzerland, France, Finland an one in Austria on Lake Attersee. Until 2004, the E-Scow had a symmetrical spinnaker
. The National Class E Scow Association (NCESA) tested an asymmetrical spinnaker option as a potential change to the design scantlings for two years with scattered individuals and a few fleets converting to the test rig. The asymmetrical spinnaker was voted down by the class in 2006, but revisited after the 2007 season with a modified proposal with a slightly modified rig and more restricted spinnaker shape. The vote passed. Starting in 2008 asymmetrical spinnakers are allowed.
The E-Scow class is strong boasting national regattas routinely exceeding 50 boats, occasionally topping 90. The boat is a high performance planing hull with a theoretically unlimited top speed . It has been seen over the years towing water skiers . It is not as fast as the larger A-Scow, but it is 1/3 the cost making it affordable to far more people.
A-Scow
In sailing, the A-Scow is a large sailing scow. It is 38 feet long and with reported top speeds of over 25 knots. With its rules of design, also known as scantlings, first beaten by its father in 1901, the A-Scow has a significant history...
, both boats are manufactured by Melges Performance Sailboats. Its rigging is similar to the A-Scow, and their hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
shapes are almost identical, just 10 feet shorter. The boat is competitively sailed in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Only recently has
Spinnaker
A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180° off the bow. The spinnaker fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat when it is deployed, called flying. It is constructed of...
. The National Class E Scow Association (NCESA) tested an asymmetrical spinnaker option as a potential change to the design scantlings for two years with scattered individuals and a few fleets converting to the test rig. The asymmetrical spinnaker was voted down by the class in 2006, but revisited after the 2007 season with a modified proposal with a slightly modified rig and more restricted spinnaker shape. The vote passed. Starting in 2008 asymmetrical spinnakers are allowed.
The E-Scow class is strong boasting national regattas routinely exceeding 50 boats, occasionally topping 90. The boat is a high performance planing hull with a theoretically unlimited top speed . It has been seen over the years towing water skiers . It is not as fast as the larger A-Scow, but it is 1/3 the cost making it affordable to far more people.