In the fall of 1952, racing skippers on Barnegat Bay, New
Jersey were discussing the merits of the various existing
one-design racing classes. They did this quite often, and there
was a substantial amount of dissatisfaction with the classes
which were in common use. They were either too big or too small,
too tricky or too slow and most of them were too expensive or not
strict enough one-designs.
These skippers, as all groups of racing skippers, did not agree
entirely on what the ideal boat should consist of. They did,
however, agree on many fundamental desirable features. They
wanted the following:
Howard V. Siddons, well known Barnegat Bay skipper and boat
builder, decided to try to meet their specifications. He did this
very successfully in the ingenious combination of the sail plan
from the very popular Snipe and the hull lines of the Uffa Fox
International-14 Alarm (dating back to 1935). This narrow
transom, deep rocker design won three Prince of Wales Cup races.
Until Uffa's time there were dinghies that planed on occasion,
but there were no true planing dinghies. This design dominated
the International-14 Class until 1950. It was from one of these
craft that the mold for the first Jet-14 was taken. The hull was
readily available in this country and provided a light weight
planing design along with the low maintenance found in other
classes. The combination of the two basic elements (hull &
rig) worked exceptionally well, and Siddons, along with Harry
Sindle, created a boat that was well-balanced in appearance and
sailing qualities.
In designing the first of these boats, Siddons went to extremes
in order to keep the boat simple, inexpensive and easy to build.
He decked the boat over for appearance, comfort and safety,
although she was generally dry enough not to need decking to shed
water. The spars were kept solid, and equipped with sail track
for the benefit of the amateur builders. A metal plate
centerboard was decided upon, which eliminated expensive lead
castings and troublesome centerboard gaskets. Plans, patterns and
instructions were furnished for the do-it-yourself sailors, with
the majority of the elements coming from stock size lumber.
Initially, there was no thought of using this boat for juniors.
The design was thought "too hot" and not safe enough.
But the youngsters themselves didn't believe that. They took such
a shine to the design that about 60% of all Barnegat Bay Jets
were skippered by sailors under 18. The reasons that they were
able to get away with it, even on blustery days, are these:
These features also make the Jet-14 attractive to another
group, the husband and wife team. They can handle this boat
successfully with a minimum of physical exertion and a maximum of
racing enjoyment. There is no need for a crew like a
"gorilla," as in some of the large two-man boats.
The Class Association was started April 17th, 1955 to run the
class business, organize the racing and protect the one-design
features of the boat. In 1956, the boat specifications were
established. Dues were set up and measurement certificates were
prepared and distributed. Copies of the Constitution and By-laws
were printed. The class newsletter, "Jet Blasts," was
first published and a regatta schedule was drawn up.
In September of 1957, the Jet-14 trademark was registered. In
1960, the Dubdan fiberglass Jet was entered in competition. 1962
brought interest in aluminum spars. The self-rescue (tanked)
boats made their appearance in 1965. In 1970, a spinnaker was
approved for use in the 1971 Nationals. The mid-boom traveler and
furling gear were also approved in this year. The 720 rule went
into effect for the '74 Nationals. The Silver Chevron Regatta was
added to the schedule for 1976. The Jet-14 Class celebrated its'
40th anniversary in 1995. The class currently claims more than
1,140 boats in 20 active fleets. The Association runs senior and
junior national championships each year and sanctions almost
thirty open regattas.
If you have more questions about the Jet-14 Class Association, send your questions
here.