Comet 16 OD
Description
The Comet (also known as the Comet OD or Comet One-Design) is a classic American sailing dinghy designed by C. Lowndes Johnson in 1932 as a one-design racer. Originally intended as a smaller, more affordable version of the Star keelboat (often called a "miniature Star"), it was first featured in Yachting magazine and quickly gained popularity for its speed, simplicity, and competitive racing potential. The class has remained active for over 90 years, with fleets in the mid-Atlantic states (Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania), Ohio, Bermuda, and beyond. It's a high-performance, double-handed (two-person) planing dinghy that's forgiving yet rewarding—known for planing in as little as 10–12 knots of wind thanks to its flat bottom, hard chines, and broad afterbody. No trapeze or spinnaker is required, making it accessible for families, husband-wife teams, parent-child crews, or beginners progressing to racing. Wooden boats from the early era and modern fiberglass versions remain equally competitive under strict one-design rules.
Construction Details
| Designer | C. Lowndes Johnson |
|---|---|
| Length | 16.000 ft |
| LOA | 16.000 ft |
| LWL | 15.000 ft |
| Beam | 5.500 ft |
| Displacement | 260 lb |
| Max Draft | 1.750 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.500 ft |
| Year Built | 1932 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 15.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 4.50 ft |
| p | 19 ft |
| e | 11.33 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.50 ft | 4.50 ft | 19 ft | 11.33 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Comet 16 OD - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 19 ft - (5791 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 11.33 ft - (3453 mm) |
| Leech | * 21.59 ft - (6581 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | 20.33 ft - (6197 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 111.058 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Comet 16 OD - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 13.17 ft - (4014 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 5.42 ft - (1652 mm) |
| Leech | 10.92 ft - (3328 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 97.56 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 4.39 ft - (1338 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19.64 ° |
| Area | * 28.94 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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