The San Juan 21 is an American trailerable

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminolo ...

, that was designed by Don Clark as a cruiser- racer and first built in 1970.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', pages 129-130. International Marine/

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes refere ...

, 2010.

Production

The design was built by the

Clark Boat Company The Clark Boat Company was an American boat builder based in Kent, Washington. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats. The company was founded by Bob Clark in 1960 and continued in business until 1984. ...

in Kent, Washington,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, as well as eventually opening a facility in New Bern, North Carolina, but it is now out of production. A total of 2600 San Juan 21s were completed having been raced in the Washington state area as part of Seattle based Fleet 1 for multiple decades. The design was introduced at the 1970 Seattle Boat Show and was well received.

Design

The San Juan 21 is a recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

with a

balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...

-cored cabin and port transom, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig, a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a slightly

reverse transom A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline. The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transvers ...

, a transom-hung

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

controlled by a

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

and a centerboard

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

. The boat has a draft of with the centerboard extended and with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. The boat is normally fitted with a small

outboard motor An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

for docking and maneuvering with racing oriented owners preferring lighter weight outboards as the boat is sensitive to weight astern. The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double

"V"-berth A berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths. Beds in boats or ships While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, the lack ...

in the bow cabin and two

quarter berth A berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths. Beds in boats or ships While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, the lack ...

s in the main cabin under the cockpit. The head is located just aft of the bow cabin on the starboard side. Cabin headroom is . For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with a symmetrical spinnaker. The design has a

hull speed Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to-t ...

of .

Variants

San Juan 21 or Mark I

:This model was introduced in 1970 and produced until 1977. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , the design displacement was , but production displacement turned out to vary greatly with the class minimum racing weight set to or greater with many boats having to add weight to meet the class specs. It carries of ballast. The boat has a

PHRF Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...

racing average handicap of 252 with a high of 246 and low of 258. San Juan 21 sailboat Iris 4253

San Juan 21-2 or Mark II

:This model was introduced in 1974 after about 1,000 of the Mark Is had been built. The Mark II has a raised deck over top of the cabin and has a smaller cockpit, with a commensurately larger cabin. The Mark II was produced alongside the Mark I until Mark I production ended in 1977. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a PHRF racing average handicap of 252 with a high of 267 and low of 240.

San Juan Mark III

This model was the last update and uses the same Cabin top and Hull as the Mark II but, has a different pan arrangement inside the cabin as well as removal of the aft mounted

lazarette The lazarette (also spelled lazaret) of a boat is an area near or aft of the cockpit. The word is similar to and probably derived from lazaretto. A lazarette is usually a storage locker used for gear or equipment a sailor or boatswain would us ...

on boats produced on teh east coast, while west coast boats retained the lazarette.:

Operational history

The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, the ''San Juan 21 Class Association'' . In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the SJ21 has a very active racing association, unusual for a boat designed 30-plus years ago. An efficient foil-shaped rudder and swing keel, plus a sailcloth slot gasket, offer superior hydrodynamics compared with her comps. Worst features: The slot gasket, made of sailcloth (which bridges the gap across the trunk slot to prevent turbulence when sailing downwind with the keel raised), requires special maintenance (trimming of frayed edges and periodic replacement) to keep it smooth and effective. The advertised weight of 1,250 pounds may be low; some owners claim weights of 1,500 to 1,750 pounds."

References

External links

San Juan 21 National Class Association webiste
{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Keelboats 1970s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Trailer sailers Sailboat type designs by Don Clark Sailboat types built by Clark Boat Company