Lark Dinghy Information

lark sailing dinghy

A Lark dinghy is a double-hand, lightweight, one-design class dinghy designed by Michael Jackson (not the singer) for a dinghy sailing junkie. The Lark dinghy association is active in organizing social events and sailing competitions, and it’s active in perpetuating the class through restoration of old Larks to functional quality. Larks are mainly designed for double-handed sailing without a trapeze, and it can hold a crew of 18 to 28 stones.

Lark dinghy composite material and specifications

lark one-design

All Lark dinghies are made of glass reinforced plastic (GRP), which makes the boat very light at the same very sturdy for heavy duty double-handed sailing. The standard specifications of a Lark dinghy are the following:

Length: 4.07 meters
Beam: 1.65 meter
Portsmouth Yardstick: 1,073
Hull weight: 95 kilograms
Trapeze: nil
Spinnaker: Symmetric
Spinnaker area: 7.4 square meters
Sail Area: 9.75 square meters

There’s a wide choice for foils and sails for a Lark dinghy, which are all within bounds of the accepted standard.

Sailing with a Lark dinghy

lark dinghy racing

In the United States, Larks are a famous sailing dinghy in the east coast universities such as Tufts and Bowdoin. In fact, Tufts University’s Lark dinghy sailing team is very active in preserving the boat taking the repair and restoration of old Larks in by own hands. However, the speed of a Lark due to its lightweight and relatively large sail and spinnaker is contributing to its loosing popularity too. Serious collisions happen often with a Lark and the boat is said to take on water faster than other double-handed sailing dinghy according to some sailors.

Lark dinghy makers

lark dinghy builders

Today, there are only four certified Lark dinghy makers: the original Lark maker, Bakers, G.W., Parkers, Rondar Raceboats, and Ovington Boats. Leading among these makers is the Ovington Boats where you can order light blue, dark red, pink, and grey Lark dinghy. If you need your Lark to be in other colors, be ready to pitch in more money. If you’re the type of sailor who wants to have a hand in making your sailboat, you can also order a blank hull from Ovington, which you can complete yourself.

Buying a second-hand Lark dinghy

buy a lark

Although Larks are pretty easy to restore if you have the right acumen, it still pays to inspect well a second-hand Lark before signing the check. Check the gunnels for damage; know that the gunnels are the first to give way in all Larks so that it’s best to buy second hand Larks without gunnels damage. The other parts to check are the spars, sails, foils, hull, and the floor itself.

Photos courtesy of http://www.larkclass.org/

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