Wianno Senior Knockabout

Description

The Wianno Senior Knockabout (commonly called the Wianno Senior) is a classic American one-design gaff-rigged sloop designed in 1913–1914 by H. Manley Crosby of the Crosby family (noted for catboats) for members of the Wianno Yacht Club on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It was commissioned as a sturdy daysailer/racer suited to the strong winds, currents, and shallow sandy waters of Nantucket Sound, featuring a long keel with centerboard, gaff mainsail, self-bailing cockpit for a crew of four, and a small cuddy cabin for sail storage. Originally built in wood (old-growth cypress or cedar on oak frames) by Crosby Yacht Building and Storage Co. (later Crosby Yacht Yard) in Osterville, Massachusetts, with later fiberglass versions introduced in the 1980s to sustain the class while preserving performance and appearance. Production has been low-volume and ongoing in limited numbers since 1914, with approximately 180–225 boats completed overall (hull numbers through ~173 wooden; later fiberglass by Crosby, E.M. Crosby Boatworks, and others); about 140–200 are believed to still exist today, actively raced by fleets on Nantucket Sound and beyond.