Holt’s earliest design – the Cadet – dates from 1947 and remains an international youth trainer to this day. More than 8,000 have been built. Then, in 1949, he came up with one of Britain’s most popular and versatile dinghies of all time. Originally sponsored by Yachting World magazine for home construction, this ‘General Purpose’ hard-chine marine plywood dinghy was named the GP14 and aimed squarely at family sailing, rowing, motoring (with a small outboard) and trailing behind a family car. It rapidly evolved into a hugely popular one-design racing class with more than 14,000 now built.
A hyper-efficient association (gp14.org) runs the class, organising extensive nationwide and international regattas, social events, cruises, and even instructional events and classes for newcomers and novices.
This story is from the June 2020 edition of Classic Boat.
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This story is from the June 2020 edition of Classic Boat.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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