Swinger Sail Plan

Designer Ben Lexcen (1936 - 1988)

Date1980-1982

Object numberANMS1543[028]

NamePlan

Mediumink on drafting film

DimensionsOverall: 755 × 630 mm

ClassificationsMaps, charts and plans

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection

Terms

DescriptionThe 11-foot, one-design SWINGER dinghy, designed by Bob Miller (later Ben Lexcen) in 1969/70 and built of Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP).HistoryRenown Australian yacht designer and international sailor, Ben Lexcen, is widely known and respected for his racing keel boat designs and famous America Cup 12mR yachts, but less so with smaller boats and dinghies. A fall of 40 feet from a mast, as a young man in 1958, put Ben Lexcen (then Bob Miller) in hospital for several months. His friend, boatbuilder Norman Wright, made him a drawing board so he could use the time to put down his ideas for a radical three-man 18-foot skiff. The result was TAIPAN which performed very well and launched his career as a boat and yacht designer. It was enough to encourage him to design the second, more radical 18-footer, VENOM. In 1961, Bob Miller, Craig Whitworth along with boat builder Norman Wright Jnr., won the world title series, on the Brisbane River, with the small rig three-hander VENOM. During his lifelong career as the naval architect and yacht designer, Ban Lexcen never lost interest in smaller racing boats and dinghies. The 11-foot SWINGER dinghy from 1970, became a successful production boat, built in glass reinforced plastic (GRP) by ‘Miller & Whitworth’ in Sydney. Often referred to as the SUPER SWINGER the boat became a favourite with new young sailors as it was versatile. It allowed young people to get the feel of sailing, with the boat rigged as a cat-boat, then later, by moving the mast, to make a sloop which could also carry a spinnaker. It became a ‘One-Design’ boat, but this required it to be fitted-out with the correct parts and fittings. The 11-foot SWINGER has the following dimensions: LOA: 3.35 meters, Sail Area: 8.2m2, Spinnaker: 6m2 with a crew of 1-2. SignificanceBen Lexcen (formally Bob Miller), designed the SWINGER sailing dinghy in 1969/70. It was production built in GRP by ‘Miller & Whitworth’, factory in Sydney, and was for many years considered one of the best training boats for young sailors. The work clearly shows the designers on-going interest in smaller sailing boats, leading on from THE COMET, TAIPAN, VENOM and later CONTENDER.