Construction plan for hull section for Contender class vessel
Designer
Ben Lexcen
(1936 - 1988)
Date12 June 1969
Object numberANMS1543[087]
NamePlan
Mediumink on drafting film
Dimensions480 x 545
Copyright© Ben Lexcen
ClassificationsMaps, charts and plans
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionThe international CONTENDER single handed racing dinghy hull and deck construction for a wooden version, designed by Robert C Miller (later Ben Lexcen) in 1969.
HistoryAustralian yacht designer Ben Lexcen (formally Bob Miller) maintained a passion for small fast sailing boats all his life. The 16-foot CONTENDER racing dinghy is one of his finest small boats designs. Ever the innovator, he started the design project due to the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) deciding to look for a boat to replace the Olympic Finn dinghy in 1964. They wanted a performance boat which would be lighter than the 1949 designed Finn dinghy (FD) and placed an emphasis on skill and agility to sail them, rather than that demanded by the earlier boat.
The self-taught naval architect and yacht designer Ben Lexcen was born Robert Clyde Miller, on March 19th. 1936 at Boggabri, in New South Wales, Australia. His early years were tough, being abandoned by his parents as a child, he spent time at ‘Boys Town’, Engadine. Luckily, he later went to stay with his grandfather at Newcastle, New South Wales. He left school at fourteen, after only five years formal education, to become an apprentice machinist at the New South Wales locomotive works. As a boy he sailed extensively on Lake Macquarie, often spending nights camped alone in his first small boat. In 1952, at the age of 16, Bob Miller (later Ben Lexcen) designed and built his first sailing boat THE COMET with his friend William Bennett. He soon began to make a name for himself at local sailing competitions. In 1960 he entered his boat TAIPAN in the 18-Footer World Championships, and later winning the World Championship in 1961 with his design, the 18-foot skiff VENOM.
In 1962, together with his friend Craig Whitworth, he founded a sail-making company in Sydney called ‘Miller and Whitworth’ while still designing boats. One of these boat designs became the much-regarded 16-foot international ‘CONTENDER’. In 1967 it was selected as a potential Olympic successor to the Finn dinghy and in 1968 awarded international status. But the success of the boat took time and effort to develop, as his first design did not perform as hoped. The first boat, nicknamed ‘MILLERS MISSILE’, was a radical boat with hard chine hull, very flat underwater sections, a fully battened main-sail and a trapeze for the single crew to balance their weight against the wind on the sail. But it did not perform well, so Bob Miller (later Ben Lexcen) redesigned the hull based on the 20-foot Flying Dutchman (FD) dinghy which he was sailing at the time.
Originally named ‘DOROTHY’ after his wife, Bob Miller (later Ben Lexcen) needed funding to launch the project and found a sailcloth manufacturer with a new product called CONTENDER. The boat was renamed and sent to the second trials at La Baule in France, but the winds were light, and no decision was made. The third set of trials were at Medemblik in Holland, by which time Bob Miller had redesigned the boat with more sail and higher freeboard. With strong winds during the trials, Bob Miller sailed ‘SKIPPY’ his new ‘CONTENDER and proved he had the best boat. It resulted in the IYRU declaring that they had their new ‘singlehander’. It was not however given Olympic status, but still enjoyed success around the world as an International Class boat.
From its home base in Sydney, Australia, the CONTENDER was originally built in timber, using lightweight marine plywood for most of the parts. Some of the boats were made as ’kit boats’ which allowed owners to plan and build the boat themselves. Then, due to increasing demand locally and from the US, Canada, and across Europe, they were built in GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) as a series production.
The boat is still built under licence in glass fibre, wood, or a composite construction using wood and epoxy glue. Italian boat builders ‘Bonezzi Sailing’ built their first wooden CONTENDER in 1978 and have since become world renown for their beautifully built cold moulded wooden hulls. The boats are finished with a very high-quality varnish finish. Added to this, Andrea Bonezzi, has won eight world titles racing the CONTENDER dinghy. Despite this, all CONTENDER dinghies are all built to strict guidelines, to conform to the class rules, overseen by the International Contender Association. The first World Championships of the International CONTENDER took place at Hayling Island, UK during 1970 and still continued at various venues today.
Bob Miller left the ‘Miller & Whitworth’ partnership with Craig Whitworth in 1974 and moved to England. Despite the CONTENDER being an international success it is unlikely he made any money from the design after he left the partnership. He was unable to receive his mail sent to ‘Miller & Whitworth’ and frustrated the company were still using his name he changed it to Ben Lexcen in 1977.
The International CONTENDER proved to be an outstanding design, and still the only high-performance single-handed dinghy that offers international racing in competitive fleets. More than 2,400 boats have been built and are sailed in seventeen countries around the world.
An accomplished international sailor, Bob Miller (later Ben Lexcen) represented Australia in the Soling class at the 1972 at the Olympic Games at Munich, West Germany. He sailed successfully in many offshore races after that but maintained a love of fast, sailing dinghies all his life. Ben Lexcen passed away at Balgowlah, Sydney on May 1st, 1988, but the night before he returned to his love of the 18-skiff by attended the launching of Grand Prix Sailing at the Entertainment Centre."
SignificanceThis hull and deck construction drawings, for the original wooden version of the CONTENDERsailing dinghy, was produced by Bob Miller (later Ben Lexcen) in 1969 while still in the ‘Miller & Whitworth’ partnership. It is a useful work, which clearly details the construction method, as many of the boats were sold as a precut kit, so owners could build the boat themselves. The CONTENDERdinghy was a revolutionary designed which proved to be a successful boat. It became quickly became popular around the world and was awarded international status in 1968.
