Video showing a race(!) between a Sparkman and Stephens quarter ton class design from the 1970s – the Blue Bird 25 vs a traditional Nordic Folkboat, conceived as the result of a design competition run by the Scandinavian Yacht Racing Union in 1942, and finished by Tord Sunden.
The Folkboat is clearly the faster design though the boats have similar waterline lengths – 19 ft 8 in (6m) for the FB and 19ft 5in (5.9m) for the Blue Bird, while the overall length, at 25ft 1in (7.6m) for the FB is a tad longer than the Blue Bird’s 24ft 8in (7.51m). The newer boat is much more beamy, at 9ft (2.7m) compared to the FB’s 7ft 2in (2.2m) and there’s a lot more space in the S&S… But looking at that Folkboat go it’s no wonder they are still such a popular class 76 years after they appeared in Scandanavian waters. (Click on the plans drawings to enlarge)