interlake sailboat specs

Latitude 42° 24' 51.3936'' N, Longitude 83° 55' 5.2032'' W

+1 734 426 4155 [email protected]

Interlake 18′

Never before have comfort and performance been so successfully integrated into a one design sailboat. Not only is the Interlake an exciting and challenging boat to race, it is also the perfect boat for a leisurely sail with family or friends. Its efficiently designed cockpit allows you to daysail comfortably with 2 to 6 adults. The large, dry storage area under the front deck provides lots of storage space for racing gear or picnic supplies. The hard chine hull adds stability without adding weight, while the rocker keel allows quick turning, tacking and exceptional maneuverability in tight places.

Generous sail plan makes for a fun boat to sail in light to medium air. – MICHAEL

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Sail1Design

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November 30, 1999 by Sail1Design Editor 2 Comments

From the class association: The Interlake is one of those “best kept secrets.”  Many sailors are not familiar with the design.  It has to do with approach.  The class has been strong since day one.  There simply has never been a huge marketing blitz.  The class just never wanted to be part of the international scene.  The goal has always been to be a Midwest regional class and to promote high level competition in a friendly atmosphere.  Members not only value the feel and performance of the boat, as well as the competition, but also enjoy the festivities which surround the events.  This philosophy has served the class well for over seventy years.  Not only has the class remained active and healthy, but members have competed well in the prestigious U.S.S.A. Champion of Champions Regatta, and served on U.S. Sailing’s Executive Committee.

The Interlake was commissioned by the Sandusky Sailing Club in 1933.  Francis Sweisguth, who had already designed the Star, was hired to develop a boat for the waters of Lake Erie and Sandusky Bay.  The craft was to be tactical with a good turn of speed, raced by two to three people and also accommodate four or more adults for a comfortable day sail.  It needed to be easily trailerable and easy to sail.  The result was the Interlake.  (It also singlehands very well).

When examining the Interlake the graceful similarities with the Star’s lines are immediately noticeable.  This accounts for the incredible feel.  Further investigation reveals a sail plan that is simple to rig, simple to sail, and full of performance.  In fact, today’s hottest new designs (the expensive sport boats) have rigs remarkably similar to the Interlake’s.  Details such as:  a large roachy main, smaller 110% jib, fractional rigging, and no backstay are similarities to both designs.  This simple rigging not only produces turnkey speed, but also makes trailering a breeze.  The Interlake is also built to last.  Twenty plus year old boats still win the Nationals.  They just keep going and going . . .

Generations and Genders    When sailing an Interlake you can expect a dry ride (in most conditions), good upwind ability, smooth planing off the wind, and good speed at deep sailing angles.  Acceleration is good, better than with most similar dingy classes (such as the Lightning or Flying Scot), and maneuverability is exceptional.  The helm is light and responsive, immediately telling the skipper what to do.  If the skipper doesn’t listen, the boat simply goes a little slower . . . it won’t break anything or throw the crew in the drink (like a Laser might!).  All the basic controls are there to adjust the sails to the conditions.  Then just trim and go.  The straight ahead nature allows performance at peak level without a lot of tweaking.  Not only is it fun to go fast, but this makes the Interlake an extremely tactical boat.

The only way to truly understand that this is just part of the story is to take a ride.  Yet the best part of the class is not the boat, but the sailors.  Sailors who cheerfully share their knowledge because they enjoy close competition.  Sailors who keep the good times going off the water as well.  The Interlake and the company it keeps are, well, . . . irresistible.

INTERLAKE SPECIFICATIONS Length: 18′ 0″ Beam: 6′ 3″

DRAFT: Board Up: 8″ Board Down: 4′ 7″

Displacement: 650 lbs.

Racing Crew: 2 or 3

SAIL AREA Main: 125 sq. ft. Jib: 50 sq. ft. Spinnaker: 200 sq. ft.

Class website: http://www.interlakesailing.org/

Reader Interactions

May 16, 2021 at 15:58

I sure would like to find one . Not a creampuff or a project boat but a nice clean strong boat . I am not sure about the wide deck or the one with the built in seating. I would guess the one with built in seats would be for me as I am in my late 70’s and would like to be able to stretch out on the seat for a easy leisurely sail.

September 27, 2022 at 12:39

I have a wide deck model. Hull 206. They rails are just about the perfect sitting space. I haven’t seen a built in bench model but I image the benches would be too narrow to be cofortable. Some deck models have benches. Mine come with them, but they weren’t installed. I would be willing to sell them if you end up with a wide deck model. They are teak. The hulls are tough, and boat is really a joy to sail. And friend and I just sailed from Astoria to Cathlamet, Wa last week. Plained a good stretch of the way. Love this boat.

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INTERLAKE Detailed Review

If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of INTERLAKE. Built by Customflex (USA) and designed by Francis Sweisguth, the boat was first built in 1933. It has a hull type of Centerboard Dinghy and LOA is 5.49. Its sail area/displacement ratio 37.37. Its auxiliary power tank, manufactured by undefined, runs on undefined.

INTERLAKE has retained its value as a result of superior building, a solid reputation, and a devoted owner base. Read on to find out more about INTERLAKE and decide if it is a fit for your boating needs.

Boat Information

Boat specifications, sail boat calculation, contributions, who designed the interlake.

INTERLAKE was designed by Francis Sweisguth.

Who builds INTERLAKE?

INTERLAKE is built by Customflex (USA).

When was INTERLAKE first built?

INTERLAKE was first built in 1933.

Member Boats at HarborMoor

Review of Interlake

Basic specs..

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

The boat equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a genaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

CentreBoard

The Interlake is equipped with a centerboard keel. A centerboard keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.

The boat can sail close to the beach as the draft is just 0.20 - 0.30 meter (0.66 - 0.96 ft) dependent of the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Interlake is about 69 kg/cm, alternatively 391 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 69 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 391 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

Maintenance

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Interlake it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

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ASI Fleet Description

Welcome to our asi fleet, level 1 centerboards.

American Sailing Institute’s fleet consists of both centerboard sailboats and keelboats. You can view  photos of our fleet of sailboats here.

Level 2,3,4 Keelboats

Manitou Manitou – A 30′ Catalina Fiberglass, draft 4′ 5″, Bimini, Roller Furling, Diesel inboard, galley, head, Full instrumentation, GPS, sleeps 5-6. Kept at Jefferson Beach Marina for the full sailing season.

Maggie May Maggie May – A 32′ Catalina Fiberglass, draft 4’3″, Roller Furling, Diesel, galley, head, Full instrumentation, GPS, sleeps 4. Kept at Jefferson Beach Marina for Spring and Fall, Summers in Lake Huron’s North Channel.

Windsong Windsong – A 28′ Catalina MkII Fiberglass, draft 3′ 8″, Roller Furling, Diesel, galley, head, Full instrumentation, GPS, sleeps 4. Kept at Jefferson Beach Marina for the full sailing season

Current Fleet Details

Some Past Boats

OVERTURE- A 28′ O’Day, Fiberglass, draft 4.5′ Roller Furling, Diesel inboard, galley, head, Full instrumentation, GPS, sleeps 4. Kept at Jefferson Beach Marina for the full sailing season

INTERLUDE – A 28′ O’Day, Fiberglass, draft 4.5′ Roller Furling, Diesel inboard, galley, head, sleeps 4. Kept at Jefferson Beach Marina for the full sailing season

VOYAGER III – A 30′ S2, Fiberglass, draft 4.5′ Roller Furling, Diesel inboard, galley, head, Full instrumentation, GPS, sleeps 5-6.   Kept at Jefferson Beach Marina for spring and fall, summers in the Lake Huron’s North Channel.

Seven Bells – A 28′ Beneteau, Fiberglass, draft 3’11”, Roller Furling, Diesel, galley, head, Full instrumentation, GPS, sleeps 4. Kept at Jefferson Beach Marina for the full sailing season

C-Lark, A 28′ Cape Dory owned by the club in the 1990’s

Cape dory layout.

Interlake Sailing Class Association

Class contact information.

Click below

Class Email

Class Website

One-Design Class Type: Dinghy

Was this boat built to be sailed by youth or adults? Both

Approximately how many class members do you have? 100

Photo Credit:Lisa Aspery

Photo Credit: Celtic Girl Travels

Photo Credit: Lisa Aspery

About Interlake Sailing Class Association

The Interlake Sailing Class has something for everyone, and has been providing the best of racing and fellowship for nearly 100 years! Our goal has always been to be a Midwest regional class and to promote high-level competition in a friendly atmosphere. Members not only value the feel and performance of the boat, as well as the competition, but also enjoy the festivities which surround the events. This philosophy has served the class well for over seventy years. “Extremely tactical” is the way multi-class champion George Fisher describes Interlake racing. “The stiff mast makes a great equalizer,” says George. This fact also allows the skipper to tune into the great feel and responsiveness of the boat and concentrate on wind and tactics . . . not tweaking the rig. Interlake racing is tight!

“Our mission is to create an environment that promotes keen and friendly competition with an emphasis on teaching and assisting the entry-level sailor. The ISCA is committed to growth through the managing of sales, distribution, and marketing of the Interlake boat.”

Boats Produced: 1450

Class boat builder(s):

Customflex Terry Kilpatrick (419) 349-6109 [email protected]

Approximately how many boats are in the USA/North America? 500

Where is your One-Design class typically sailed in the USA? List regions of the country:

Ohio, Michigan, Indiana

Does this class have a spinnaker or gennaker? Yes

How many people sail as a crew including the helm?  2-3

Ideal combined weight of range of crew:  400

Portsmouth Yardstick Rating:   90

Boat Designed in  1933

Length (feet/inches): 18′

Beam: 6′ 3″

Weight of rigged boat without sails: 650

Draft: Board Up: 8″ Board Down: 4′ 7″

Mast Height: 24′

Coaching or Clinic Resources

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• Sailboat Guide

2007 Customflex Interlake

• Description

Seller's Description

Interlake 1414 in superb condition with custom low trailer making rigging easier. Boat hull and trailer are matching custom Carolina sky blue with blue interior and white racing deck. Boat is in pristine condition since always covered and never in water or exposed to sunlight unless sailing (no oxidation). Boat stored indoors for winter. Boat is ready for racing but was mainly used for day sailing with family only 4-5 times a summer. Loaded: racing rigged with Harken, “Battle stick” for rudder, polish stainless steel center board, spinnaker bags, blue hiking straps, hoist cables, etc. Sails(with bags): custom Elvstrom/Sobstad main, jib, and spinnaker (sails always climate controlled stored). Covers: all made by The Sailors Tailor: 1) heavy duty canvas traveling hull and deck cover, 2) blue mooring cover, 3) blue rudder cover(with bags). Interlake 1414 is ready for racing and/or comfortable family day sailing with 4 people. Can be sailed by single person. $10,000. If interested please email at [email protected].

Equipment: harken blocks and cleats boom vang thru deck cunningham control jib wire tensioners thru deck traveler stainless steel centerboard with 360 cleat stainless steel halyards aluminum tiller with battle stick extension padded kicking straps aluminum mast and boom

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

The Interlake was commissioned by the Sandusky Sailing Club in 1933. Francis Sweisguth, who had already designed the STAR, was hired to develop a boat for the waters of Lake Erie and Sandusky Bay. Spinnaker area: 200 sq. ft. Still an active class in the mid west USA.

This listing is presented by SailboatListings.com . Visit their website for more information or to contact the seller.

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Listen To Your Helm

For many years, I have been giving clinics and helping folks try to get more out of their Interlake sailing experience. We do this sailing thing for fun and the easier it is to sail your Interlake, the more enjoyment you’ll receive.

One particular facet of sailing Interlakes that is tough to master is managing the helm. Too often I’ll see a team that has excessive helm (myself included!), that is when the driver is driving/working against the boat’s natural course. I attribute this, partly, to the Interlake being relatively heavy-helmed. There are plenty of boats out there that have a light helm, so when you come to an Interlake, the relative tug on the tiller is so much more that sometimes you just don’t recognize what the boat is communicating.

Weather helm is what we generally experience when going upwind. Here’s a picture of 13-time National Champ George Fisher. Look closely at how far off centerline the tiller is. Granted, this could be a situation where George is footing to get through some waves, etc., but the point here is that he is fighting the boat a bit and therefore dragging the rudder through the water.

What contributes to excessive helm? There are generally three main factors: 1) Sail Trim, 2) Boat Balance/Heel, 3) Position of CB. For the Interlake we can zero in on each factor and try continue to use points of reference to reduce the amount of helm the boat has, and thus go faster in a straight line (and arguably higher with added hydrodynamic lift).

Sail Trim .

Generally speaking if you understand the concept of how the sails affect the way the boat goes through the water, you are already ahead of the game. For many, we do understand, but we don’t always use the sails to help us listen to the boat. In its basic form, the jib pulls the bow down away from the wind and the mainsail, when trimmed, lifts the bow up to the wind. On a perfectly balanced boat, you will be able to feel any change in helm by just a click or two of trim on either the main or jib. Because the Interlake is so “mainsail driven”, we need to focus more on the mainsail as it contributes to the helm. Constant adjustment will directly affect the helm of the boat. That is why some have considered taking off their mainsheet cleats, to force you to hold onto the mainsail and adjust the main as it relates to the tug of the helm. I have a mainsheet clean and always will…just my style. But for those that have sailed any of my boats, you’ll know that the cleat is set low enough that you have to work hard to place the mainsheet in the cleat, and conversely it is easy to uncleat…this is the same as not having a cleat, though my hands are grateful that I do!

So when you are on your close hauled course with the jib trimmed just with the battens in lined with the centerline of the hull and the top tell tail flowing, you are now working the mainsail as an extension of the helm. Trim the main harder and the helm will increase. Ease out and the helm goes more neutral. Find this range, mark your mainsheet, look at the spread between the pulleys @ the transom…do anything you can to gain better understanding of the range and create a point of reference that you can then quickly check when the boat seems slow. Take this knowledge and then plug in the depowering factors (vang sheeting &/or traveler adjustment) to fine tune the balance through main trim!

Boat Heel/Balance.

The Interlake is a stable dinghy. More so than many other smaller one design boats. For this reason you have to have good communication with your team about your fore/aft weight placement and, as it relates to the helm, the side to side balance. When I was a Jr. Sailor my coaches always preached sailing the boat flat and that the rudder was a brake if you didn’t.   Not for a number of years after did I “get” the concept. If you think about the amount of heel you are carrying upwind and then correlate that to the tug on the helm, you’ll quickly understand this concept. The question always asked is “how flat do I need to sail”? The answer, as we have witnessed in GPS tracks of sail testing and boathandling, is that the flatter the faster. I like to challenge Interlake Sailors to find the transition point of helm (the point where the helm goes from windward to leeward). That is as flat as you’ll want to sail. In some cases (especially lighter winds), you’ll want and need a little windward helm to gain hydrodynamic lift off the blades. When you gain a slight increase of helm, you should work on managing that with sailing flat and regaining neutral helm. This is an important range of balance that you need to work with your crew to perfect. It all translates into faster sailing!

One quick note about fore/aft weight placement.   A common error I see is that when the boat is “loaded up” people tend to sit too far forward. If you are going to error, this is a good place to be, but just keep in mind that you’ll want to slide back and together as your feet slide into the hiking straps. If you are sailing 2-up, be sure that the forward crew is about one body-width aft of the shroud. If you are sailing 3-up, that should be ½ a body width.

Position of Centerboard.

Fortunately for us in the Interlake Class, the Centerboard down position is pretty standard (leading edge perpendicular to the hull). Most of the tuning guides talk about having relative marks on your CB pennant so that you know exactly where the board is set up for a given wind range. I like to mark mine so that I know exactly when it is perpendicular (for 0-5 knots), up a few inches (5-10 knots), up 6” (10-15 knots) and up 1’ (over 15 knots). I rarely set it and forget it…rather I see how the boat feels through the helm, check the relative position and adjust accordingly. Knowing where you have it set and then fine-tuning is really important in the Interlake.   An example is sailing in waves. You’ll need a little more board up to free up the helm to drive around the waves. The point here is that there are a number of One Design boats out there that have CB’s that are integral to the balance of the helm. Be sure to read the tuning guides and ask the experts if you have a question as to whether you could reduce the helm by moving the centerboard. In the Interlake Class you’ll find that some folks do and some don’t. That is why we practice and experiment at the club races!

In conclusion, the purpose of this article was to get you to think about helm. As I already mentioned, too often I’ll see a boat sailing upwind with too much helm. By easing the main (or depowering), balancing the boat or goofing around with the CB position, you will find the boat’s sweet spot and recognize better upwind performance.

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