Inland Scows

The term 'scow' may convey an image of a slow, ungainly, barge. While they have flat bottoms and square bows, inland scows are neither slow nor ugly. One sailor said a fleet of scows looks like a flock of swans floating down the lake on a summer day... and there is virtually no faster monohull boat. Like to water-ski? Hook up behind an E-Scow on a windy day (really, it has been done). Scows are one of the earliest yacht designs for racing on inland lakes by Midwesterners, first appearing around the turn of the century. Check out this scow history (from the MC page) or Sam Merrick histories (from the ILYA page). There are many different scow designs, all of which share the flat bottom and blunt bows. Two of the most common are represented in our club--the C class and the E class.

C-Scow:
The design for the C class scow was agreed upon by the ILYA way back in 1908. The C-Scow carries a single large mainsail, is 20' long, and is easily handled by two, with an extra person going along in a stiff breeze. Our C-Scow fleet boasted a dozen boats until just a few years ago. The fleet is making a comeback now, with slow but steady growth over the last three years. In addition to Jacomo, there are two other C fleets within an hour's drive of Kansas city (the fleet at Lotawana is one of the top five fleets in the nation with 32 boats sailing). With so many local fleets, this boat offers lots of one-design sailing action close to home. For more C-Scow info call Ron Hauser at 756-5540, or Rob Mayer at 432-4542.

E-Scow:
Nothing quite compares to the breathtaking acceleration of the E Class Scow. Ask the local sailors about the Thwap-Thwap-Thwap of a 28 foot E boat slapping over the waves behind them as they are overtaken... or about the boom of the big main tacking across the deck. The Class E Scow design was adopted in 1923 by the ILYA as a one design racing class. It is the biggest and fastest racing boat in our club, and is normally sailed by 4 people. 323 square feet of sail upwind and the addition of a spinnaker for extra speed downwind provides continuous action for the entire crew. We have personally met people who have water-skied behind one. At the moment we have two of these boats racing in our club, but we are working on getting two more. If you ever thought sailing was boring, get a ride on an E. If you ever wanted to race an E, get in touch with us. Call Ron Hauser at 756-5540 or Charlie Brown at 942-6010.





Scow Links

More information on

JSC C-Scows

Check out our local scow-neighbors at Lake Shawnee in Topeka.
WhiteBear Boat Works Home Page (What used to be Johnson Boatworks)
Melges Boat Works Home Page
ILYA Page
C-Scow Class Page
E-Scow Class Page
MC-Scow Class Page
A Clear Lake sailor's C-Scow page Z-999 - One more old C Scow site who was on the web with us in the beginning is no more.
BJ Best's High Quality Scow Sailing Page - this page is gone but not forgotten by the thousands who visited it in the early days of Scows on the web.
Rush Creek Yacht Club Page
Back to the JSC Home Page.