El Toro (dinghy)
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The El Toro is a one-design class of sailing dinghy. The El Toro is quite small—approximately 8 feet (2.44 ) long—and very simple to sail.
[edit] Design and use
The El Toro was designed to serve as both a racing dinghy and a tender for ferrying people and material to and from a larger yacht. The hull measures only 8 feet (2.44 m) long and 3 feet 11 inches (1.19 m) at its widest point. The design features a thwart, or bench, provided for use when rowing.
The available space for the sailor is smaller still, as the sailor usually sits on the deck in the area behind the thwart. (Sitting on the thwart while under sail puts the sailor’s head above the boom of the mainsail—even in a small boat, being struck on the head by the boom is painful.)
With a characteristic snub-nosed bow and high sides, the El Toro design is a sharp contrast to the low-profile, more sleek design of the Laser or many other newer boats. However, the stability of the El Toro makes it ideal for teaching sailing. Many junior sailing programs use the El Toro to introduce new sailors to racing, as the boat is easier for the young or inexperienced to control. Lasers, and other similar boats, generally require a larger person and quick reactions to keep the boat under control in brisk winds.
[edit] History
The El Toro design is traced back to the Richmond Yacht Club in San Francisco Bay Area around 1940. The design is a variation on the MacGregor Sabot design, which was published in Rudder magazine in 1939. The El Toro name and the shovel sail insignia are attributed to the to being named after the 'bull sessions' that gave rise to the boat and the program.
The original El Toros were made of wood, with newer materials approved for use in the 1970s. The 1970s also saw the introduction of the self-rescuing El Toro, which includes air tanks that prevent a capsized El Toro from completely submerging.
According to the El Toro International Yacht Racing Association, there were over 11,000 El Toros in the class in 2002.
