Design and Construction
The Lehman 12 emerged at the very beginning of production fiberglass boatbuilding. Built predominantly of solid fiberglass with mahogany and oak wood trim, it carried a plumb stem and transom, a transom-hung rudder on a tiller, and positive flotation buoyancy tanks that render it unsinkable. The original wood rails, thwarts, and flotation tanks gave the early boats a traditional dinghy character, but also a varnishing burden. In 1998 W. D. Schock Corp executed a redesign in consultation with the class association, replacing those wooden components with fiberglass, swapping the wooden tiller for aluminum, and incorporating flared hiking rails with structural strengthening stringers — changes that eliminated varnishing, reduced weight, and kept the new hull compliant with class one-design rules. The program aimed to simplify both production and owner maintenance across the line.
Rig and Handling
The boat is a cat-rigged sailing dinghy with a loose-footed catboat sailplan and an 81-square-foot mainsail on a 12-foot hull, yielding a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 41.42. Its daggerboard draws as little as a quarter foot up and two feet down, permitting shallow-water operation and beaching. Ullman Sails describes it as a daggerboard boat with a loose-fitted cat rig and a deep rudder, and calls it an exceptionally responsive two-man planing dinghy that quietly glides with only a whisper of wind. The United States Sailing Association notes that the boats are very responsive to weight, trim, and steering, making them a challenging and competitive class.
Accommodations and Role
There are no cabins or berths — this is a recreational planing dinghy built for two. Ullman Sails characterizes the simple, uncomplicated design as ideally suited to a husband-and-wife team, and the class's responsiveness rewards careful crew weight placement and steering input rather than complex systems. The unsinkable flotation and beachable board make it a straightforward boat to own and launch.
History and Lineage
First built by PlastiGlass in 1953, the Lehman 12 became a staple of Southern California one-design racing from its inception, and the class is still among the most active racing dinghy classes in the region. After the 1955 Schock purchase the design continued for years, and it later spawned the slightly larger Lehman 14. The 1998 redesign modernized the boat without breaking class rules, and the design is now out of production.
The Verdict
The Lehman 12 is a historically significant little racer: an early fiberglass one-design that remains actively sailed in its home waters. Its cat rig and daggerboard make it a pure, responsive planing dinghy, and the 1998 rebuild path removed the worst of the wood-maintenance penalty while preserving class compliance. For a pair of sailors who want a light, unsinkable, trailerable racer, it is a focused and enduring choice.
Pros
- Early production fiberglass construction with unsinkable flotation
- Responsive two-man planing dinghy suited to husband-and-wife crews
- 1998 redesign removed varnishing and weight while keeping one-design compliance
- Shallow draft and beachable for easy storage
Cons
- Minimal accommodation — a racing dinghy, not a cruiser
- Wood-trimmed early boats require varnish upkeep unless updated
