Design and Lineage
Philip Rhodes drew the original Hurricane as a wooden centerboarder soon after the end of World War II, but the design found its footing only after the Southern Massachusetts Yacht Racing Association commissioned the Palmer Scott Yard to finish bare hulls with keels instead of centerboards, renaming them the SMYRA class. Marscot Plastics later took a class-sanctioned mold from a SMYRA boat, and George O'Day secured Rhodes's approval to call the fiberglass version the Rhodes 19 in 1958. The keel model carries an iron-ballasted fin keel and a fixed rudder of mahogany, while the less-popular centerboard version trades the iron for a fiberglass board and a kick-up rudder, with 150 pounds of internal lead ballast low in the hull to preserve stability. At 1,325 pounds complete in keel form and 1,030 for the centerboarder, she is a wholesome daysailer with a form-stable hull built upon a fast and forgiving bottom.
Rig and Sailing Character
The boat wears a fractional rig with a 27-foot 10-inch mast and 175 square feet of sail, and the hull's relative stability makes jibing with the spinnaker pole a manageable task even for short-handed crews. Spinnakers were typically launched and retrieved from the cockpit, keeping the foredeck clear, and the spacious foredeck itself gives crew room to move. The manufacturer describes her as an accomplished heavy-weather performer, and the same source calls her the ideal family daysailer and a spirited one-design. Writing in Small Boats, naval architect Jim Taylor notes the boat is really well suited to intergenerational sailing, and O'Day and Stuart boats remain competitive with one another to this day.
Accommodations and Cockpit
The stock layout uses two long molded fiberglass seats that double as flotation chambers, with comfortable bench seating for six adults and a varnished mahogany coaming framing the cockpit. A well-proportioned low-profile cuddy gives good protection from spray without enclosing the boat, and a proper boom tent over the cockpit would extend her range well beyond the day-sail. The cruising-minded Mariner shares the hull but substitutes a small cabin for the cuddy.
Construction and Models
Solid fiberglass builds with a mahogany rudder define the class, and the keel model's 440-pound iron keel and 3-foot 3-inch draft contrast with the centerboarder's 70-pound board, 10-inch upwind draft, and 4-foot 11-inch board-down reach. Recommended auxiliary power runs 2 to 6 horsepower. The old O'Day hulls can be restored to peak competitiveness, according to one account, and Stuart Marine's first boat appeared in 1984 after O'Day halted production by 1980 amid rising materials costs and a weak economy.
The Verdict
The Rhodes 19 endures because she spans novice and racer without compromise: a stable, dry cockpit, a proven one-design rule, and a hull that handles heavy air. The centerboard variant opens shallow water, while the keel version anchors the class's ballast-driven steadiness.
Pros
- Fast, forgiving, and accomplished in heavy weather
- Competitive one-design class with O'Day and Stuart boats interchangeable on the racecourse
- Six-adult capacity with flotation-seat layout and spray-proof cuddy
- Shallow-draft centerboard option for 10-inch retrieving
Cons
- Centerboard model less popular and carries less iron stability
- O'Day production ended by 1980; pre-Stuart hulls need restoration scrutiny
- Minimal cabin accommodation compared with the Mariner cruising sister
