Mainsail Ensign

for one-design sailboats

The Ensign sailboat is the largest class of full keel boats in North America. It was designed by Carl Alberg and built by Pearson Yachts of Portsmouth, Rhode Island who manufactured nearly 1800 boats from 1962 through 1983. Its popularity, rather than declining with the advent of very high performance boats, has been on a major upswing. We have one of the strongest national organizations and support fleets from the East Coast through the Rocky Mountains. Four Regional Championships, a Midwinter Championship and a National Championship Regatta are held each year. The Ensign is 22 and 1/2 feet long, weighs about 3,000 pounds, has a draft of 3 feet and is best raced with a crew of four. It is favored by former dinghy sailors and cruisers alike. It has no life lines and therefore can be sailed with many dingy tactics such as hiking and roll tacking. It is a comfortable day sailer with a large cockpit. Besides a main and working jib it can have an inventory of a #1 and # 2 Genoa, a blade and spinnaker. For cruisers it can be equipped with a roller furling genoa. Using the original molds that the Ensign Class Association purchased from Pearson Yachts when they went out of business; Ensign Spars, Inc. manufactures the New Ensign Classic in Dunedin, Florida. The Objective of the Ensign Class Association is to promote and develop Ensign Class racing under uniform rules and to rigidly maintain the One-Design features of the Ensign. It also promotes the Ensign as a family boat for recreational sailing.