George H. Cuthbertson Archives

Yachts Name

Nado

MMOTGL Accession Number

2008.0012.0144 (1)

Designer / Draughtsman

Hinterhoeller, George Anton

Dickie, Glen

Year of Design

1960

Builder

Hinterhoeller Ltd., 

C&C Yachts Limited

Notes

SHARK 1960 When George Hinterhoeller arrived in Canada from Austria in 1952 he brought his family, his master boat-builder's certificate, a love of sailing and little else. 

He found work in Niagara-on-the-Lake with Shepherd Boats, and within several years had his own small shop beside his house where he built a Lightning, some Penguins and Y-Flyers, and in 1958 a smart 24-foot multi-chine fin keel sloop for himself which he named Teeter Totter. She was built of plywood, had a small cabin and a self-bailing cockpit, was quick and agile and, given a fresh breeze, could plane like a dinghy. 

Good sailors took notice and in 1960 Hinterhoeller delivered to Glen Dickie of Oakville a round-bilge variant of Teeter Totter of moulded ply construction. Named Shark she promptly won her class in the LYRA regatta. Three moulded ply sisters followed and then Shark #5 was first to be built of fiberglass. A class had been launched, a class which would in time number over 2000 boats and which continues to thrive over a quarter of a century later – and not only in North America as hundreds of Sharks have been built overseas under licence – in Sweden, and notably in Austria where George Hinterhoeller first sailed and learned his trade. 

In 1985, RCYC hosted the 20th Shark World Championship and welcomed over 60 competitors. But there is another side to the Shark as evidenced by one singlehander who sailed to the Bahamas, Bermuda, England, the Canary Islands and the West Indies. Another, with his wife and two-year-old child aboard, sailed his Shark from Lake Ontario to Australia. Control of the class rests with an active and enthusiastic association. 

L.O.A. 24 ft. L.W.L. 20 ft. Beam 6 ft. 10 in. Draught 3 ft. 

Web Link

https://rcyc.ca/ABOUT-US/History-of-RCYC/RCYCModels/rcycmodels_p11.aspx

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