The Luders Marine Construction Co., of Stamford, Conn., designed the L-16 in 1934 and built the first boats for the Fisher's Island Yacht Club. The class proved so popular that additional craft were sold all over the country and some even went abroad. All of these original boats were constructed with conventional planking. In 1945, however, Luders started building the L-16 of laminated plywood molded over a male fixture. This method of construction had been extensively used during World War II and had been developed, by Luders and others, to the point where it had become economical to use in pleasure craft.

Five-ply molded plywood is used for the hulls, decks, and cabin houses. Other materials employed meet highest specifications; lead keels, bronze bolts, stainless-steel standing rigging, hollow spruce spars, and sails by Ratsey and Lapthorn are standard equipment.

Although not designed to be primarily a cruising boat, the L-16 has limited accommodations in her cabin for two people. There is sitting headroom, so her crew can spend a night or even a week end aboard with some degree of comfort. For afternoon sailing, the cockpit will hold four or five persons comfortably. The boat is simple to sail for there are no running backstays and all halyards and sheets are lead to the cockpit. The racing skipper will appreciate the weatherliness, the speed, and the perfect balance of the hull and rig. And the distaff side of the family will love the beauty of the advanced design: the hull is painted white, the deck is covered with buff nonskid paint, and the cabin is trimmed with mahogany.

When delivered, the boat is ready to sail away. Equipment includes two folding berths, an anchor, an anchor line, a boom crotch, life preservers, and a foghorn.

The L-16 has an over-all length of 26 ft., a water-line length of 16 ft. 4 in., a beam of 5 ft. 9 in., and a draft of 4 ft. The sail area measures 207 sq. ft. and the displacement is 3,200 lbs.

If you want a fast boat for racing, afternoon sailing, and occasional overnight trips, the L-16 should rate high on the list of craft to be considered.

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