Poole ABEst. 1958 · Parkstone

Boat detail

The Poole AB

A small junior training dinghy designed by Harry Poole in 1958 and built in Poole ever since — about 8ft 6in of forgiving, flexible boat that a child can sail alone or share with a parent.

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Description

The AB is, as Yachts & Yachting puts it, Poole's answer to the Oppie1 — a short, beamy trainer that served as the junior boat at Parkstone Yacht Club for years. It is deliberately undemanding: a child of around 20kg can sail one solo, and the same hull will take an adult and two small children when the wind gets up or a nervous beginner wants company.

Most boats carry a foam bumper around the bow. That is not decoration — it is a race requirement, and a fair indication of how the class is sailed.

Design and construction

Harry Poole, who lived in Poole, drew the AB in 1958 and also designed an 11ft dinghy, the C-Dog or CD. The AB was promoted as a family dinghy.2 Class rules set a minimum hull weight of 50.8kg (8 stone), so these are solid little boats rather than flyers.5

Beam, draught, sail area, rig dimensions and hull material are not recorded in any source found so far — the class measurement rules would fill this in.

History

Racing fleets regularly numbered 40 or more boats at the class's peak. Numbers later fell away before the class was revived. Richard Woods, who bought AB 50 in 1960, raced them as a boy and was national champion in 1968.2

Fleets sail at Parkstone Yacht Club in Poole Harbour, with some boats also in Ayr.1

The class's own part in the story — when the association or fleet formed, and its role in reviving the AB.

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Gallery

Boats in the park at Parkstone: the brightwork, the sail numbers, and the names their owners give them.

A yellow AB called Sunshine on its launching trolley in the dinghy park, varnished side decks and a blue cockpit cover, with the rest of the fleet rigged around it.
Fig. 03 — Sunshine, in the dinghy park
The mainsail of AB 314 seen from the cockpit against a clear sky, the sail number in red on white cloth with telltales flying.
Fig. 04 — Sail number AB 314
Close-up of an AB's varnished mahogany foredeck and mast, jib set and a blue cover over the side deck.
Fig. 05 — Brightwork
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See her race

How the fleet races, the levels a sailor works through, and what a boat needs before it goes out are on the club racing page. The rules themselves are a game: take the helm.

Sources

  1. Yachts & Yachting — Poole AB class page
  2. Richard Woods, “Poole AB sailing” (Sailing Catamarans)
  3. The Golden Dolphin — Parkstone Yacht Club annual magazine, AB class card — The same class card appears in the 2024, 2025 and 2026 issues, unchanged.
  4. Sailwave — Youth Week 2026 results, Parkstone Yacht Club — Final results, 7 August 2026. The AB fleets are split across three sheets.
  5. Parkstone Yacht Club — AB fleet, Notes for Newbies — Describes the Parkstone YC fleet specifically.
  6. Parkstone Yacht Club — AB fleet, About Us — Describes the Parkstone YC fleet specifically.
  7. Parkstone Yacht Club — AB fleet, FAQ — Describes the Parkstone YC fleet specifically.