The name 'scow' comes from the Dutch word 'schouw', one of nine classes of flat-bottomed boats sailed in Dutch waters for over 400 years. The typical Schouw had a length of 21 feet on deck and a beam of 5 feet, 10 inches. The waterline length was about 18 feet with most of the overhang forward. In the early days, the waterways in Holland were very shallow and winding (some still are!) so the draft of the schouw, with the boards raised, was only about 18 inches. It sported a jib and a mainsail. It had two leeboards instead of a centerboard.

In the late 1890s this type of shallow-draft boat was introduced to England. Used for racing, it was called the Half-Rater. Interest in racing these small (12 to 15 foot) craft also built in the US where a parallel development took place. The obvious soon followed -- races between the two groups to test their boat building and sailing skills.

The US built boats not only won these competitions but inspired a number of others to start building these small flat-bottomed boats. The Massachusetts Bay Yacht Racing Association established classes ranging from 15 to 21 feet. However, rules governing these classes kept changing continuously in the quest for faster yachts. This meant more sail area, longer waterline and lighter weight. In 1902, dual bilge-boards, angled at approximately 19 degrees from the vertical, replaced the single centerboard. Dual rudders soon followed. The modern racing scow was born!

The scow also found strong supporters in the inland lakes area of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Johnson Boat Works at White Bear Lake was one of the first to build scows there, and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1996. The Inland Lake Yachting Association (ILYA), formed in 1897, has been the guiding force of scow development ever since.

• The A-scow became a one-design class in 1901. This rocketship requires an experienced crew of 6 to keep it going. And go it does -- it has been clocked at 25 mph! It was retooled in the late 1970s and now sports a fiberglass hull, as do all other scows. The long length (38 feet) and wide beam (8 feet) pose special transportation problems; these boats usually stay put at their home lake once launched.
• The B-scow is no longer made but in its heyday (before WW I) was actively sailed on Lake St. Louis, Canada. It was 32 feet long, had a sail area of 350 square feet, and a crew weight of 650 lbs -- this rule limited the number of crew to three. After the war, a few more B-scows were built. Some of these were of the pointed (canoe style) bow and stern variety instead of the blunt nose and flat stern we associate with the traditional scow.
• The C-scow is twenty feet long and has the advantage of being easily transportable. This one-design scow class has been active since 1908. It is cat-rigged (one main sail only) and requires 2-3 strong sailors in a fresh breeze to control it. Additional information is available on the C-scow home page.
• The D-scow lived a short life in the early 1900s. A small fleet of these 18 foot long scows with 225 square feet of sail area participated in races at Lake Geneva between 1900 and 1908. This scow was replaced by the C-scow.

  

• The smaller edition of the A-scow that is still actively sailed is the E-scow. At 28 feet it is a rocket in the hands of 3-4 sailors. Fleets started forming in 1924. Additional information is available on the E-scow home page.
  
• A smaller version of the E-scow is the M-20. This boat is a handful and will keep two sailors busier than in any other scow. This is a relative youngster that gained one-design status in 1963. Visit the M-20 Web site for additional information.
  
• In 2000, a deck modification to the M-20 gave it a retractable bowsprit for supporting an asymmetrical spinnaker and the I-20 was born. In 2001 it was granted full one-design status with US Sailing and the ILYA. Additional information is available on the I-20 home page.
  
• The M-16 (also known as the M-scow) is the precursor to the MC scow. It sports a jib but no spinnaker. This design was sanctioned as a member of the Inland Lake Yachting Association in 1959.
• The MC-scow was first conceived by Harry C. Melges, Sr., in 1950 and was based on the M-16 hull. In 1965, Harry and son, Buddy Melges, designed today's fiberglass MC scow. The MC is sailed single-handed most of the time, but a crew member can be added depending upon the skipper's weight and strength of the wind. Skippers range in age from youth to sailors in their 70s.
• Melges introduced the SuperScow in early 1995. It is a combination of the 16 foot MC hull and a Melges 24 deck arrangement. It carries a fully-battened main, a roller-furling jib, and a bow launching pole to tack its asymmetrical spinnaker. It weighs approximately 360 lbs.
• In 2005, Melges introduced the Melges 17 (M17). The hull weighs 300 lbs. The spar, made of carbon fiber material, weighs only 16 lbs, One control line hoists the asymmetrical spinnaker and extends the bow sprit. It also has a roller furling jib with recessed roller furler, self-stepping mast design and new wave foil bilge boards that are aluminum extrusions. It takes a crew of 2 to sail this new scow.

• Edwin J. Schoettle, "Sailing Craft -- Mostly descriptive of smaller pleasure sail boats of the day", New York: The MacMillan Company, 1928.
• Thomas A. Hodgson, "The History of the Inland Lake Yachting Association", Inland Lake Yachting Association, Fontana, Wisconsin, 1997

• Nov 14, 1995 -- George Schaefer
  I think they started in MN or WI. Johnson in WhiteBear MN makes them and so does ???? name ????? in WI. I had a 1937 Admunson made by the guy Johnson worked for. It was single planked then came double planked and fiberglass. I look forward to hearing more.

• Nov 16, 1995 -- Paul Marcum
  In the late 1800's, large scows were used for cargo across the San Francisco bay. Buddy Melges is the other maker involved in the manufacture of scows. Many of the models are of relatively new design, but the A's were first sailed in the 30's.

• Jan 23, 1996 -- Jim Smith--ILYA Executive Secretary
  Sam Merrick wrote a great history of Inland Lake Scows for a Mystic Seaport Museum presentation made in Feb. '89. It is available from Inland Lake Yachting Association office at no charge. E-mail me. Also our Tom Hodgson is writing our centennial history as ILYA turns 100 years in 1997!

• Oct 27, 1996 -- William H. Sills
  The B was raced by my great-great grandfather and great grandfather for West End Yacht Club (merged into Geneva Lake YC to form Lake Geneva YC) on Geneva into the 1920s. The E replaced the B in 1928. The D was a sloop rigged C. It carried a spinnaker and was a real dog. It was raced into the 1960s. The X scow was an experimental boat for ladies in the 1920s. It was 26' had a single rudder and a centerboard. The Cub boat was re-designated X boat. The Y boat was an 18' hard chine sloop with a spinnaker. It was raced in the ILYA until the 1960s.

  The ILYA once allowed but one class entry per club. The Northwest Yachting Association allowed unlimited entries. Dr. Otto L. Schmidt managed to become president of both and arranged their merger. The Northwest Ice Yachting Association is still active on hard water.

  I have had the good fortune to have raced A, C, D, E, M & M-20 scows, crewed on X (parents races) and Y boats and sailed on a B and an X scow during my sailing school days. I currently own M-20 Number 1.

• Oct 27, 1996 -- William H. Sills
  Let me know if you need any further data on scows, the Inland Lake Yachting Association or related items. There is a fine museum colection in Oshkosh, Wisconsin with a heavy emphasis on the foregoing.

• Jan 8, 1998 -- Tom Hodgson
  The ILYA just completed a history of the association, one which includes considerable information about the origins of the scow design, plus a reasonably complete discussion of the creation of each class (unfortunately, the MC is perhaps the least thoroughly discussed, but the early development of the scow is in the book.)

  The book is available from the ILYA offices. Contact Jim Smith, the ILYA Executive Secretary, at P.O. Box 311, Fontana, WI, 53125. The book is full color throughout.