US Vintage Model Yacht Group
Featured in Model Yachting # 122, #139, #179: Schooners # 164: Early Clubs #151 (MMYC), #175 (SFMYC), #197

John Y. Stoudt
309 Sundance Drive
Chester Springs, PA 19425
610-316-8695
Email President: jstoudt309@gmail.com

The US Vintage Model Yacht Group (US VMYG) is a Special Interest Group of the American Model Yachting Association. The US VMYG is also a close collaborator with the Vintage Model Yacht Group (United Kingdom). Our organizational goals are the preservation, building, and sailing of older model yacht designs, and the study of the history of the sport of model yachting. "Vintage" primarily means any older model sailboats no longer sailed (or never raced) in serious competition. These encompass free-sailing model yachts, older designs converted to R/C and pre-1970s R/C sailing models. This includes class racing yachts, non-class sailing models and commercially- built toys of the past. There are also replica models built to the older designs and new designs recreating older sailboat styles.
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Mission Statement and Supporting Goals

The Mission of the US VMYG is to honor the early years of the sport of model yachting through the promotion of older free-sailed model yachts; the conversion of early free-sailed model yachts to radio-control (R/C); the development of more recent R/C model yachts from vintage (pre-1970) designs; and, embracing later vintage boat classes of interest.

Goals of the US VMYG are the restoration of older sailing model yachts; the preservation of craftsmanship techniques to enable scratch-building of model yachts; the study of the history of the sport of model yachting for educational purposes; the development of out-reach activities in support of the mission; the expansion of vintage regattas; the sailing and racing of vintage model yachts; and, the support of local clubs in the development of vintage fleets within their organization.

We also support those who sail traditional sailing craft models, such as schooners, skipjacks, and other scale models. The hulls are generally made of wood, with some fiberglass models, and range in length from one to six feet. The rigs are usually constructed from wood or aluminum, with cotton or Dacron sails. As a special interest group of the AMYA, the US VMYG supports seven classes of early model yachts - Free Sailed Boats, International A Boats, Schooners, Skipjacks, Unrestricted Boats, Vintage 36s, and Vintage 50/800 Marbleheads (traditional and high flyer). Vintage model yachts are more than just objects of beauty. A few are heirlooms. Some honor decades-old model sailboat designs. Others are recreations of stunning full-size yachts that date back a century or more. All are at their best when they're on the water.

If you're interested in buying, building, resurrecting, or racing one of these beauties, you'll find extensive information on our website and well-organized vintage model yacht groups all across the country. And each of those local chapters are part of the 25-year old US Vintage Model Yacht Group (US VMYG), a national organization dedicated to building, restoring, preserving, and sailing these classics. Our newly formatted newsletter delivers a lot of timely, varied information about vintage boats.

We encourage you to go to our website to learn more and to join the USVMYG.