BARNETT BOATS

About 60 years ago, a midwesterner on a small Northern Illinois puddle had an idea for a small-lake sailboat. John Barnett thought that perhaps a scaled-down and simplified version of the Inland Lake Yachting Association's 20-ft C scow just might be a good fit... He went to work on his 12-ft idea, called it a Butterfly, and threw it into the water. By the end of the decade, it would be one of the most successful small sailboats ever, second only to the Sunfish that dated from the early 50's... With over 7,000 boats produced by the end of the 70's, John tried something new, a 11-ft boat called the Max. It flopped, unfortunately, about 20 years too soon for an under-12-ft boat to succeed (check out the Europe dinghy). With that, John decided to sell the business, Barnett Boats Inc.

Also known as: Barnett Boats Inc., Barnett Marine Sports Inc.