Lido 14 History

Lido 14 history begins with Barney Lehman, boat builder and designer. Barney, best known for his Lehman series of dinghies, had been in development of a 14-foot version of his successful Lehman 10 when he sold his business to W.D. “Bill” Schock. 

Bill, a successful small boat builder, completed the work that Barney had started by creating a fractional sloop rig, increasing the boat’s beam for stability, adding internal seat tanks for comfort and buoyancy, and providing a foredeck and a deck stepped rig rather than the Lehman’s traditional keel stepping.

What followed is nothing short of spectacular. Within three short years, almost 1000 boats had been built. By 1970 the total approached 3000. Of these, a very large percentage were involved in competitive racing around the nation. It was common for relatively minor regattas to have 60 or more boats and major regattas having limits of 100. 

As with all one-design boats of the era, the popularity of the Lido 14 peaked in the mid-70′s. By 1980, the total number of boats constructed had risen to nearly 5000 but the number of new boats was quickly decreasing. A testament to the quality of the construction is that boats built in 1960 are still actively racing and will continue to sail many years to come, given a little maintenance and loving care. Perhaps to the chagrin of W.D. Schock Corp., the availability of quality used boats sustains the popularity of the Lido 14, providing an unmatched entry into the wonderful world of small boat sailing.

By 1995, with more than 5000 boats built, the venerable Lido was almost 40 years old. It was then that Lido 14 Association members formed a committee to create a modern version of the ‘old’ Lido to be called the ‘new’ Lido, a version that would be much less expensive to build yet remain competitive with the old boat. The tremendous effort of W.D. Schock Corp. to revitalize the Lido 14 for the 1990′s and beyond led to a reintroduced Lido 14 with a modern two-piece mold design that greatly reduced the complexity and cost of construction while simultaneously improving upon the safety, comfort, and longevity of the design. The “new” Lido 14 was showcased to the nation in the running of the 1996 U.S. Sailing Championship of Champions held in Newport Beach.

The Lido-14 continues to be the chosen boat for those wanting to enjoy sailboat racing at any level: from beginning novices to world and national class competitors. For beginners with their families and friends it is a very simple, safe and affordable entry into the world of sailboat racing with generous guidance from the fleet’s experienced members. For experienced racers there is the knowledge that this is a ‘tactical’ boat and that they can expect to find the most challenging tacticians competing on the race course.