Rhodes drew the original design in 1933 for a competition to define a new boat for the frostbite racing fleets sailed in Manhasset Bay and at Larchmont, New York. Rhodes' design lost to a boat by Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens and as a result Rhodes shelved the plans until 1938 when some Potomac River sailors were looking for a new frostbite racing boat. They home-built 12 boats and racing was started on winter weekends. Yachting magazine covered a race series and advertised where plans could be obtained and that led to an expansion in interest in the boat design and it quickly grew to a national class.[5]
The boat has a draft of 3.83 ft (1.17 m) with the centerboard extended and 4 in (10 cm) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, beaching or ground transportation on a trailer or car roof.[1][2]
The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, the International Penguin Class Dinghy Association.[20][21]
In a 2010 Small Boats Monthly profile Chris Museler wrote, "Like many racing dinghies, the boats are easy to sail but hard to sail well. 'It humbles a lot of folks,' says [Jonathan Bartlett, a Maryland sailmaker], referring to the oversized centerboard and hard chines that the boat can trip over in gusty conditions. 'If you can sail a Penguin well, you can sail anything.' It is a simple boat. 'It's not a Laser. But for the nostalgia and classic look, it's hard to beat it.'"[5]
Museler concluded, "they seem like silly little boats at first, and certainly now are considered obscure. But that seems to be the attraction of many little wooden boats—their uniqueness, and rareness. The best part about the Penguin is that whether you are hiked out with a friend inches away from a competitor or sitting on the floorboards on a lazy summer afternoon, you are surrounded by a little bit of sailing history and a lot of class."[5]
^International Penguin Class Dinghy Association (5 August 2020). "Penguin Plans". penguinclass.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
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