A Squib is a type of small racing keelboat designed in 1967 by Oliver Lee as a successor to the Ajax 23. It is a strict "one-design" class of boat, having a length of 19' (5.79 metres), beam of 6'1½" (1.87 metres), a sail area of 170 sq. ft. (15.8 sq. mts.) upwind, 310 sq. ft. (29 sq. mts.) total and a weight of 1500 lb (680 kg) (including sails and fittings). The usual crew is two people and the boat can be cruised or raced with a Portsmouth Yardstick of 1142. The Squib has been adopted by the RYA as the National Keelboat and is big enough to race at sea and small enough to be trailed easily behind a family car. Early history Oliver Lee built the prototype Squib in 1967, using cold moulded wood. Following a succession of trials, the prototype was used as a "plug" from which copies of the boat could be built using glass-reinforced plastic construction. The first to be built was launched in June 1968, with sail number 11. Much later the plug was turned into a functioning boat and still sails. During 1968, a further five Squibs were built, and the first fleet began racing at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club at Burnham-on-Crouch. Over the following few years numbers grew at Burnham and new fleets were formed at Waldringfield, Brixham, Abersoch and Aldeburgh. The Squib was granted national status by the Royal Yachting Association in 1972, when numbers exceeded 300. In 1974, with sail numbers approaching 400, some of Britain's yachting journalists were invited to Burnham-on-Crouch to race Squibs, in an event called the "Squib Symposium". This resulted in raising the Squib's profile with the yachting press. Around this time, the Design Centre (now retitled as the Design Council) decided to put the Squib on its index of selected designs. Squib builders Boats from number 11 to 157 were built by Oliver Lee in Burnham. From 158 to 724, Squibs were built under licence by Hunter Boats. Numbers 725 to 767 were built by Oliver Lee Racing Yacht. After the death of Oliver Lee, in 1994, the licence moved to Barker Brewer Boats who built 768 to 782. In 1997 the licence was acquired by Bruce Parker Sailboats who, by Spring 2009, had built 100 Squibs, their first being 783 and final boat 885. They were the only official builder of Squibs