The Rainbow is a J-Class yacht that was made to compete in the America’s Cup. It was designed by W. Starling Burgess. It was made in Rhode Island, by Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. It was launched in May of 1934, just after around 100 days of build time.

The Rainbow was tested in numerous tank-towing tests. Dozens of models were tested by W. Starling Burgess, at the university in Michigan. He eventually arrived at the final design, and named the J-Class Rainbow. It features steel frames, and a lead keel. It featured the same double headed jib that the Whirlwind first used in its revolutionary design. It is one of the longest boats, yet smallest in terms of weight and displacement. It was the first choice in competing against the United Kingdom boat, the Endeavour.

Rainbow was very successful- it won the 15th America’s Cup in 1934, defeating the Endeavour by 4 wins to 2. The Rainbow was laid on a dry dock for a couple of years in Bristol, and was refitted by Vanderbilt. In 1937, Chandler Hovey bought the boat in hopes of racing it in the 1937 America’s Cup. However, the Rainbow did not beat the Ranger in defender selection trials. It seemed as though the Rainbow was already outdated- as newer yachts such as the Ranger were considered to be a new kind of “Super J-Class” yacht. These Super J’s were much more advanced, and much faster than older ships. For this reason, the Rainbow fell out of competition, and again laid in Bristol. In 1940, during a war era, the ship was sold for scrap- as the resources were needed on the warfront. This was rather common, and many J-Class boats didn’t survive as a result. Three of the ten that competed remain today.

Although the Rainbow couldn’t keep up with trends in yachting, it did see its fair share of fame. It managed to take the America’s Cup victory in 1934- a great achievement. This same achievement is what inspired the Endeavour II to be built, which was also considered to have been a “Super J” class yacht. Even if the Rainbow had beaten the Ranger in selection finals, it would not have stood a chance against the Endeavour II. The Rainbow is a prime example of yachts and technology in general- keeping up with the latest trends and innovation can mean the difference between scrapping and racing.

It is a shame that the Rainbow couldn’t be one of the few J-Class yachts still in existence. For its time in 1934, it was the best J-Class boat that had not been deemed as Super J. Its value today would no doubt be incredible- for it was the cream of the crop in normal J-Class yachts. W. Starling Burgess may have just been looking for a few easy wins- but he created much more than one of the best boats of its time- rather, he created a milestone in yacht history with his superb design and testing.