International confusion...
The 15 Sq. Meter is the only class in the rule that can cause some
historical confusion. The Norwegian national class now known as the 12.5
Sq.Meter was originally drawn with a 15 Sq.m. sail area. It was conceived
of as a recruiting boat for keel boat racing, and was the official junior
boat for The Royal Norwegian Yacht Club (KNS) for many years. The original
design underwent about a year of testing before the sail area was reduced
to 12 ½ sq. meters - the class name the boat is known by today.
Many prominant sailors have cut their racing teeth in the 12.5 Sq.Meter....
including both the Crown Prince (now King) and the
present Queen of Norway.
The official, present day 15 Sq.Meter class never came to Norway and does not seem to be found in any number outside of Sweden. Although they originally shared the same sail area, the Swedish variant is a very different boat from the old Norwegian 15 Sq.Meter. The Norwegian boat is a smaller, open boat more similar to a Star than its Swedish counterpoint. The Swedish 15 is virtually the same size and configuration as a 22 Sq. Meter.
International
winners
Of all the Sq. Meter classes, only the 22 and the 30 ever had large
international fleets. The 30's generated most interest over time, and they
are typically the 'standard' Sq. Meter on the international scene.
Although many thought the 22 Sq. Meter would be adopted as an Olympic class towards the end of the 1920's, it was the 30 and 40 Sq. Meters that eventually achieved this claim to fame. Sailing politics and pressure from larger nations pushing their own classes made the Olympic career of the Sq. Meter a short one.
The larger boats were too extreme or just too expensive to win enough popularity to survive over time. One example of the breed is the 150 Sq. Meter "Singoalla", designed by Swedish Gustav A. Estlander in 1912. It was almost 79 feet long and less than 11 feet wide. It was reported to be fast, but its design was obviously pressing the limits of the Square Meter Rule of that day to its limits. Uffa Fox had the dubious pleasure of surfing this boat at 14 knots and claimed afterward that it followed the waves "like a sea serpent". This was one of the last boats built before the rule was adjusted to higher standards than Lloyd’s survey required under the International Rule.