The prototype was on the water at Sandbanks Poole in August 1977. Mark Giles raced it a bit at West Oxfordshire and decided the hull was too flat
so he changed it to the present shape. The first boat was sold Easter
1978 to John Sangwin (who subsequently had four different boats!) and now
has a narrow boat. The prototype stayed in the Giles family. Mark Giles had built his first boat, a 12 foot wooden dinghy (similar to a Cherub but the Cherub was not designed then!), when he was 14, in 1953, though we believe he was always making boats from a small child!  The second one he designed in 1973 called Quest, and two were sold, to an unknown designer and  the Callaghans .   

The original Lightning pattern was made in the family garage in the evenings, it was shaped chicken wire then plastered over and smoothed. Anne, Mark's wife, does remember an occasion when they were going out to dinner for bridge and the mould had stuck on the pattern and he was rather late arriving!   

As the Lightning is a strict one design boat, all sails are made by Bruce Banks to a high standard in conventional sailcloth. They are loose footed and have three battens, the top batten being full width and the lower two part width of the sail.

The Lightning is blessed in having a proper centerboard, a feature greatly appreciated when sailing in restricted depths, or during a capsize. The size and shape of the rudder make it harder to stall than some other single-handers, which contributes to the good handling characteristics.

Nearly all boats are center sheeted and have three control lines ( kicker, downhaul and outhaul ) led out to the deck on both sides.  The downhaul goes over the top of the boom and hooks into the eyelet on the tack of the sail, and the outhaul uses another hook to attach to the eyelet at the clew of the sail. This is what makes it so quick to rig.

As supplied from the factory the boats usually have a 3-1 center mainsheet with either a ratchet block or a jammer as specified by the owner. However it is common for helms to convert to a 4-1 center mainsheet as it makes the sail easier to control in heavier winds.

The standard kicking strap on the lightning is 7-1 leading out to both decks giving a total purchase of 14-1. Most helms find this adequate and we have yet to see a boat with more purchases.

In fact with a little practice the boat can be so quick to rig that the builder once arrived at an open meeting with only a few minutes before the ten minute gun. He took his boat from the roof of his car and was on the water in about five minutes. An on looker was heard to remark 'Now I know why it's called a Lightning!'