In the early years of the 20th century, Pleon Yacht Club was at the forefront of a movement to give more attention to young sailors.  Starling Burgess helped this trend when he designed the first Brutal Beast for his children. 
The Brutal Beast was a hard-chine, V bottomed catboat, 14’ overall.  The Brutal Beast divisions raced every day except Monday.  J-Boat luminaries such as Vanderbilt, Sopwith, Hovey and Lambert raced borrowed Brutal Beasts on their lay day from a J-Boat regatta organized by the Eastern.