Sail1Design Editor

The 49er is a very fast double-handed twin trapeze skiff. Designed by Julian Bethwaite, this is an exhilarating ride, and requires a fair amount of technical skill to sail. The boat is experiencing an increase in popularity due to its selection as an Olympic class starting with the Sydney Olympics of 2000. It features a very large asymmetric spinnaker.

loa 16’
beam 5’9”
sail area 215 ft²
spinnaker 400(!) ft²
hull weight 210
crew 2
# of boats built not known
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI…

Class website:
http://www.49er.org/49er2/index.php

 Check out Sail1Design’s 49er class profile article here to learn more! 

https://www.sail1design.com/airwaves-sailing-news/one-design-classes/1179-49er

With over 500,000 boats built the Sunfish is a very popular one-design class sailboat designed in the 1950s. As a singlehanded boat, the Sunfish is easy to car-top or trailer. The Sunfish is used as a day sailer or a racing boat, with over 1000 racing events every year worldwide. Key to the Sunfish’s success are simplicity and low cost. A Sunfish can be sailed using only two lines, the halyard and the Sheet. The only other necessary control is the tiller. A Sunfish setup for racing will typically add outhaul, cunningham, a gooseneck quick-release adjuster, and vang lines.
The lateen sail is fixed to the spars and is stored by simply wrapping the sail around the spars, or by rolling the sail up parallel to the spars.
Check out Sail1Design’s Class Profile of the Sunfish!
loa 13’9”
beam 4’1”
sail area 75 ft²
spinnaker n/a
hull weight 130 lbs.
crew 1
# of boats built 500,000+!
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI…
Class website:
http://www.sunfishclass.org/

The venerable, elegant Star. This boat for years has attracted the world’s best one-design sailors. The Star is one of the most prolific keelboats in the world for a reason: it is an incredible boat to sail. Designed in 1911 by Francis Sweisguth, it has proven to be a classic in every sense. It is the oldest Olympic class, having first been used in competition in 1932, and still at the heart of that competition today. Supported by a worldwide association the Star as a class is one of the best organized in sailing, with over 7,500 yachts built over its 80 year history, and 2000-plus actively racing today.

The Star has evolved into the consummate craft for all ranges of competition and performance sailing: its equipment and rig is simple enough for the novice, yet versatile enough for those on the forefront of sailing. It’s large, powerful sailplan, combined with a sleek hull and light weight, propel the boat in the faintest of airs, while the flexible spar can be tuned to “de-power” when the breeze kicks up. The large main is infinitely adjustable, allowing the sailor to completely control the driving surface of the sail.

Starts today are generally constructed of fiberglass, with positive flotation and an integrated keel. The design, sails, and equipment of the Star are governed by stringent class rules, created to improve competition on the basis of skill and control cost . This has also served to help the longevity of the design, keeping older boats competitive through careful evolution.

Please visit Sail1Design’s Class profile on the Star: https://www.sail1design.com/airwaves-sailing-news/one-design-classes/1095-one-design-profile-star-class

loa 22’7”
beam 5’7”
sail area 285 ft²
spinnaker area n/a
hull weight 1479 lbs.
crew 2
# of boats built
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY

Class website:
http://starclass.org/

It started when Bruce Kirby’s home club (Noroton Yacht Club, Darien, CT USA) couldn’t find the right boat to get their members involved in club racing; fewer and fewer of its members were participating.

They studied a great many existing classes of boats but all were considered too expensive, too slow, too demanding to sail, or just plain uncomfortable. So Bruce was asked to design a new boat specifically to meet the requirements of a club racing one-design keelboat fleet.

It had to be exciting to race, but easy to handle by sailors of all ages, strengths and skill levels. It had to be a really good day sailor, spacious and comfortable to sit in all day long. It had to be trailerable, plus easy to launch for wet or dry sailing. Plus a safe, well behaved training boat to help teach new sailors how to sail and have fun doing it. Finally, it had to have a good but uncomplicated set of class rules.

The prototype Sonar sailing off Noroton, March, 1980.

The result was the Sonar. The Noroton Yacht Club got every thing they wanted and more. And the Sonar has been greeted with enthusiasm by individuals and clubs all over the world.

When the Sonar was designed and orders taken for the first fleet of boats at Noroton Yacht Club, in Darien, Connecticut, the original fleet members recognized a need to create an organization with a Constitution, By-laws and Class Rules that control the growth of the class. Early membership was just a few key people, but these people had a passion for this new and very special boat and their passion spread as new fleets sprang up around North America. Early membership grew at a rapid pace as boats were built. Sonars worldwide now number over 700 with fleets in over six countries.

loa 23’    
beam 7’1”
sail area 250 ft²
spinnaker area 245 ft²
hull weight 2100 lbs.
crew 3-4
# of boats built not known
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY

Class website:
http://www.sonar.org/

One touch of the helm and you’ll understand the loving loyalty of Yngling owners worldwide. The boat simply sails beautifully.

Those familiar with the Soling will instantly recognize the Yngling as a “mini-Soling,” a description which is quite apt. In the Yngling (pronounced “ING-ling”), designer Jan Linge basically duplicated his Soling, making it smaller, more suitable for average-sized people, easier to trail (behind even a four-cylinder car), and less expensive to own. The Yngling shares the Soling’s sleek hull form, well-balanced rig, and responsive helm. While the Yngling is not as fast as the Soling, it is quicker, and more nimble. It turns more quickly and in less distance, and responds better to crew weight trim adjustments.

The Yngling is designed to sail with three crew (although two can handle it easily). Optimal crew weight is 400 to 500 lbs., so the Yngling accommodates both juniors and normally sized adults, and it is the ideal women’s racing boat (in fact, IYRU selected the Yngling for its first International Women’s Championship in 1994, and ISAF chose it as the boat for the 2004 Olympic women’s keelboat event). Sail controls on the Yngling are easy to manage, and the effects of small adjustments are felt by the crew. The Yngling sails in a delicate and fast upwind groove.

loa 20.8’
beam 5.6’
sail area 150 ft²
spinnaker area __ ft²
hull weight 1422 lbs.
crew 3
# of boats built not known
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY

Class website:
http://www.yngling.org/

The International J/22 is a popular fixed keel one design racing sailboat normally raced with a crew of three or four people (total crew weight is restricted to 275 kg/605 lb).

Because of its strict one design rule, older boats are equally competitive with new boats. It races with the “class jib,” a non-overlapping jib, a mainsail, and a large spinnaker. The boat is capable of planing on reaches and runs.

According to its builder, “Since its introduction in 1983, the J/22 has blossomed into an International class now with 1,600+ boats sailing in 65 fleets in 18 countries. Over 130 boats sailed in the 2004 World Championship. On the merits of its sailing characteristics, widespread popularity and small crew number (3-4), J/22 continues to be the boat of choice and is selected again for the 2005 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship in Annapolis, MD.”

loa 22’    
beam 8’
sail area ft²
spinnaker area 480 ft²
hull weight 1790 lbs.
crew 3-4
# of boats built 1600
active US fleets NJ, PA, MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY, TX, LA

Class website:
http://www.j22.org/

The International J/24 is the world’s most popular one-design keelboat. It was designed by Rod Johnstone in 1976 and since then over 5200 hulls have been produced. It was the first J-boat and was based on Rod Johnstone’s 1976 garage-built prototype ‘Ragtime.’

The first production J/24 was built in 1977, and the J/24s overwhelmed MORC Int’ls in Annapolis that year.

The class is established in nearly 40 countries with well over 100 active fleets. J/24s are usually raced with a crew of five, but class rules require only that there be at least three crew, with a total combined weight under 400kg.

# of boats built 6000
active US fleets NJ, MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY, TX, LA
Class website:
http://www.j24class.org/

The Melges 24 hitting the scene in 1993, is a one-design class of sailboat commonly used for racing. With a very large asymmetrical spinnaker and retractable bowsprit, he boat is notable for its ability to plane over the water downwind in modest winds, and for its combination of a simple design that is highly tune-able. This is a fairly technical boat and has a very competitive class.

The boat’s hull is made from lightweight fiberglass. The mast, rudder, bowsprit, and keel fin are made from carbon fiber for light weight. The hull is generally flat on the bottom, making it plane easily. The 630 pound (286 kg) keel bulb can retract up to the hull bottom to make it easier to put on a trailer.

The boat is generally raced with a crew of four or five. Because the boat sails faster with a heavier crew, class rules for racing limit crew weight to 793 pounds (360 kg) total. Unlike most spinnaker-rigged keelboats, the Melges 24 is designed so that no foredeck work is required to fly the spinnaker; it is launched, trimmed, and doused from the cockpit.

loa 24’    
beam 8’2”
sail area 390 ft²
spinnaker area 670 ft² (!)
hull weight 1783 lbs.
crew 4-5
# of boats built 700 +
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY, TX, LA

Class website:
http://www.melges24.com/