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Formula 18

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A high performance import this class has one of the most exciting and fastest growing catamaran one-design racing fleets in the world. The F-18 is raced with a crew of two and a spinnaker for down-wind performance. It’s fittings, hull design and sail shape are the results of the latest developments in sailing technology. A strict “box measurement” allows manufacturers to develop catamarans so that they are price competitive, but at the same time give them the freedom to continually develop higher levels of performance. To sum up, weights allow better and fairer racing between crews, with more ladies getting involved, both as crews and helms. The number of manufacturers keeps sailing costs to the minimum, and the ability to buy spares and sails from any manufacturer, as long as they measure, also keeps costs down.

Length: 18′
Beam: 8′ 6″
Mast Length: 29′ 6″
Main Sail Area: 183 Sq. Ft.
Jib Sail Area: 44 Sq. Ft.
Spinnaker Sail Area: 225 Sq. Ft.
Weight (with spinnaker): 397 lbs.
Hull Construction: Fiberglass/Foam Sandwich

 

Class Association: https://www.f18-international.org

Fireball

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The International Fireball was designed to meet a need –  to the bridge the gap between the small “family” centre boarders and the larger more expensive classes. The designer, Peter Milne, an Englishman, had these motives: cheapness, simplicity to build, unequalled performance potential, price and waterline length, individual appearance.

He achieved his aims in 1962 when the fireball was first sailed in England. The remarkable performance of his prototype was seen especially on the plane and to windward. Without any sponsorship the class grew very rapidly, first in the UK and then on the Continent (France, Switzerland, Sweden and Germany especially), in the USA, South and East Africa, Canada, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

Within a very short time the need for worldwide administration became apparent and “Fireball International” had to be formed. To this body the newly formed National Associations affiliated. A constitution and detailed class rules were adopted.

The first World Championships were held in England in 1966. In 1968 the spinnaker was internationally adopted. The class was recommended by OYRU for International status and was approved in 1970. The class has been a close contender for Olympic selection. It has established a world wide reputation for its high standards of yachting administration and progressive enthusiasm.

For More Information:

https://www.fireball-international.com

San Juan 21

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The Beginning!

In 1971, the San Juan 21 Class Association was formed in Seattle, Washington. The boat itself is a product of the Seattle-based Clark Boat Company, operated by Bob and Carole Clark and sons.

In the late 60s, it became apparent to the Clarks that there was a niche in the boat market for a lightweight, trailer-based design that could be daysailed and used as a week-end cruiser. They decide to design a boat superior to others in this niche, the San Juan 21. This boat featured a bigger V-berth, an easily stepped righ, and a fully retractable swing keel and kickup rudder. In 1971, the Mark I model was produced in Seattle and an additional facility in New Bern, North Carolina. By 1974, the Mark II model was put into production and more than 2,700 San Juan 21s were subsequently produced by the late 1980s.

The Present

Today, the National Association is one of the most active one-design keelboat associations in North America. Membership in the association numbers 400+ sailors from all parts of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The Association boasts fleets organized into three regions, East, Midwest and West with the largest membership concentration in the northwest and southeast portions of the country. National championship regattas are held annually in the East and West regions and a North American Championship is held every third year at a site in the Midwest region.

San Juan 21s are available today with prices for used boats ranging from $3,000.00 to $5,000.00. Boat parts can be obtained on the east coast from Fred Rehm Sailboats, 1900 North Lane, Camden, SC 29020; and on the west coast from Port Garden Sailboats at 2241 Franklin Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273. The west coast dealer also has plans to produce San Juan 21s on a order basis.

Class website:
http://www.sanjuan21.net/national/

SB20 (Laser- SB3)

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The SB20 is a one-design class of sailboat commonly used for racing. Marketed and distributed by Sportsboat World the boat was designed by Tony Castro and launched in 2002.
The SB20 was originally called the Laser SB3, and was marketed and distributed by Laser Performance under licence from the designer. This licence ended in 2012.
The yacht is an open keelboat and is designed for racing with a crew of 3 whose maximum weight must not exceed 270 kg. With a high aspect ratio keel with a very high ballast ratio the yacht is very stable, but also quite fast due to the substantial sail area. The SB20 is unique in that it does not allow hiking, using a small stainless steel bar to prevent hiking by the crew, this allows competitive crews of all shapes, sizes and ages.
The majority of boats are located in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, Singapore and Italy and the Class has attracted considerable support. There is a growing fleet in the UAE. In 2005 the SB20 became the second largest One-design fleet at theCowes Week regatta with 66 entries. In 2006 it became the largest fleet with 89 entries pushing the XOD into second place, an accolade it held for two further years.
There are over 600 boats worldwide, sailed in over 20 countries. Growth in fleets internationally enabled the class to successfully apply to ISAF for the right to host a world championship, the first of which was hosted in Dublin during 2008.
Class website:
http://www.sb20class.com/

Optimist

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The international Optimist’s tag line “How the worlds junior sailors learn to sail” gives you an idea of the class right away. With hundreds of thousands of boats worldwide, and hundreds of active fleets, especially in youth programs throughout the country, it is hard to argue that the Optimist isn’t the most popular one-design boat going.
The boat is really an ideal training platform; simple, stable, easy to rig and transport. Best of all, there are fleets and regattas virtually wherever there is water and a sailing program.
The Optimist was designed in 1947 by American Clark Mills at the request of the Clearwater Florida Optimist service club following a proposal by Major Clifford McKay to offer low-cost sailing for young people. He designed a simple pram that could be built from three sheets of plywood, and donated the plan to the Optimists. The design was slightly modified and introduced to Europe by the Dane, Axel Damgaard, and spread outwards across Europe from Scandinavia. The design was standardized in 1960 and became a strictOne-Design in 1995.
The Optimist is sailed in over 120 countries and it is one of only two yachts approved by the International Sailing Federation exclusively for sailors under 16. At the London Olympics, 80% of all boat skippers were former dinghy sailors, most of them having reached international level in the Class.
Optimists are used for beginners, but most sailors continue to race them up to 13 or 14 years of age. The age limit is 15. Very small children are sometimes “doubled up” but usually the boats are single-handers. In this mode children gain confidence and improved skills: “The small boats train the champs”. Many sailing schools and yacht clubs own a number of them and they are the first boat most beginners will sail.
The Optimist is the biggest youth racing class in the world. As well as the annual world championship the class also has six continental championships, attended by a total of over 850 sailors a year. Many of the top world Optimist sailors immediately become world-classLaser Radial or 4.7 sailors after they “age-out” but many also excel in double-handers such as the 420 and 29er.
Optimists provide real international competition because they are manufactured to the same specification by dozens of builders.
The first World Championships were held in Great Britain in 1962, and they have since been arranged annually. For the first 20 years, the class was dominated by sailors from the Scandinavian countries, with 13 world champions. In the 1990s Argentina was by far the dominant country but since the turn of the millennium there has been no single dominant country, with the 33 medallists coming from 20 countries on five continents.
loa 7’7”
beam 3’7”
sail area 35 ft²
spinnaker area n/a
hull weight 77 lbs.
crew 1
# of boats built
active US fleets New England, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY
For more information please visit this class associations website:   http://www.optiworld.org/
http://www.usoda.org/
Read Emma White’s article on the Opti!
https://www.sail1design.com/airwaves-sailing-news/one-design-classes/1223-optimist-dinghy

Laser

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The international laser, an Olympic Class sailboat, is quite likely the worlds most popular single-handed one-design dinghy, rivaled in numbers only by the sunfish.

With regattas and fleets all throughout the country, this boat is the ideal fun day-sailer that you never outgrow. From learning the basics to doing an Olympic campaign, the boat has it all.

With an un-stayed cat rig and light, 130 lb hull, the laser is very easy to rig and transport. The laser also has rig options for smaller sailors. They are the Laser Radial and the Laser 4.7

loa 13’10”
beam 4’7”
sail area 75 ft² ,  Radial: 62 ft²,   4.7: 50.5 ft²
spinnaker area n/a
hull weight 130 lbs.
crew 1
# of boats built 190,000
active US fleets New England, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY

For more information please visit this class associations website:
http://www.laserinternational.org/

Club 420

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The club 420 is the essential 2 person training dinghy used my the majority of youth sailing programs across the country. The boat is stable, fast, and this class association is very strong. The Club 420 features a single trapeze and spinnaker rig, while the club/collegiate 420 eliminates both for simplicity.

Fleets and regattas are widespread, especially on the east coast, and the 420 is also the choice of many high school & college sailing programs, including top teams like Boston College, Brown University, Yale, and more.

loa 13’9”
beam 5’5”
sail area 110 ft²
spinnaker area 95 ft²
hull weight 220-230 lbs
crew 2
# of boats built not known
active US fleets New England, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY

For more information please visit this class associations website:
http://club420.org/

470

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From www.470.org:
It is a popular class of dinghy, offering a good introduction to high-performance boats without being excessively difficult to handle. It has a large sail-area-to-weight ratio and is designed to plane easily. Most sailors get substantial experience in a more stable and less demanding dinghy before beginning the 470.

The International 470 Class was awarded International Status by the International Yacht Racing Union (now World Sailing) in 1969 and it has been an Olympic class since first featuring at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Used as Olympic equipment since 1976, where the class was sailed as an open event before the introduction of separate events for men and women in 1988, the 470 is the boat currently used for both the men’s two person and women’s two person dinghy events at the Olympic Games and is sailed in more than 60 nations around the world. In 1988 the first ever Olympic women’s sailing event was sailed in the 470, as the first step in increasing the number of women competing at the Olympic Games.

A strict one design class, the 470 has proved its pedigree as an Olympic class, being a high performance sailing dinghy suitable for body weights from all continents and performing across a wide range of weather conditions. Across the 11 Olympic Games in which the 470 Class has been raced, 20 different nations have secured Olympic medals in the men’s and women’s events, demonstrating the depth of participation and talent.

The International 470 Class is responsible for the organization and administration of the 470 Class around the world. With 23% of the athletes at the 2020 Olympic Games competing in the 470 Class, the Class is committed to ensuring their interests and the broader interests of 470 sailing are represented and to encouraging, promoting and developing the 470 Class throughout the world.

The 470 is equipped with spinnaker and trapeze, making teamwork necessary to sail it well. The 470 is not difficult to sail, but to be competitive everything should be mastered and tuned to perfection. Tactically the boat is demanding because speed differences are small and fleets are usually big. The 470 is often quoted as the most challenging, dynamic and thrilling to sail of the boats at the Olympics. The boat can be sailed competitively in a wide range of wind and sea conditions, covering the full range of Olympic sailing conditions.

loa 14’7”
beam 5’6”
sail area 137 ft²
spinnaker area 140 ft²
hull weight 264
crew 2
# of boats built not known
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY

For more information please visit this class associations website:
http://www.470.org/

US 470 Class Website:  https://470usa.org/

Vanguard 15

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Labeled by some as the ideal post-collegiate sailors boat, this simple design is comfortable, easy to sail for beginners and a small family outing, yet also boasts one of the more competitive one-design classes in the US. The Vanguard offers plenty for the thrill seeker; the boat will plane upwind, and is a blast to sail off the breeze in bigger winds as it is relatively stable.

Another bonus of this boat is it’s simplicity. There is so spinnaker; only a jib and mainsail, and minimal controls make this boat easy and inexpensive to maintain. For these reasons the Vanguard 15 is very often the top choice for high-level team racing events. It is a great team racing boat!!

One design feature that is both a blessing and a curse; the foil is a daggerboard, which on the one hand makes the cockpit very open and spacious. On the downside, a daggerboard is a liability should you run aground, as damage to the board, and more critically, the hull, is likely.

loa 15’3”
beam 5’6”
sail area 127 ft²
spinnaker area n/a
hull weight 190
crew 2
# of boats built 5,000
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY

For more information please visit this class associations website:
http://v15.org/

 

CHECK OUT THE SAIL1DESIGN PROFILE ON THE V15:

https://www.sail1design.com/airwaves-sailing-news/one-design-classes/1111-v15

 

505

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2013 plane insane-78Originally launched in 1953, the 5o5 has withstood the test of time and is considered by many to be the best performing high performance planing dinghy ever built. This international class routinely attracts the world’s best sailors, and world championship events, held annually, almost always attract over 100 boats. A physically demanding single trapeze boat, the 5o5 rewards sailors who are smart, in shape, and love to tune. The boat offers those “who like to tinker” almost unlimited opportunities. The class rules, while strict, are fewer in number than most one design  classes, allowing different foil and hull designs, mast sections,  etc. Most all of the top sailors still go the same speed though, and that speed is fast.
The 5o5 class is wonderful, but not for those on a tight budget. New boats are expensive and maintenance is not on the low end.
loa 16.5’
beam 6’2”
sail area 151 ft²
spinnaker area 280 ft²
hull weight 281 lbs.
crew 2
# of boats built 9,000
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY
From the 505 class page:

Hulls are built using the best materials and craftsmanship available including fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon fiber laminates and fully cored construction. This results in boats that last decades, not years. The best quality boats built with honeycomb core and epoxy resins have a competitive life of over 30 years! For this reason, there are many older used boats that can still compete at the highest level.
 
In addition to great local and regional racing, the American Section hosts three major championships each year: East Coast Championships, Pacific Coast Championships, and North American Championships (in conjunction with the Canadian 505 Class). The marquee event for the 505 Class is the annual open World Championships which consistently draws 100-180+ boats!
Please explore the website and learn more about what the 505 Class has to offer. The best way to go for a test sail or to find out more information is to contact your local Fleet Captain. If you can sail a laser, you can have a whole lot more fun sailing a 505!

For more information please visit this class associations website:
http://www.usa505.org/

Snipe

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A competitive but friendly and often family-oriented class association, and a long history of great events, what’s not to love about the Snipe?

Designed by William Crosby in 1931, the Snipe is simple and small, making it easy to sail and trailer. The boat is recognized by the ISAF as an international boat. It is sailed in 26 different countries. There have been over 30,000 Snipes constructed worldwide.

Although the Snipe Class has some of the best competition in the world, the class has not lost sight of the importance of social events and, in fact, many regattas are as well known for their parties as they are for their racing. The global Snipe slogan is “Serious sailing, Serious fun”.

loa 15.5’ 
beam 5’
sail area 128 ft²
smipespinnaker area n/a
hull weight 381
crew 2
# of boats built 30,000 +
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI, VA, NY

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

Albacore

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The Albacore is one of many dinghies from the desk of Uffa Fox. Designed in 1954, this class has active fleets in the US, Canada and England. With over 8,000 boats worldwide the Albacore is clearly one of the most popular dinghies available today. Loaded with features, the Albacore boasts quality workmanship and strong class association support. Few centerboard sailboats available today are as versatile as the Albacore.

Yacht clubs, sailing schools and community sailing clubs have long chosen the Albacore for their junior and adult training programs. In fact, many of the top sailors in North America learned to sail in an Albacore.

The United States Albacore Association supports Albacore Fleets and activities here in the states. Sanctioned events run from March until October. The class association provides a lot of benefits including a regularly published newsletter, seminars, regattas (including regional, national, North American, and world championships), and support of local fleets. Another benefit of a strong class associations is a strong market for used boats. The United States Albacore Association is dedicated to keeping the Albacore sailing fun and affordable.

Here’s the Class Website:

http://usaa.albacore.org

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