Proven from Sydney Hobart to Tahiti Named Dimension-Polyant cloth Designed in Geelong, shipped worldwide Talk to a sailmaker
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Optimist

Optimist School (No Sleeve)

dinghy

The same school-grade training mainsail without the mast sleeve, so instructors can rig, swap or drop it without unstepping the mast.

LOA
2.3
M
YEAR DESIGNED
1947
DESIGNER
Clark Mills
One-Design Sails

Sails For This Class

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Technical Data

Specifications

LOA
2.3
M
Beam
1.13
M
Draft
0.84
M
Hull Weight
35
KG
Crew Min
1
Crew Max
1
Year Designed
1947
Mainsail Area
3.3
M²
Jib Area
0
M²
Spinnaker Area
0
M²
Class Profile

Class Facts & History

Category
Optimist
Type
dinghy
Designer
Clark Mills
Class Association
International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA)

History

Clark Mills designed the Optimist in 1947 for a junior sailing programme in Clearwater, Florida, built from two sheets of plywood so any family could afford one. The design was standardised in 1960, the class became strict one-design in 1995, and IODA now oversees a class sailed in more than 120 countries with well over 150,000 boats registered, more than any other sailing dinghy in the world.

Sailing Characteristics

A standard Optimist sail slides down over the mast through a full-length sleeve, which is a slow job for an instructor managing a dozen boats. This version laces onto the mast instead, so it goes on and comes off in a fraction of the time, on the same tough cloth as our standard school sail.

Racing Context

This is a school fleet sail, not a regatta sail. It's built for busy training days where instructors need to rig, repair or swap sails between sessions without pulling masts out of boats.

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