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 Try Sail

dinghy

The simplest, toughest sail we make for the class, built for come-and-try days and first-timers who might only sail it once.

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
3.2
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

Heavier cloth again than our school sail, with minimal shape built in, because the priority here is surviving sailors who have never held a mainsheet before, not going fast. It's a bombproof sail rather than a fast one.

Racing Context

Not intended for racing. It's a taster sail for come-and-try days, school holiday clinics and hire fleets introducing new sailors to the class before they commit to a boat and a proper training sail.

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