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One-Design & Club

Sonar

keelboat

A stable, self-bailing 23 foot keelboat designed by Bruce Kirby, built for accessible racing and long used as a Paralympic class.

LOA
7.01
M
YEAR DESIGNED
1979
DESIGNER
Bruce Kirby
One-Design Sails

Sails For This Class

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Technical Data

Specifications

LOA
7.01
M
Beam
2.39
M
Draft
1.19
M
Hull Weight
952
KG
Crew Min
3
Crew Max
5
Year Designed
1979
Mainsail Area
14.75
M²
Jib Area
9.19
M²
Spinnaker Area
31.8
M²
Class Profile

Class Facts & History

Category
One-Design & Club
Type
keelboat
Designer
Bruce Kirby
Class Association
Sonar Class Association

History

Bruce Kirby, best known for designing the Laser, drew the Sonar as a big, stable daysailer that could also race hard one-design. It became the keelboat used in Paralympic sailing from 2000 to 2016, and disabled sailors remain a strong and active part of the fleet today.

Sailing Characteristics

A wide, stable hull and a self-bailing cockpit make the Sonar forgiving to sail and easy to adapt for sailors with a range of physical abilities. It still carries enough sail area and a genuine spinnaker to reward proper trim and tactics in one-design fleet racing.

Racing Context

The Sonar Class Association runs North Americans and Worlds most years, with the strongest fleets based in the northeastern United States and continued strong participation from disabled sailing programs.

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