opti class sailboat

United States Optimist Dinghy Association

Class contact information.

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Class Website

One-Design Class Type: Dinghy

Was this boat built to be sailed by youth or adults? Youth

Approximately how many class members do you have? 1200

Photo Credit:

About United States Optimist Dinghy Association

USODA is the national class organization for Optimist sailing in the United States.

Our mission is simple: USODA will support and sustain junior sailors, their families, and junior sailing programs with leadership, information, and organization which facilitates the growth of Optimist sailing at all levels. We will accomplish this while promoting fun, safety, self-reliance, and good sportsmanship.

USODA is a 501(c)(3) educational organization, able to receive tax deductible contributions from individuals. Its interest is in promoting a boat, the International Optimist Dinghy (IOD), and promoting sailing across the United States.

Boats Produced: Over 23,000 in the United States

Class boat builder(s):

The Class has multiple builders, with McLaughlin being the sole builder in the United States. The main vendors in the United States for new boats are:

McLaughlin Simmons Boatworks KO Sailing Zim

Approximately how many boats are in the USA/North America?

Where is your One-Design class typically sailed in the USA? List regions of the country:

The Optimist Class is active throughout the US.

Does this class have a spinnaker or gennaker? No

How many people sail as a crew including the helm?  1

Ideal combined weight of range of crew:  75-110 lbs

Boat Designed in  1947

Length (feet/inches): 7’2″

Beam: 3’8″

Weight of rigged boat without sails: 77 lbs

Draft: 2’9″

Mast Height: 7’5″

Class Rules (PDF Doc)

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(609) 510-0798

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OPTI CHARTERS

Simmons Boatworks

Zim Sailing

Sail McLaughlin

International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA)

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Related members, related boats.

Event Details

Hatteras Sailing

encouraging youth sailing and competitive opportunities

Optimist Class Sailboats

Why does Hatteras Sailing sail the Optimist Class?

The Optimist Class sailboat has been the standard for youth and junior sailing programs for decades. The class was launched in 1947, and has a long history as the training boat on which the world’s best sailors learn the basics. The boat was designed and first built in Clearwater, Florida but quickly traveled to Europe and throughout the world. The International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) was formed in 1965 and remains one of the most active racing classes in sailing. There are many reasons for a juniors program to adopt the Optimist Class as the training boat for young first time sailors.

Optimist is a deceivingly humble class. An uninformed observer may look at an optimist and see a little kids pram, but an optimist is a fairly high performance little dinghy, and the rigging is cleverly adjustable. From that angle, the Optimist is the unsung hero of junior sailing, and just skirts the line between safety, simplicity, and performance.

Hatteras Sailing chooses to sail the optimist for the same reasons thousands of other sailing and yacht clubs worldwide:

Availability of boats, gear, and competition

Sailboats are expensive. They are expensive to own and expensive to maintain. For a community sailing program, like Hatteras Sailing, it is a prudent decision to choose a boat that is very popular with a long history. This means there is a larger market of used gear and boats which is more affordable for a community supported program.

Many opportunities for racing locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally

Because the Optimist Class has such a long and well established class association (IODA), there are many more opportunities to sail against other competitive sailors in an Opti versus other training dinghy designs. Optimist is just the standard worldwide. If any of our sailors show exceptional talent, more opportunities for more competitive racing helps our club develop that talent.

It is ideal for a sailor to remain in the Opti class as long as physically possible.

The IODA allows sailors to remain in the optimist class up to 15 years of age. The relative simplicity of the Opti class allows sailors to focus on understanding the fundamentals of sailing – wind, current, physics, weather, and the physical and mental multitasking required to make expert sailors. The competition is intense, worldwide sailing opportunities are prevalent, and the sailors learn and practice racing tactics and strategies becoming experts at very young ages. By the time a sailor is ready to graduate Opti class, these fundamental skills should be well developed allowing the sailor to transition into team sailing and more boat complexity on a strong foundation of more fundamental skills.

What gear and equipment does an Optimist Class sailboat need to be competitive?

There is a fair amount of gear an Optimist sailor needs for his/her boat to be legal for racing, but also to be competitive. In this article, we are going to outline the rigging and gear. There many other accessories such as watches, wind instruments, etc which are legal in racing that are not particularly unique to Opti sailing and, while nice to have, those will not be covered here.

Optimist Boat & Gear

• Tiller and tiller extension
• Daggerboard
• Spars: mast and boom
• Mainsheet blocks and rigging
• Bow line /Painter
• Daggerboard securing bungee & rigging

Personal Gear

• Dinghy Sailing booties
• Good watch with timer

Hatteras Sailing currently only has one dolly which we share among all 8 of our boats. Within this fall season, it is our goal to raise enough funds to have a dolly for each boat. Our team also needs a travel trailer which will hold all of our competition Optis, gear, dollies, and rigs.

How much does it cost to buy and equip a new Optimist Class sailboat to perform at the highest level?

A brand new Pro Level Opti equipped for international level racing with a full set of gear and accessories can be purchased new for around $5000. Club level boats can be found for less and the largest manufacturer also sells re-certified refurbished hulls in good as new condition.

A sailboat “class” is a written specification agreed and maintained by the sailors of the class. Most sailboat class associations will allow any builder to manufacture to the class standard, and provide certification services to builders who wish to produce sailboats for the racing class. This is true of the Opti Sailboat Class.

There are many manufacturers for the Optimist class, and the competitive differences between boats are fairly minimal. However, the gear, sails, and rigging can be a significant difference to a sailor’s performance. Currently, our club has a set of 7 borrowed optimists that belong to the Colington Yacht Club and most were built by McGlaughlin.

Many clubs build their own Optis and request a certification of their boats. There are advantages to a ‘build your own program’. Clubs may choose to build because it offers a significant bonding and educational experience for both the parents and sailors. An Opti can be built in wood or in fiberglass. If you build an Opti from fiberglass, it is helpful to have a certified mold and then each boat is racing class. The builder of the mold gets a manufacturer’s certificate and issued a builder number, etc.

Owning your gear and accessories

Our club has a set of 8 hulls (7 borrowed, 1 owned) in pretty good condition and well maintained. Our club eventually does need to purchase its own boats.

Currently, sailors in the Hatteras Sailing program do not need to buy a boat to participate or to be competitive. However, as our sailors improve and succeed in regional racing, having a really great boat that belongs to you is something that every competitive sailor eventually wants. Sailboats like Optis resell for pretty good value. A great Opti purchased for $5000 may sell in 7 years for $2500 – $3000.

When a sailor makes it onto the Hatteras Sailing Invitational Team, they earn the right to choose a club hull and label that hull with their own name. In essence, for as long as they remain on the team, that boat is assigned to the sailor, and that sailor should race, equip, and maintain that the boat as their own.

Equipping your boat

There is considerable wear and tear on gear that is used during practice, etc, and keeping a secondary set of gear preserved for racing is a good strategy. This could mean purchasing or making your sailor a new set of racing sails, boards, rigging, and even spars that they only use for racing.

Any personally owned racing gear belongs to the sailor and is not used by other club members during practice or scrimmage. It can be kept at home and preserved in good condition. Accessories and gear can be augmented and improved by the sailor’s family, preserved in very good racing condition, and sold later to another sailor. All our invitational sailors are invited to have their own gear, but not required to do so.

Article References & Links

Windcheck Article

McGlaughlin

IODA Website

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THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR YOUTH SAILBOAT

The Optimist dinghy is the world’s most popular sailboat for children. North Sails offers multiple sail designs to match your sailor's weight and wind conditions. North has two styles of optimist sails. The Crossover Mainsail is an entry-level sail designed for beginners. This mainsail will carry beginners from their first days on the water through their first season of comeptitve racing.

OPTIMIST SAILS

All-Purpose (Below 38kg)

All-Purpose (38-42kg)

All-Purpose (42-46kg)

All-Purpose (46+ kg)

Entry level sailors

SPEED GUIDE

Tuning guide, optimist experts, kei takakuwa, andrew wills.

NEW ZEALAND

RICCARDO DE FELICE

Kicker schäfer.

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The Optimist: the most popular children's dinghy in the World

IOCA Nationals - YouTube

Welcome to IOCA UK, the class association for the Optimist dinghy which organises events and training throughout the UK.  Most of the world's best sailors started in the Optimist dinghy and went on through other classes all the way to the Olympics.

Whether you are interested in training, or racing at local or national events, or the chance to take part in european events, IOCA UK is here to help you get started and support you along the way.

Check our Racing and Training calendars to find all of our upcoming national and regional events.

The News section has details of previous events and a form to signup for class email announcements.

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Class Sponsors

Saturday, April 9, 2022

Optimist class sailboats.

Optimist Class sailboats, known more affectionately as "Optis," are small starter boats for children and teens learning to sail.  They allow new sailors to develop many of the skills needed to handle larger boats in more competitive settings, including how to bail. 

The Optimist was designed in 1947 by Boatbuilder Clark Mills as a low cost option for young people. It was the answer to the challenge issue by Maj. Clifford Anderson McKay, Sr., speaking at Florida's Clearwater Optimist Club:

"I believe we can adapt the structure of the Soap Box Derby to create a plan for a boy-sized sailboat,” he told the Optimists. “We’re short on hills here, but long on water. The boat should be safe for youngsters, stable in the water, with lightweight booms that wouldn’t harm a small noggin." ( https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2015/06/10/optimist-how-it-all-began/ )

Mills would say of his design, "Ugliest boat I ever made. Looks like a floating hog trough. I called it the Optimist pram, and the name stuck."

Today, millions of boys and girls have learned the skills and joys of sailing [on] this little boat." ( https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2017/08/30/origin-optimist-pram/ ) 

Optis can easily be put on top of cars for transport, and boats can be readied in less than an hour.   

While collective nouns for sail boats include fleet and flotilla , for Optis I would suggest flock or waddling for the children's and brood for the teens'.

7 comments:

What wonderful photos! Brings back such great memories! Thank you so very much!⛵

Growing up, there was a "rental" fleet of Optimist dinghies at a waterfront park in Stockholm where I first got my feet wet. Realizing this is it, my dad and I built an Opti in our basement and I enjoyed my own "yacht" for many years. That intro led to years of cruising in the Baltic, three weeks on a sail training ship, several years as a sailing instructor, racing Cowes week in England and eventually, coming to the US as a professional, racing the ill fated 1972 Newport-Bermuda race through hurricane 'Agnes'... all because of that first Optimist dinghy...

Opti Worlds / Bodrum Turkey in June

Such wonderful memories--can't wait until my little one is old enough to start sailing Optis!

Cottage Point Sailing Club in Winthrop, Mass. uses these. The kids sing together while they sail formations - it's Disney-level adorable.

You see dozens of these little boats in the cove at Chesil Beach outside Weymouth, Dorset from May through October. I had no idea they had a particular name.

My very own first sailboat was a wood Optimist pram in 1959. A fleet was ordered all at the same time that summer for a number of junior sailors at the Wianno Yacht Club in Osterville on Cape Cod. We drew lots for the boats when they were delivered. Mine leaked like a sieve. I named it 'The Tea Bag'. But the water was warm and shallow and we loved them. Nothing like being your own skipper and crew.

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International Optimist Dinghy (IOD) - Opti Class

Opti learn2race.

OLSS Opti classes are designed for novice, intermediate and advanced sailors ages 7 – 13.   Students weighing more than 120 lbs. may find the Opti uncomfortable to sail since it is a small boat.  Students typically have completed/graduated Learn 2 Sail course, or gotten experience from other schools, family, friends or possibly self- taught. Students might own an Opti but OLSS has some available for use. Students in Opti are taught to sail in numerous locations on the lake in various conditions. 

OLSS instructors will introduce new material in a classroom setting before heading out to spend the majority of the class on the water. Sailors will receive group and one-on-one coaching to improve skills and confidence on the water. As the class grows and learns together the instructors will introduce practice races to hone skills.  

Coaches will expand class curriculum to include tuning, sailing rules, and racing tactics.  Attendees may participate in Okauchee races, and attend off lake events.  

Need More Info?   Please review the "More Detail" tab for FAQ's, Student expectations, etc.

More Opti Skippers than Boats?

Students attending Opti L2Race camps or Race team and do not own their own Opti may use OLSS boats for evening races on Okauchee at no charge, or at off lake events by paying a charter fee.  If there are more skippers than boats for any event, priority will be given based on a list of students placed in random order – all Opti Race Team skippers will be prioritized before L2Race skippers.  When skippers race, their priority will be dropped to the bottom of their group.  All 8 OLSS Optis are suitable for Okauchee races, but only 3 can be used off lake.  Okauchee races will be mentored by coaches.  Off lake events may have OLSS coaches in attendance to provide support, but typically during race mentoring is not allowed.

Opti Resources

Optimist Tuning Guide

Opti World Class Page

Inland Lake Yachting Association Class Page

Boat Rapair: S & R Marine  

Opti Class Photos

Registration.

Click on Registration Link on Home page for 2024 registration

Class Details

Opti Learn2Race:   For students aged 7 – 11 who have previous experience in our Learn to Sail program

June 17 - 20 Mon-Thur AM

June 24-27 Mon-Thur AM

July 1-3, 5 Mon-Wed, Fri AM

July 8-11 Mon-Thur AM

July 15-19 Mon-Fri AM

Numerous Opti regattas are supported throughout the summer. Visit the Calendar Page for dates and locations

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Where the future of yachting begins

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New to Opti

Getting started in the Optimist Fleet is an exciting time as for many it is the starting point for a lifetime of enjoyment in the sport of sailing.

It is critical to proceed at the sailor’s speed with learning, keeping the focus on enjoyment. The Optimist is an incredibly stable and robust boat in a variety of conditions, so it is perfect for the gradual development of sailors’ confidence and skills.

Here are some resources for you to download.

OPTIMIST PROGRESSION

Find out more about

• Green Fleet  
• White & Open Fleet

Not registered with NZIODA yet?

Click   here  to register and receive your NZIODA Handbook.  “It all starts here!” A Guide for New Optimist Parents – Learn to Race and Green Fleets”  is full of information and top tips, including:

• essential info of the Optimist class
• the important organisations and governing bodies who take care of racing here and globally
• how the class is structured
• why Green Fleet racing is so beneficial for young people
• why Optimist sailing is so popular in New Zealand and around the world
• advice on the practical and technical side of event racing

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Tanker truck rollover blocks 4 NB lanes of Florida Turnpike near Kendall Drive and Sunset Drive; 11 hurt

Boat fire in sweetwater leaves vessel charred.

SWEETWATER, FLA. (WSVN) - A large boat went up in flames early Friday morning in Sweetwater, prompting a response from firefighters.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was called to the scene at Southwest Second Street and 102nd Court shortly after 4 a.m. where a boat was stored near a house.]

Crews were able to extinguish the fire, but the boat was left completely charred.

The flames did not appear to cause any significant damage to the home.

Officials confirmed that no one was on board at the time of the fire. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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TrendyDigests

Boosting U.S. Submarine Strength: HASC's Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Policy Bill

Posted: May 23, 2024 | Last updated: May 23, 2024

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) has demonstrated a firm commitment to bolstering U.S. submarine capabilities by approving funding for an additional Virginia-class attack submarine in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 defense policy bill. This decision diverges from the administration’s budget request, which initially included funding for only one such vessel.

This strategic move underscores the critical importance of enhancing both national defense capabilities and supporting the submarine industrial base. The chairman’s mark of the bill allocates an additional $1 billion for the procurement of the second Virginia-class submarine, recognizing its vital role in maintaining the Navy’s fast attack capabilities.

To facilitate this action, the seapower and projection forces subcommittee’s mark grants the Navy incremental funding authority, aiming to counteract the sporadic funding patterns that have previously strained the submarine industrial base.

The committee’s documents express concerns over the Navy’s recent decision to request one attack submarine, as opposed to its earlier commitment to buying two attack boats alongside one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine annually.

This shift is deemed to undermine the efforts to rev up the industrial base for heightened demand, including plans under the AUKUS agreement to supply submarines to the Royal Australian Navy.

The HASC seapower panel articulated this sentiment by stating, “To renege on that commitment in just the first year after achieving the needed enabling legislation sends an inconsistent message to our allies and a talking point for our adversaries’ propaganda.”

The industrial base’s current pace of producing approximately 1.3 attack boats per year is below the Navy’s stated need to construct 2.33 attack boats plus one boomer annually, particularly in light of the requirements to support Australian needs.

Navy officials had defended their leaner request by arguing that the backlog and delays in the Virginia program necessitated a concentrated influx of funds to stabilize suppliers ahead of projected demand increases.

Despite the Navy’s proposal for a $7.3 billion allocation for the Virginia-class program, encompassing one submarine and advance procurement for future purchases, lawmakers criticized this approach during posture hearings.

Representative Joe Courtney pointed out that not all companies contributing to the submarine supply chain benefit from advanced procurement dollars; consistent procurement ensures stability across the full spectrum of suppliers.

The HASC’s push for the second submarine has garnered broad legislative support, as evidenced by a letter penned by 120 House lawmakers to the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, advocating for the appropriation of funds for two Virginia-class submarines in FY 2025.

This underscores the bipartisan understanding of the strategic and economic imperatives tied to the submarine program.

The chairman’s mark also reflects a strategic reallocation of resources, as it cuts $1.17 billion from the Navy’s request for a Constellation-class frigate due to delays in the program. This rebalancing act underlines the HASC’s prioritization of assets deemed more immediately critical to national defense.

On the broader naval shipbuilding agenda, the mark generally aligns with the Navy’s aspirations, authorizing funds for two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, one San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, and one Medium Landing Ship. The total authorized shipbuilding budget of $31.6 billion is a slight reduction from the Navy’s $32.4 billion request, with additional provisions for advanced procurement funding for future aircraft carriers.

The NDAA, constrained by the $895 billion spending limit set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, will be subject to further scrutiny and possible amendments during the HASC markup session.

Relevant articles: –  HASC Chairman’s Mark Authorizes Second Virginia-class Submarine, Cuts $1B from Delayed Frigate Program , USNI, 05/14/2024 –  35s in $849.8 billion draft defense policy bill , Breaking Defense, 05/13/2024

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