Classes & Designs
This page shows you all the classes and designs of the Boats registered at your club. These are ordered by popularity.
Use the Add/Remove buttons to curate the favourite Classes and Designs for your club. The 'favourites' selection will be used to automatically generate a drop down menu for selecting a design when editing a boat. This will populate useful data about Boats at your club (e.g. dimensions and ratings).
If you can't find a particular design in the Design Library, you can create a new one.
The 'favourited' Classes and Designs can be used to create a set of pages on your website to showcase the most popular classes at your club.
Classes and Designs - what is the difference?
A class is a set of rules that govern a specific dinghy, keelboat or yacht design. The "design" refers to the boat itself, including its hull shape, sail plan, and equipment. The class dictates how the design is controlled, which determines the level of uniformity or development allowed within that category.
One-design classes
A one-design class mandates that all boats be as identical as possible, ensuring that racing success is determined by sailing skill rather than equipment differences.
- Design: These boats are built to a strict, single design, minimising variations in hull, spars, and sails.
- Racing: Sailors compete on a level playing field, with the focus on tactical and boat-handling abilities.
- Examples: The ILCA 7 (formerly Laser), Topper and Optimist are prime examples of one-design dinghies.
Restricted or development classes
Restricted classes allow for a degree of design flexibility within a specified "box rule," or set of dimensional limits, for a dinghy's hull or other characteristics.
- Design: Designers can innovate and create different hull shapes and rigs, as long as they stay within the established parameters. This allows for the ongoing development of the boat's design over time.
- Racing: While all boats must conform to the same basic rules, differences in design can influence speed and performance. Success can be a combination of sailing skill and design innovation.
- Examples: The Merlin Rocket and the International 14 are well-known development classes. They have a basic set of restrictions but allow for different hull shapes and sail plans. The National 12 has also seen its designs evolve significantly over its history.
Summary table of differences
|
Feature |
One-Design Class |
Restricted/Development Class |
|
Boat Design |
Strictly controlled to be identical across all boats. |
Limited by a "box rule," allowing for innovation within set parameters. |
|
Competition Focus |
Emphasizes pure sailing skill and tactics. |
Success is a blend of sailing skill and superior design. |
|
Development |
The design is static, with no ongoing development allowed. |
Designs can evolve over time as innovators push the limits of the rules. |
|
Cost |
Generally more affordable for competitive racing, as no design upgrades are needed. |
Can lead to higher costs as sailors and designers seek a performance edge. |
|
Fleet |
Larger fleets and more widespread participation due to lower entry barriers. |
Often features smaller, more technically-focused fleets. |
Last updated 09:33 on 28 September 2025
