All new Optimists have the same speed potential.

Look at the results from the 2005 World and European championships

This rainbow chart illustrates graphically the wide variety of boats used by the top 20 sailors at the 2005 Optimist Worlds and Europeans. FIFTEEN different makes were used by these top 60 sailors.

This confirms again that the Optimist is a true one-design where it is the sailor who wins, not the boat.

  Worlds European Boys European Girls
1 GER 11601 Nordest DEN 7954 Winner USA 12812 Charter**
2 TRI 1006 Charter* BRA 3036 Charter** SWE 4014 Osis
3 CHN 551 Charter* ESP 822 Charter** ESP 1274 Charter**
4 GER 10961 Nordest GRE 2992 Charter** ITA 6804 Nordest
5 SWE 4116 Finessa BER 1189 Charter** DEN 7800 Osis
6 ESP 769 Charter* ITA 6718 Nordest BER 1128 Charter**
7 GER 11061 Nordest CRO 900 Winner ITA 6855 Winner
8 PER 286 Charter* RUS 6 Finessa GRE 623 Finessa
9 SLO 378 Morgan PER 280 Charter** GER 11613 Ziba
10 BER 1008 Nordest NED 2597 Nordest SWE 4023 OS Båtar
11 POL 1114 Ziba SWE 4011 Osis GRE 1495 Charter**
12 GRE 1526 Finessa FRA 1621 Winner CRO 943 Nautivela
13 SWE 4065 OS Båtar ESP 998 Charter** NED 2509 Van Wettum
14 NZL 3958 Charter* MLT 103 Charter** NED 2645 Van Wettum
15 SIN 3111 Charter* DEN 7830 Opti-X PRC SWE 4070 OS Båtar
16 ITA 6789 Nautivela GRE 252 Nordest GER 11336 Ziba
17 GBR 5452 Nautivela FRA 1521 Erplast FRA ITA 6701 Nautivela
18 BRA 3255 Rio Tecna ESP 1112 Charter** IRL 1153 Charter**
19 GRE 2386 Ziba ITA 6427 Faccenda CRO 911 Nautivela
20 TRI 1014 Charter* CRO 858 Winner GRE 1527 Finessa
  *=Winner **= Sport-Sails Center (formerly Ziba)

These figures confirm earlier analyses in 2000 and 2001

And boats from yet other builders figured among the leaders of the North American, South American and Asian championships.

The Optimist Class believes that, whatever may happen later in their sailing life, young people should begin in a boat where neither the wealth not the technical ability of the parents should influence who wins.

And no boats again will ever be considered obsolete because of a "NEW! IMPROVED!" design. One of the boats above was 12 years old. This protects your investment.

NOTE TO ALL BOATBUILDERS: Anyone may build Optimists: all you need is to have a prototype from each mould inspected by an official IODA measurer.