topboats

Which boat is fastest?

The one with the best skipper!

All new Optimists have the same speed potential.

Look at the results from the 2000 World and European championships:

This rainbow chart illustrates graphically the wide variety of boats used by the top 20 sailors at the 2000 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		Euro - Girls		Euro - Boys
CRO 761	Nautivela	ITA-5370	Morgan	BRA 2987	**
ARG 2739	Rio Tecna	EST-6	Osis	ITA 5306	Nautivela
ITA 5584	Morgan	ARG-2674	**	GBR 4747	Naaix
ITA 5461	Nordest	FIN-245	Osis	BRA 3090	**
CRO 785	Nautivela	BRA-2811	**	USA 8119	**
SWE 3739	Finessa	GRE-1256	Winner	ITA 5326	Morgan
BEL 1003	Nautivela	ARG-2631	**	BRA 3085	**
BEL 983	Nautivela	IRL-875	**	ARG 2627	**
BRA 3050	*	ITA-5781	Morgan	GBR 4802	Winner
FIN 267	Björndahl	GER-10700	Kristiansen	ITA 5301	Nautivela
CRO 773	Morgan	JPN-2867	**	MEX 428	**
ARG 2784	Rio Tecna	ISR-26	**	RUS 43	Art Marine
ESP 454	Lenam	ESP-235	Naaix	ESP 455	Lenam
FIN 258	Nordest	ITA-5357	Morgan	SWE 3717	Finessa
USA 9257	*	BEL-976	Finessa	MEX 412	**
GER 10506	Nordest	CRO-782	Morgan	CRO 98	Morgan
POL 990	Winner	BRA-3004	**	ITA 5414	Nordest
FRA 1064	?	FRA-727	Nordest	CRO 752	Winner
FRA 1073	?	GER-10651	Winner	NED 2216	Van Wettum
FRA 828	?	SWE-3770	McLaughlin	SWE 3694	Finessa
	* = Charter (Naaix) ** = Charter (Nautivela)

Yes, boats from fourteen different builders were used to achieve these top places.
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.
This equality of hulls is the fruit of four years of intensive work by IODA. See the article "Cheaper & More One-Design" for how this was achieved.

Following this work:
all hulls are built to within +/- 2mm
all hulls have identical layup
prototypes from each mould are measured by one of three International Measurers
each boat is measured by a national measurer
each boat carries a certificate of conformity signed by the builder
At the Worlds a hull from each mould represented was measured. Inevitably there were minor deviations: but none could improve the speed of the boat.
So you may buy a boat:
because it is cheaper
because you believe it will last longer (only time will tell)
because it is built in your country
because it is prettier
But you shoud not buy it because it is claimed to be faster.
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/IYRU measurer. Fax or e-mail the numbers on the Optimist Homepage for details.