What is an Optimist?
"a flat-bottomed, hard-chine, pram-bow dinghy with a una spritsail"
(The Observer's Book of Small Craft)
"a bathtub that breeds the best sailors"
(Observant Sailor at the Club Bar)
The Optimist is a small, single-crew sailing dinghy for children up to the age of 15. Nowadays boats are usually made of fiber reinforced plastic, although wooden boats are still built.
It is one of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world, with over 140,000 boats officially registered with the class and many more built but never registered.
The Optimist is also recognized as an International Class by the International Sailing Federation.
(wikipedia)
Specifications
- 2.31m (7'6.1/2") long.
- 1.13m (3'8") wide.
- Weight 35kg (77lbs).
- Available in GRP, wood or wood/epoxy.
Why the Optimist?
- Optimists are designed for kids. They can handle them without danger, fear or back-strain. Safe and simple enough for an 8-year old, exciting and technical enough for a 15-year old.
- Single-handed is best. They didn't learn to ride a bike on a tandem.
- Over 150,000 kids in over 100 countries cannot be wrong.
- The Optimist is not only the biggest dinghy class in the world, it is the fastest growing.
- The only dinghy recognised by the ISAF exclusively for under 16s
- Former Optimist sailors were over 50% of the dinghy skippers at the last Olympics.
- Easily transported on top of any car, (where it will drip water over your shiny paintwork!).
Useful Sites