International 14
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International 14's have always been at the forefront of boat design and development, the first 14's were built in 1925 before officially being a recognized class in 1928. These early boats were made from wood, later fiber glass and most recently carbon fibre.
most modern sailing designs have passed through the I14 class, they were the first boat to use a trapeze which was introduced in 1938 and later in 1984 a second trapeze was added for the helm. Designed 1928 Length 4.26 metre (14 foot) Hull Weight 70kg (154lb) Beam 1.83 metre (6 foot) Mast 7.63 metre (25 foot) Upwind sail Area 18.58 sqm Spinnaker area Unlimited, Typically 32sqm Sailor Weight 2 x crew 150-190kg The modern 14 is all about speed, with an unlimited size spinnaker, hydrofoil rudder and twin trapeze its hard to remember where the class came from. The 14 of new doesn't resemble much of it's ancestors, however its soul continues to live on, with new designs being rolled out there is always a way to find extra speed. Classes come and go but 14's are forever. |
FINN
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The Finn was the Olympic Heavyweight Men's Class. Incredibly technical and physically demanding, it can be regarded as the blue-riband event of Olympic sailing. British sailors - Iain Percy, Ben Ainslie and Giles Scott - have won the Gold Medal at every Olympic Games since 2000 at Sydney.
The Finns unique open pumping rule allows it's sailors to pump the sail downwind, generating its own wind increasing speed. With muscles burning and hitting max heart rates, the fittest and strongest prevail in this class. Designed 1949 by Rickard Sarby(SWE) Olympic Debut 1952 Length 4.5m (14ft 9in) Hull Weight 107Kg (236lb) Beam 1.47m (4ft 10in) Mast 6.66m (21ft 10in) Carbon Fibre Sail Area 10.6m sq (114 sq ft) Sailor Weight 90-110+Kg Although the original Finn shape is from 1949, the Fantastica is a modern optimisation of the design, using the very latest construction materials and methods. One of the many wonderful things about the Finn is the mix of old traditional looks and cutting edge technology in the hull construction, mast manufacture and of course, the sail design and build. |