FINN sailing dinghy- Olympic class racing yachts, designed in 1949 by the Swedish amateur designer Richard Sarbi and since 1952 replaced the outdated "Olympic" monotype dinghy at the Olympic regattas. In 1956, the class becomes international. Crew - 1 person. Armament - cat. Finn's sailing dinghy is one of the few survivors of the sailing world. He survived 13 re-qualifications as an Olympic class and 50 years of technical adjustments, starting in the 1950s. from a wooden hull and cotton sails to a fiberglass hull, a coal mast and kevlar sails.
The FINN class yacht is a racing boat, very sensitive to tuning, mast flexibility, sail cut, rider weight and cockpit position depending on the course of the wind and its strength. Rounded hull lines with a fairly flat and wide bottom in the stern contribute to the planing of the boat in the fresh wind. Yacht Finn belongs to the class of yachts for the most difficult yachtsmen. "Finnist" must have the qualities of a helmsman and clew.
Finn's plastic yachts have a "double-breasted" hull design - with tanks that ensure the sailing dinghy is unsinkable and easy to return to a flat keel position in the event of an overturn. Today the Finn dinghy has carbon masts that have permeated almost all levels of a Finn class yacht, and aluminum masts are considered obsolete, especially by upscale yachtsmen. They are still used in the lower ranks due to their low cost and durability.
For half a century, the yacht has made a huge impact on the sailing world, becoming a popular club yacht, an Olympic legend and mentor to many top-class athletes. The Finn class today is very different from the class it was in the days of Sarby, who created it in 1949. The corps is almost exactly the same. But it is made from advanced fiberglass with a carbon mast and kevlar sails. In 1949, they could not have imagined such a thing.
Finn is an incredibly powerful and athletic yacht with her own personality. To learn how to cope with her, you need to subtly feel the peculiarities of her behavior. Without any doubt, we can say that the Finn is the most respected class, and the Finns are the most powerful sailors on the planet. Finn sailing dinghy is a unique yacht that can be adjusted to almost any conditions and even with a weight of 60 kg to cope with bad weather.
During the existence of the yacht Finn in the Olympic program there have been several attempts to replace him with a newer and more modern yacht. Back in 1967, there were rumors that Finn was outdated and needed to be replaced. They even held qualifying races. Now, too, there are a number of applicants who are striving to take the place of a well-deserved yacht. But every time Finn comes out the winner.
Crew: 1 person
Boat hull weight: 107 kg
Case material: wood or polyester plastic reinforced with fiberglass
Body length: 4.5 m
Case width: 1.5 m
Grotto area: 10.2 m2
Single sailing dinghy "Finn" designed in 1950 by the Swedish amateur designer Richard Sarbi and since 1952 replaced the obsolete "Olympic" at the Olympic regattas. In 1984, Olympic medals were awarded in this class for the tenth time.
| Basic data of the Finn sailing dinghy | |
|---|---|
| Maximum length, m | 4,50 |
| Length at design waterline, m | 4,05 |
| Maximum width, m | 1,51 |
| Board height, m | 0,45 |
| Draft by body / centerboard, m | 0,15/0,84 |
| Weight, kg | 145 |
| Sail area, m2 | 10 |
Until 1962, the Finnish hulls were built of wood with lathing of slats or a shell structure made of veneer. After the International Sailing Union was allowed to build plastic "Finns", they were immediately engaged in the manufacture of several firms. In the USSR, plastic "Finns" were manufactured by the Tallinn Experimental Sports Shipbuilding Shipyard.
In particular, boats of this class for all participants in the 1980 Olympics were built in Tallinn.
The Finn is a purely racing boat, very responsive to tuning, mast flexibility, sail cut, rider weight and cockpit position depending on the course of the wind and its strength. Rounded hull lines with a fairly flat and wide bottom in the stern contribute to the planing of the boat in the fresh wind.
Plastic "Finns" have a "double-breasted" hull design - with onboard air compartments, ensuring unsinkability and ease of returning to a position on a flat keel in the event of capsizing. On the move, the water that has got into the boat is removed with the help of scuppers mounted in the bottom and working on the principle of an ejector - due to the vacuum that occurs behind the stern cut of the device in a lowered form.
The mast is made of aluminum alloys or wood and is selected for flexibility depending on the weight of the helmsman. The vessel is supplied with devices for adjusting the position of the mast in the step, with guy wires for adjusting the tension of the front and back leech of the sail, etc.
Yacht classes are determined by the navigational conditions and the results of the development of the yachting industry. Classes are improved and modified under the influence of the development of sailing. The meaning of the classification is to limit the size of the yacht and their proportions, which affect the performance and seaworthiness.
The sport yacht classes are divided into Olympic, international and national classes.
Olympic yacht classes are used to compete in the Olympic Games where uniform yacht speed is essential. International classes have spread in many countries, they are officially recognized by the International Sailing Federation. The national yacht class is relevant for one country. These vessels are adapted to navigate the waters of only one country.
The expert of the yacht club "Chernomor" considered each of the yacht classes separately:
Olympic yacht class
49er
Specifications
The crew consists of two people.
Maximum length (without bowsprit): 4.90 m.
Bowsprit length: 1.7 m.
Waterline length: 4.65 m.
Width: 2.0 - 2.90 m.
Draft: 0.15 - 1.30 m.
Sail area: mainsail: 15 m 2, Jib: 6.7 m 2, asymmetric spinnaker (gennaker): 38 m 2
Total weight: 125 kg.
The Olympic yacht class 49 re is a sailing dinghy with developed rigging and a double trapeze.
470
Specifications
Overall length: 4.70 m
Breadth overall: 1, 72 m
Board height: 0.34 m
Weight: 120 kg
Draft by hull / centerboard: 0.15-1.08 m
Sail area: mainsail 9.45 m 2; jib: 3.59 m2; spinnaker: 12.16 m 2
Olympic class sailing yachts, dinghy, monotype. The name of the 470 class comes from the length of the case in centimeters.
For the hull of the yacht 470, the waterline is rather narrow, with a significant designation of the boards. The yacht has a small wet surface, and its opening is easier even with comparatively little equipment in a strong wind. 470 is equipped with a trapezium for a headstock and leg belts for a python.
Neil Pryde RS: X
Specifications
Overall length: 2.79 m
Overall width: 0.93 m
Displacement: 15.5kg
Crew - 1 person
Body Material: Fiberglass (GRP) and Carbon
Centerboard: carbon sandwich
Volume: 231 l
Fin: 64/70 cm
Sail area: 9.5 / 8.5 m 2
In Olympic windsurfing competitions it is customary to use boards from the same serial manufacturer. Athletes use the same planks, fins, sails and centerboards.
Star
Specifications
Length: 6.92 m
Length at waterline: 4.72 m
Deck width: 1.73 m
Draft: 1.02 m
Weight: 662 kg, of which false keels: 395-408 kg.
Sail area: 26.5 m 2
The crew of the Zvezdny yacht class consists of two people. Draft and waterline length are approximate, because these dimensions are not precisely established by the rules.
Yacht of international class "Star" (STAR) is a keel yacht with full hull length.
Ingling
Specifications
Length: 6.35 m
Length of the hull at the waterline: 4.7m
Width: 1.73 m
Weight: 645 kg, including keel weight - 310 kg
Draft: 1.05 m
Sail area: mainsail and staysail: 14 m 2
Spinnaker: 21 m 2
The yacht is designed for a crew of three. The Olympic yacht Ingling is the ideal racing boat for women.
Laser-Standard and Laser-Radial
Specifications
Length: 4.23 m
Width: 1.37 m
Draft: 0.79 m
Body Material: Fiberglass (GRP)
Displacement: 59 kg
Crew: 1 person
"Laser-Radial":
Optimal crew weight: 55-70 kg
Sail area: 5.76 m 2
"Laser-Standard":
Optimal crew weight: 72-83 kg
Sail area: 7.06 m 2
The main idea of this class of yachts is the "three boats in one" formula. Yacht Laser is attractive for its simplicity: you can change the size of the lower part of the mast and the sail area in the same hull.
Tornado
Specifications
Length: 6.1 m
Width: 3.0 m
Mast height: 9.5 m
Draft with centerboard: 0.78 m
Crew: two people (helmsman and clew).
The distinctive mark of this yacht is the stylized letter "T" above the two horizontal lines.
The Tornado yacht is a catamaran, light and fast. Tornado is the fastest of all Olympic yacht classes.
Finn
Specifications
Length: 4.50 m
Width: 1.51 m
Minimum body weight with centerboard and rudder: 105 kg
Sail area: 12 m 2
Crew: 1 person
"Finn" is an Olympic-class sailing dinghy.
The modern Finn differs from the first yacht of this class of the 50s. first of all, the design - materials and manufacturing technology have changed, the hull of the yacht is made of fiberglass, and the weapons are made of carbon fiber.
International yacht classes
The Dragon
Specifications
Length: 8.90 m
Width: 1.95 m
Draft: 1.20 m
Displacement not less than 1650 kg (with equipment, without mast, of which 1000-1020 kg - ballast keel)
Sail area, mainsail: 16 m 2, genoa: 11.7 m 2 and spinnaker: 23.6 m 2.
Crew: no more than 3 people.
Keel yacht "Dragon" is an elite class of sports yachts in Europe. Today, owning and managing it is a symbol of prestige and a sign of style.
All modern "Dragons" are made to order with the corresponding price. A new Dragon made of fiberglass without sails costs about 50 thousand euros, if you put a teak deck on the fiberglass hull, its cost will rise to 70 thousand. Luxurious "Dragons" are made using a special technology of vacuum lamination of mahogany veneer. Thus, the hull becomes rigid and strong, and the speed increases in weak and strong winds. The price of such a yacht is 100-130 thousand euros. The production time is about a year.
Snipe
Specifications
Length: 4.72 m
Width: 1.51 m
Mast height: 6.5 m
Minimum weight: 172.8 kg
Sail area: 10.7 m 2 - mainsail: 7.5 m 2, jib: 3.2 m 2
Total crew weight: 120-150 kg
One of the main advantages of "Snipe" as a representative of the sports class of yachts is its relatively low speed and less maneuverability compared to other, more modern dinghies. These properties make tactical combat in competitions much more acute.
Micro
Specifications
Hull length 5.5 m
Overall width no more than 2.5 m
Weight within 500-600 kg
The history of the Micro yacht class began in the 60s of the last century, when Europe was swept by a wave of outdoor activities. France was the first to give birth to a new type of small cruiser-racing yachts, transported on trailers behind cars.
To ensure that athletes have an equal chance of winning, Micro is divided into three subclasses:
- "PROTO" - these are racing prototypes, the lightest and most energy-equipped, a kind of "Formula 1",
- "CRUISER" - serial, stable and spacious,
- "RACER" is a subclass that combines the speed of "PROTO" and the versatility of the "CRUISER".
Flying Dutchman
Specifications
Length: 6.06 m
Length at waterline: 5.50 m
Width: 1.78 m
Body weight: 130 kg
Yacht weight with sail rig: 165 kg
Crew: 2 people
Grotto area: 10.2 m 2
Genoa area: 8.4 m2
Spinnaker area: 21 m 2
The Flying Dutchman (FD) is a 20-foot high-speed sports sailing dinghy (s) and is still considered one of the fastest head-on dinghies in the world.
Mistral
Specifications
Average:
Length: 258 - 259 cm
Width: 72 - 80 cm
Volume: 140 - 150 L
Fin: 43 - 50 cm
Weight: 7.7 - 9.8 kg
Sail size: 5.8 to 9.5 m 2
The Mistral sailboard appeared in 1960. Sailboards have hulls of various sizes: from 30-50 to 300-400 liters, depending on the purpose.
National yacht classes
em-ka
Specifications
Width: 2.4 m
Length: 6.1 m
Body length with rudder blade (overall): 6.5 m
Body length with rudder and bowsprit (maximum): 7.7 m
Depth in bow: 0.75 m
Depth amidships: 0.6 m
Draft: 0.2 m
Draft with the centerboard down: 1.3 m
KLV mast height: 9.1 m
Displacement: 305 kg
Sail area, mainsail: 15.4 m 2, cotaxel: 7.1 m 2, gennaker: 27 m 2
Domestic yacht eM-Ka is a universal sailing yacht with an optimal price-quality ratio and modern sailing equipment.
Open 800
Specifications
Length: 8.00 m
Width: 2.55 m
Draft: 2.00 m
Minimum displacement: 1000kg
Mast height: 11.00 m
In fact, this is a free tier class of cruising monohull yachts with a length of up to 8 meters. Belonging to the national class of yachts "Open800" is determined by the executive body of the Class Association on the basis of the Certificate of Measure for Handicap RS-2000, about which the corresponding Certificate is issued.
Olympic, international and national yacht classes are divided into different racing classes so that athletes have an equal opportunity in competition.
Birth of an Olympic legend
The predecessor of the Finn until 1948 as a single Olympic yacht was the Olympic, which was a fairly heavy vessel. Therefore, it was decided to create a more convenient replacement. Among the provided developments of an alternative to "Olympic", special sympathy was won by the project of Richard Sarbi, an amateur designer who was engaged in the development of canoes from. It was his "Fint", later renamed "Finn", that became the new version of the single Olympic-class yacht, which debuted at the 1952 Olympics.
Unlike the Olympic, the new yacht was lighter and with a significantly simplified design. The mast for yachts of this class was installed directly into the hull like a stick. Subsequently, the famous yachtsman Paul Elvström came up with a flexible design of such a mast, which made it possible to adjust the sail control even in strong winds. This was a real breakthrough, and it is thanks to this technology that modern Finn class boats can be tuned to any wind force in the range from 2 to 50 knots.
Design features
Yachts of the Finn class are of a strict monotype with characteristic rounded hull lines and an almost flat bottom. The standard length of this racing boat is 4.5m with a width of 1.5m and a total sail area of 10.5m2. At the same time, yachtsmen have many opportunities to achieve better results due to the independent choice of the sail shape, mast flexibility and customization of the yacht for different weather conditions.
If the original Finn corpus has changed little over the half century of its existence, the materials used have evolved significantly. The first step towards innovative solutions in the construction of "Finns" was taken in 1961, when there were changes in the rules, allowing the free choice of materials for construction.
In 1962, the wood used to create the hull was replaced by fiberglass. Subsequently, innovations in the Finns touched the mast and sails. Modern ones of this class are usually equipped with carbon fiber masts and Kevlar (originally cotton) sails. Half a century of technical improvements have not been in vain: racing yachts of this class have excellent tactical capabilities for solo sailors and still have not left the water arena of the Olympic Games.
Among the yachts of the Olympic class "Finn" is considered one of the most budgetary, especially if you take into account the nuance that the acquired yacht is able to remain competitive during the two Olympics. The most famous, engaged in the development of yachts of this Olympic class, are located in Great Britain, Hungary, South Africa, and there are Finnish associations in 50 countries of the world.
A yacht for real "Olympians"
A boat of this class can be adjusted to almost any weather conditions, and even with a yachtsman weighing 60 kg, it is easy to cope with bad weather. But still, in order to learn how to fly the Finn perfectly, you need to feel all the peculiarities of this yacht's behavior on the water. Therefore, it is no coincidence that yachtsmen who sail on yachts of this class are considered one of the most powerful masters.
According to Italian yachtsman Giorgio Poggi, "Finn" is a yacht whose helmsman should be able to do everything. Participation in competitions on yachts of this class presupposes serious requirements for the physical training of yachtsmen. A "Finnish" helmsman must be a resilient, strong and flexible athlete who is fluent in the art of sailing.
Many develop training programs with an emphasis on yachts of the Finn class, which provides the opportunity to pass a stepped path from the Optimist to boats of this Olympic class. At the same time, this is the class of racing yachts - "Olympians", where beginners meet with real sailing veterans, because the age of sailors sailing on these boats ranges from 17 to 60 years. In addition, Finn sailing dinghies are ideal for tall heavyweight athletes.
Among the connoisseurs of Finn class yachts there are the most famous yachtsmen of the planet. Among the star names of the "Finnish" are Ben Ainsley, Paul Elvstrem, Valentin Mankin, Willie Kuwaide - and this list can be continued by more than one sailing legend. So, Paul Elvstrem won three of his Olympic gold medals out of four at the Olympics on a Finn class yacht. In addition, a lot of technical innovations in yachting came from this class. Both the flexible mast and the pitching technique were born from the Finns.
Yachts of this class have had a significant impact on the development of sailing and have become a real Olympic legend. Over the years of Finn's existence, there have been several attempts to replace it with a more modern model. But yachts of this class still do not give up their leadership positions, because those who are used to training and going to victories under the sail of this boat confidently defend its advantages, not allowing them to oust the Finns from the arena of modern sailing.
This year, for the fourth time in the course of the next Olympic Games, Finns will compete as singles sailing dinghies. In 1952, the Finn, designed by the Swedish amateur designer Richard Sarby, replaced the old monotypes - the outdated Olympic and the English two-seater Firefly sailing dinghy, on which (in a single version) the prizes of the XIV Olympiad were played.
The light "Finn" with its flexible spars and peculiar hull contours was the embodiment of the idea of a seaworthy and maneuverable lone dinghy, which could glide in a strong enough wind. The appearance of the "Finn" was one of the first steps towards a kind of "athleticization" of sailing, that is, the creation of conditions under which the success of a rider would directly depend not only on experience, but also on physical fitness. The Finn is a pure racing sailing dinghy that requires the helmsman to blow it up in the fresh wind! enormous physical effort. This sporting severity, combined with his Olympic status, determined the contingent of "Finnish" helmsmen - most of them are perfectly physically prepared athletes, enthusiasts, passionately in love with sailing.
Richard Sarby himself, having put the "Finn" into a large international "orbit", did not remain among the best racers for long. His business was continued and developed by such yachtsmen as Paul Elvström (Denmark) and André Neli (Belgium). In their search, they went much further than the author of the "Finn". How much the modern "Finn" is more perfect than its prototype - the "Fint" sailing dinghy, which won a regatta for single ships in 1950, organized with the aim of choosing an Olympic monotype, is evidenced at least by the fact that "Fint" did not even have a shoulder strap for the lower block of the boom-sheet and the boom-sheet was attached in the center plane - on the rear edge of the centerboard well. Interestingly, the main difference between the "Fint" and other racing sailing dinghies - flexible spars - was noticed then by very few.
The Finns gained the greatest popularity in the USSR (where more than a thousand of them were built and where they are, in fact, the only lone dinghies), as well as in the German Democratic Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany and Holland. In most of the countries of Western Europe and America, where there are many classes of smaller and cheaper singles, interest in the race of "Finns" awakens only in preparation for the next Olympics.
Until 1962, "Finns" were built of wood, sheathed or ironed out of slats or shell veneer construction. After the International Sailing Racing Union was allowed to build plastic "Finns", they were engaged in the manufacture of several firms at once. The most noteworthy, perhaps, is the experience of creating two plastic "Finns" - Elvst-Removsky and the so-called "HVM-Finn" (Fig. 1).
Paul Elvström, having bought a company that produced plastic sailing dinghies in 1962, began by recruiting experienced and loving yachtsmen as workers, rightly believing that only with such a team can you really work on improving racing boats. Even in the sailing workshop of the company there are seamstresses-yachtsmen. For some time new orders were not accepted. This time was used for the construction and testing of experimental "Finns" and for the establishment of mass production.
The Finn's building rules, drawn up with a view to the wooden structure of ships, allow quite significant deviations in the shape of the hull. It cannot be otherwise: a wooden hull can deform during operation, and it would be unfair to deprive a ship of the right to participate in races, built correctly, but from time to time has changed its shape. Cases made of reinforced plastic - fiberglass - as practice shows, almost do not deform. This made it possible to change the theoretical drawing of the hull within the limits of construction tolerances, without fear of violations of the building rules. This is how the Elvstrom super- "Finns" were created, which were then put into mass production.
The experiments were carried out not only on the hull. It is known that on "Finn" the weight of the helmsman plays a very important role. A heavier helmsman in a strong wind can carry the sail on a stiffer spar, that is, more efficient use of the wind force. As a result of the experiments, a relationship was found between the weight of the helmsman and the most advantageous rigidity of the spar. A typical deflection curve of the Elv-Stretovsky mast is shown in Fig. 2.
At the end of the experiments, a large series of ships was immediately laid down. Now the shipyard can simultaneously build 30 "Finns", and there is no usual division into "serial" ships and "extra": all ships are exactly the same and differ only in color.
Things like steering gear, boom shoulder straps, roll loops, ejectors are simple and elegant. There are four ejectors. Two of them are located in their usual places - at the rear edge of the centerboard well, the other two are further aft and closer to the sides.
The tilt of the mast is determined by an adjustable spur (fig. 3).
To the boom-sheet slider on the pursuit, two thin cables are drawn from the sides, choosing or tapping which, the slider can be installed at different distances from the centerline (Fig. 4). These cables are laid on eccentric stoppers.
Especially good are Elvstrem sails, which are produced in three types - for strong, medium and light winds. A sail for a strong wind looks flat if it is set according to the brands, but as soon as the halyard and boom-sheet are removed by 1-1.5 cm, the sail acquires a significant belly and becomes suitable for light winds. A sail for a light wind is sewn in the largest possible area. A second krengel is made about 10 cm above the tack angle, pulling which to the boom, you can make the sail flatter. Each finished sail is checked on the shore on a special mast (Fig. 5).
The steering gear has a lifting tiller and a device for holding the rudder in place when the sailing dinghy is overturned in the form of a strip of spring steel attached to the transom (Fig. 6). The swinging hinges are adjustable in both length and position (fig. 7; see also fig. 4).
The buoyancy reserve is provided by a special "double-breasted" hull design (Fig. 8). Four foam cylinders are fixed in the inter-board space. Noteworthy is the absence of "vents" in the transom. Obviously, with such a buoyancy margin, the ship, even completely flooded with water, floats high enough that water quickly pours out of the cockpit through open ejectors.
If Elvstrom's Finn is a purely plastic ship (Fig. 9) with all its grace and completeness, then the HVM Finn, developed by Nel and Maars in collaboration with the plastic shipbuilding specialist Flieger, looks more like an attempt to repeat the wooden design. Of the advantages of plastic over wood, perhaps only its great water resistance is fully used.
The buoyancy reserve is provided by the arrangement of air boxes under the side deck and the sealing of the bow compartment. Convenience of work for the helmsman is almost the same as on the Elvstremov Finn, except that the brace for fixing the position of the boom slider on the chase is laid on a stopper located in the middle of the cross bar, which makes it impossible for the helmsman to control it on tacking when opening, although the slider itself is made on rollers, as if specifically to facilitate such work. The ends of the shoulder strap, which is a stainless steel pipe, are fixed on special side brackets, although it was enough to lengthen the shoulder strap by only a few centimeters to fix it on the wall of the air box.
The hinges for opening are located in the same way as for Elvstrem, but there is no possibility of adjustment. With the boom-sheet selected, the mast bends almost along an arc of a circle. The sail is equipped with a zip fastener for closing the belly in strong winds.
Both Elvstremovski and HVM-Finns have won major international competitions more than once, so it is difficult to give preference to driving performance of one type or another. However, Elvstrem's "Finn" gained wider recognition. Vessels of this type were built in Japan for the participants of the Tokyo Olympics.