| Current Specifications |
 |
| Crew |
2 (double trapeze) |
| LOA |
4,876 mm (16 ft) |
| Beam |
without wings:
1,752 mm (5 ft 9 in)
with wings:
2,743 mm (9 ft 0 in) |
| Draft |
1,447 mm (4 ft 9 in) |
| Hull weight |
74.25 kg (163.7 lb) |
| Main & Jib area |
19.97 m2 (215 sq ft) |
| Spinnaker area |
37.16 m2 (400 sq ft) |
| Olympic Class |
The 49er is a double handed twin trapeze skiff type sailing dinghy. The two crew work on different roles with the helm making many tactical decisions, as well as steering, and the crew doing most of the sail control. The design, by Julian Bethwaite, the son of Frank Bethwaite (the designer of the popular Tasar and Laser 2 classes), is revolutionary. The boat was selected by the International Sailing Federation after a series of trials for a high performance two person skiff and has been in every olympics since its debut in Sydney Olympics of 2000.
[edit] History
The 49er marked an advance in dinghy engineering. Based on the Aussie 18s, Julian Bethwaite made several changes to the evolution of high performance sailing. By replacing the spinnaker pole with an asymmetrical spinnaker system which comes straight out of the bow, it facilitates higher speeds and greater ease at flying it.
Another innovative feature is the gust response built into the rig. The deflection of the mast progressively from the top downwards due to the increase in the wind speed causes the sail to flatten, reducing the sail forces. This is an important part of the 49er design and is now used on many skiff designs. The use of solid wings, rather than tubes as on similar boats (RS800 etc), aids sailors new to the world of skiff racing whilst facilitating rapid movement across the 49er during maneuvers.
49ers at the Extreme Sailing Series in Boston harbor preparing to race, 4th of July, 2011
The 49er made its first Olympic appearance at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and has continued to grow in popularity ever since.
With a Portsmouth yardstick Handicap of 744 the 49er is the fastest two person one-design monohull dinghy.
To keep the boat at the forefront of skiff sailing for the 2012 olympics the boat received a new rig design, including a larger fully carbon mast and square top mainsail.[1]
[edit] Events
[edit] World Championships
[edit] Olympics
[edit] Related Boats
The 29er is a smaller, single trapeze trainer to the 49er. It has become popular in North America, Europe and Australia as a fast exciting youth boat. Recently the 29erXX, a twin trapeze version of the 29er, has been produced with a rig very similar to the 49er.
[edit] References
The 59er dingy was put into production in Australia and the UK in 2002. The 59er is a non-trapeze, 4.7m sailing dinghy, rigged with an asymmetric spinnaker. It is designed for a crew weight of 145kg to 180kg. Performance expectations are that it be similar to the 49er/29er model.
[edit] External links
[edit] Other international sailing dinghies
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| Dinghies under 10 ft |
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| Dinghies under 15 ft |
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| Dinghies under 20 ft |
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| Dinghies 20 ft or over |
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