420 (dinghy)

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Specifications Under Current Rules
Number of crew 2 (Single Trapeze) LOA 4200 mm 13 ft 9 in Beam 1651 mm 5 ft 5 in Draft 965 mm 3 ft 2 in Hull weight (with fittings) Int./Club 100/104 kg 220/230 lb Sail Area of total of Main and Jib Int./Club 13.05/?? ??/110sq ft Sail Area Spinnaker Int./Club 9/?? sq.m. ??/95sq ft

The International 420 Class Dinghy is a monohull planing dinghy with centreboard, bermuda rig and centre sheeting, designed for a crew of two. The name is the overall length of the boat in centimeters (the boat is exactly 4.2 meters long).

It was designed as a training boat for the larger Olympic class 470 and is still the two person boat of choice at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships.

With its trapeze and spinnaker it provides exciting tactical racing, particularly in a breeze and is a good boat for those of intermediate ability looking to improve their skills or those already at an advanced level. This design is however not suitable for beginners.

A modified version known as the "Club 420" is popular in North America, especially since the laser 2 class has begun to decline since the introduction of the 29er.

Club420s are internationally sailed boats that can be found all over the US. They are especially popular learning boats in New England. For competition one would like a 150pound skipper and about a 110pound crew. Although these boats are not the fastest boats of their size they still require skill to sail fast and help sailors develop their boathandling and racing skills. Additionally small fleets of 8-12 Club420s each are sailed extensively by high schools and college sailing teams participating in the Inter-Scholastic Sailing Association and the Intercollegiate Sailing Association respectively.

420 (dinghy) GBR 39178

External links

• [Official class website]