how heavy is a 420 sailboat

• 420 Sailboats: Exploring the Thrill of Dinghy Sailing

Sailing has been an adventurous and captivating water activity enjoyed by enthusiasts around the world for centuries. Among the various sailing boats, the 420 sailboat stands out as a popular choice for dinghy sailing. In this article, we will delve into the exciting world of 420 sailboats, understand what makes them unique, explore different sailing dinghy types, and discover the thrill of dinghy cruising. So, hoist the sails and let's embark on this thrilling journey!

What are 420 Sailboats?

1.1 the origins of the 420 sailboat.

The 420 sailboat originated in France in the late 1950s as a two-person dinghy designed for competitive racing. Its design was based on the popularity of the larger 470 sailboat and was intended to create a more accessible racing boat for young sailors.

1.2 Design and Characteristics

The 420 sailboat typically measures around 4.2 meters (13 feet 9 inches) in length, featuring a single trapeze, a mainsail, and a jib. The boat's hull is often made of fiberglass, ensuring durability and performance on the water.

1.3 Sailing Community and Competitions

Over the years, the 420 sailboat has garnered a strong global following, becoming one of the most popular dinghies for youth and amateur sailors. The boat's versatility allows both beginners and experienced sailors to enjoy thrilling competitions and hone their skills.

The Fascination of Dinghy Sailing

2.1 understanding dinghy sailing.

Dinghy sailing involves sailing small boats, often single-handedly or with a crew of one or two. It offers a more intimate connection with the water, providing sailors with an immersive experience of being one with the elements.

2.2 Advantages of Dinghy Sailing

Dinghy sailing offers several advantages, such as affordability, portability, and maneuverability. Sailors can easily transport and launch dinghies, allowing them to explore various water bodies and remote sailing destinations.

2.3 Challenges and Skills Required

While dinghy sailing is exhilarating, it requires a certain level of skill and adaptability. Sailors must learn to handle the boat in changing weather conditions and use their body weight to maintain stability.

Exploring Dinghy Cruising

3.1 escaping to serene waters.

Dinghy cruising offers a unique opportunity to explore secluded coves, tranquil lakes, and winding rivers. Sailors can escape the bustling city life and immerse themselves in the serenity of nature.

3.2 Navigating the Seas with Confidence

Before embarking on a dinghy cruise, sailors must acquaint themselves with navigation skills, weather patterns, and safety procedures. Proper planning and preparation are essential for a safe and enjoyable journey.

3.3 Preparing for a Dinghy Cruise

Preparing for a dinghy cruise involves packing essential supplies, inspecting the boat's condition, and ensuring all safety equipment is onboard. Additionally, sailors should inform someone about their sailing plans for added security.

Different Types of Sailing Dinghies

4.1 traditional sailing dinghies.

Traditional sailing dinghies often have classic designs and are cherished for their historical significance. They offer a nostalgic sailing experience, appealing to enthusiasts looking to reconnect with the past.

4.2 Modern Performance Dinghies

Modern performance dinghies, like the 420 sailboat, are designed for optimal speed and maneuverability. They are favored by competitive sailors and those seeking an adrenaline-fueled sailing experience.

4.3 Choosing the Right Dinghy for You

When selecting a sailing dinghy, consider your sailing goals, experience level, and preferred type of sailing. Consulting with experienced sailors or boat dealers can help you make an informed decision.

Unraveling the Mystery of Dinghies

5.1 defining a dinghy.

A dinghy is a small boat, often with a shallow draft, suitable for short trips near the shore or larger vessels. Dinghies serve various purposes, such as transportation between a yacht and the shore.

5.2 Brief History of Dinghies

Dinghies have a rich history, dating back to ancient times when they were used as lifeboats and for short excursions from larger ships. Their design and purpose have evolved over centuries.

5.3 The Role of Dinghies Today

In the modern era, dinghies continue to play a crucial role in recreational sailing, racing events, and as safety boats for larger vessels. Their versatility and ease of handling make them an essential part of the sailing community.

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The versatility of the 420 sailboat, 6.1 thrilling racing experience.

The 420 sailboat offers an exhilarating racing experience, with its responsive design and competitive class association events worldwide. Sailing enthusiasts can participate in friendly regattas or challenging competitions.

6.2 Casual Sailing and Cruising

Beyond racing, the 420 sailboat is equally enjoyable for leisurely sailing and cruising. Its stable and forgiving nature makes it suitable for novices, families, and friends seeking quality time on the water.

6.3 Ideal for Novices and Experts Alike

The 420 sailboat strikes a perfect balance between beginner-friendly features and high-performance capabilities. Novice sailors can develop their skills with ease, while experienced sailors can explore advanced techniques.

420 Sailboat vs. Flying Junior Sailboat

7.1 a closer look at flying junior sailboat.

The Flying Junior (FJ) sailboat is another popular double-handed dinghy known for its competitive racing and sailing programs in schools and clubs worldwide.

7.2 Key Differences and Similarities

While the 420 sailboat and Flying Junior share similarities in terms of size and purpose, they have distinct design elements, which affect their handling and performance.

7.3 Choosing Between the Two

Choosing between the 420 sailboat and Flying Junior depends on individual preferences, training programs available, and desired sailing experience. Both boats offer thrilling adventures for sailors of all ages.

Yacht vs. Boat: Understanding the Distinction

8.1 what defines a yacht.

A yacht is a larger and more luxurious vessel, often used for recreational purposes, cruising, and leisure activities. Yachts are known for their opulence, amenities, and long-range capabilities.

8.2 How is a Boat Different?

Boats, including sailing dinghies like the 420, refer to smaller watercraft used for various purposes, such as sailing, fishing, transportation, and sports.

8.3 Determining the Right Vessel for Your Needs

Selecting between a yacht and a boat depends on factors such as budget, desired activities, number of passengers, and the kind of sailing experience you wish to have.

The Thrill of 420 Sailing Competitions

9.1 the competitive spirit.

420 sailing competitions are known for their competitive spirit and camaraderie among sailors. Participants challenge their skills and tactics to outperform their rivals.

9.2 International 420 Class Association (ICA)

The International 420 Class Association (ICA) is the governing body that organizes and regulates 420 sailing events worldwide, fostering a vibrant and inclusive sailing community.

9.3 Notable 420 Sailing Events

From local regattas to prestigious international championships, 420 sailors have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of events that cater to different skill levels and age groups.

Owning a 420 Sailboat: A Dream Come True

10.1 factors to consider before purchasing.

If you're considering owning a 420 sailboat, factors like budget, boat condition, and available storage space should be carefully evaluated to make the right investment.

10.2 Maintaining Your 420 Sailboat

Proper maintenance is essential for keeping your 420 sailboat in top-notch condition. Regular inspections, cleaning, and timely repairs contribute to its longevity and performance.

10.3 Cherishing the Sailing Memories

Owning a 420 sailboat is not just about the vessel itself but the unforgettable memories created on the water. Cherish the moments spent sailing, racing, and exploring new horizons.

420 sailboats have captivated sailors worldwide, offering a versatile and thrilling sailing experience. From competitive racing to leisurely cruising, the 420 sailboat has proven its mettle as a reliable and exciting dinghy. Whether you're an experienced sailor seeking a new challenge or a novice eager to learn the ropes, the 420 sailboat is ready to take you on a memorable adventure on the open waters.

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Faqs more about 420 sailboats.

420 (dinghy)

Ship type / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, dear wikiwand ai, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:.

Can you list the top facts and stats about 420 (dinghy)?

Summarize this article for a 10 year old

The International 420 Dinghy is a sailing dinghy popular for racing and teaching. The hull is fiberglass with internal buoyancy tanks. The 420 has a bermuda rig , spinnaker and trapeze . It has a large sail-area-to-weight ratio, and is designed to plane easily. The 420 is an International class recognised by World Sailing . The name refers to the boat's length of 420 centimetres (4.2   m; 13   ft 9   in) .

The International 420 was designed by Christian Maury in France in the year 1959. The class developed rapidly in France, being adopted nationally as a youth trainer for the larger Olympic class International 470 . By the late 1960s the class was adopted by a few UK university sailing clubs for training and team racing.

Construction

The class adopted a policy of "prudent evolution" so as to allow development without making existing dinghies obsolete. The hull's seaworthiness and stability at speed proved to be better than most of its contemporaries, and this together with its modest sail area make it fun to sail in heavy weather and thus an excellent youth trainer, qualities that led to its adoption for that role by the Royal Yachting Association in the mid-1970s. In addition, the international 420 is known for its inherent lightness. The floatability of the boat made for a safer training vessel. [4]

With its trapeze and spinnaker it provides the capability for advanced sailing techniques for international standard sailors, while still remaining affordable and accessible to beginners. The International 420 maintains a large multinational class association. The combination of effective class management, the boat's inherent sailing qualities, and prudent evolution have contributed to the class's continuing success.

The Club 420, or C420, [5] is a derivative of the 420 and is not recognized by World Sailing or the International 420 Class Association. Designed by Vanguard boats in the 1970s, it has a heavier hull, reinforced for durability in institutional sailing, and a stiff, untapered mast. The boat is much more simple to sail, yet lacks the performance of the original dinghy due to its extra weight. The Club 420 is used extensively on the youth race circuit in the US, with over 5,000 boats in North America, [6] but is not sailed in most other countries. It cannot be used at I420 class events.

The Z420 is a transformation of the Club 420. The Z420 hull is 50 pounds (23   kg) lighter and 40 percent stiffer than the C420. Whereas a C420 hull is composed of six pieces, the Z420 has only three molded components: the hull, the deck, and the mast partners. Unlike the C420, the Z420 does not include a spinnaker or trapeze in its rigging. Z420 boats are specially designed for college sailing and were used at the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association National Championships in 2014 for the first time. [7]

420 Tips From the Tops

From the Team Vanguard site.

The following measurements are those we have found to be the fastest settings for a Club 420. After experimentation you may find that a slightly different setting may mean even better boat speed for you and your style of sailing. The Club 420 is an extremely popular boat used in both college and club/junior racing. It has been sailed in numerous Youth Championships. It is the recognized junior class boat in many areas. In college sailing, once the standing rigging is set, there is no adjustment to the shrouds, spreaders, mast butt position, etc. In club/junior sailing there may be an opportunity for adjustment. Our tuning guide addresses both types of sailing and the compromises necessary for collegiate racing. Scroll down the page to read the entire guide.   MAST STEP The mast step should be set at 9′-4 1/2″ when measured from the inside of the transom along the floor of the boat to the back of the mast. Usually this places the butt of the mast in the first pin hole from the front. MAST RAKE To measure the rake hoist a tape measure to the top of the mast on your main halyard. Lead the tape measure over the top of the transom, down the aft face of the transom to where the transom meets the bottom of the boat. For club/junior sailing the rake should be adjusted to fall between 21′-6 1/2″ for light winds and 20′-9 1/2″ for heavy air. Note that the shrouds and, therefore, the rig tension should be adjusted as well, as the rake is ALT=”ered for varying wind conditions. (Please see chart at end of tuning guide.) In general in heavier winds and as you become overpowered, rake the mast farther aft which will twist open the leech of the jib and depower the sail. This has the same effect as moving the jib lead aft. Raking the mast aft also moves the center of effort aft, which makes the boat naturally head up into the puffs instead of being blown over sideways. Heavy crews (over 270 lb.) will want to rake aft in higher wind velocities because they can use the extra power. Lighter crews (under 240 lb.) will tend to be overpowered sooner and should rake farther aft in lower wind velocities. Here is a good rule of thumb. If your boom is consistently out beyond the corner of the boat to maintain the boat balance when sailing upwind, you should rake the mast farther aft. Note: As mentioned earlier, racing the Club 420 collegiately you are limited in the amount of adjustments that can be made. You are restricted to the shroud settings that the host college has selected. Each fleet may be set up differently (hopefully each boat in the fleet is identical) making the “magic numbers” different. In light winds you want the rig raked farther forward. In heavy winds it is necessary to rake it aft. Since you are not able to adjust the shrouds as the rig is raked aft, the result is a looser rig, but one that is still better balanced with depowered sails. By itself this set up is fine, but be careful of overtensioning the boomvang in a breeze. Too much vang tension without the tighter rig and mast blocks (see section on following pages) will lead to excessive headstay sag and overbending of the mast. This creates a jib that is too full, a main that is too flat and a badly balanced boat. Instead sail with a looser vang in heavy winds. With the vang more eased the mainsheet will control the amount of twist (the angle of the top batten to the boom). You can depower quickly by easing the sheet and twisting the main more open. This makes it easier to quickly balance the boat and pop it up on a plane when sailing upwind in a breeze. RIG TENSION The tension of the rig is effected through shroud position and channel adjusters and tension of the jib halyard. It is measured off the 1/8″ sidestays with either the new Loos model PT-1 tension gauge or the older model A tension gauge. (These gauges are very helpful in tuning your Club 420.) While they are valuable in setting the tension close to that of other boats, they will only give relative tension numbers. We have found wide variances, even with new gauges. Take note of what we describe as the goal in setting the rig up with the proper tension. Remember, use the Loos gauge to get close to the specified tensions. If in doubt, use your gauge to measure the fastest boats and set your boat up accordingly! While sailing your Club 420 in club/junior racing, your rig tension should be varied from 240 lb. in light winds, to a maximum tension of 360 lb. in near survival conditions. (Again, note the chart at the end of the tuning guide.) When the rig is tensioned properly for upwind sailing, the leeward shroud just starts to go slack (definitely not “dangling”). For the collegiate sailors, since you are not able to adjust your shrouds, go ahead and read on. The best method to change your rig tension while on the water between races is to ease the jib halyard until the forestay is just taking all the load. This will allow the mast to fall back enough that it should be fairly easy to adjust the position on the leeward shroud. When completed, tack and do the other side. On some older boats it may be necessary to add an extender to the forestay to allow the rig to drop back enough to change the pin position. To pull the rig back forward, use the 3 to 1 purchase on the jib halyard, “bowstringing” the halyard above the purchase, then taking up the slack created with the 3 to 1 purchase. For lightweight crews or those low in strength, it may be difficult to change the rake and rig tension on the water. Some may find it helpful to tension the jib halyard through placing your feet on the bow while the crew tightens the halyard inside the boat. MAST BLOCKS Mast blocks are usually not supplied with the boat. Mast blocks are either wood or plastic spacers that are cut to fit into the mast partners in front of the mast. Placing mast blocks in the slot in heavy winds will help prevent the mast from overbending too much down low. In light winds mast blocks are not at all necessary. As the breeze builds, especially when more boomvang tension is applied, the mast will bow forward. If unrestricted it can bend too much below the spreaders. Overbending creates two major problems. First the jib luff will sag more which reduces your boat’s pointing ability and it will overpower the boat by making the jib too full. Secondly, overbending the mast down low will overflatten the main in this area and greatly reduce its drive and power. Ideally in windy condition where the boomvang is tensioned, mast blocks are placed in front of the mast in the partners to the point where they fill up the space less about 1/8″ to 1/4″. If there is the possibility of a capsize, be sure to use some type of retaining line or duct tape to hold your blocks in place. When sailing collegiate regattas, unless the entire fleet is fitted with mast blocks and their adjustment is specifically allowed, this tuning technique is not applicable. CENTERBOARD POSITION When sailing upwind the centerboard is usually in its maximum down position. In the near survival conditions when the boat is greatly overpowered, it is helpful to pull the board up as much as 2 or 3 inches to balance the helm and make the boat easier to steer. Downwind and on a reach with or without the spinnaker, the board should be positioned high enough so that the helm (whether the tiller “tugs” or “pushes”) is neutral. If the board is down too far and there is too much windward helm, the boat will tend to “trip” over the board and will not plane as fast. MAIN TOP BATTEN TENSION While the proper tension on the upper batten is not critical, it is important that the batten is neither too loose or too tight. Ideally the batten would be tensioned just until the vertical, perpendicular wrinkles to the pocket are just barely removed. Overtensioning the batten past this point will make the sail too full and the leech will be too closed. Undertensioning The batten in heavy winds will allow the batten to slide aft in the pocket and the leading edge will poke through the front of the pocket. MAIN HALYARD/CUNNINGHAM Tension on the luff of the main will affect the draft position and to a lesser extent the depth of your mainsail. A looser luff with wrinkles all the way from tack to head is necessary in lighter winds to allow the draft to move aft and flatten the entry of the main. In heavy winds tension the luff until the wrinkles are almost completely gone. This will help maintain the proper draft position. You can adjust the luff tension on your Club 420 main with either your main halyard or cunningham. If you expect to be sailing in a constant, relatively unchanging condition (is that ever possible?!), then it may be best to use the main halyard to tension the luff of the main. On the other hand, if the conditions are puffy yet still leave enough time to adjust the luff tension, you may want to initially set your main halyard so there are slight wrinkles all the way up and down. Then use your cunningham tension (through the grommet just above the tack), to fine tune the luff tension for the proper wrinkle and draft position. OUTHAUL Your North Club 420 mainsail does not require a great range of adjustment to be set properly. For lighter winds tension the outhaul until vertical wrinkles just disappear and the sail is smooth. As the breeze picks up and the boat becomes more overpowered progressively tension the outhaul. The foot tape on the bottom of the sail should be standing straight up from the boom in very windy, near survival conditions. Downwind if there is an opportunity to adjust the outhaul, ease it until the bottom of the sail is just smooth. Be conscious of overtensioning the outhaul in any conditions, as this will overflatten the bottom of the sail and depower the boat which harms the boats pointing capability. MAINSHEET TENSION Ideally the mainsheet should be tensioned so that the last 18″ of the top batten is set nearly parallel to the boom (sighted from underneath the boom looking up the sail vertically). Trimming the mainsheet harder will hook the top batten in relation to the boom which will proved the boat with short bursts of pointing ability at the expense of power and acceleration. Easing the sheets so that the top batten twists open (falls away) from parallel to the boom will compromise top end speed and pointing ability, but greatly increase the boat’s power to punch through waves and ability to accelerate out of a tack. The mainsheet will never just be cleated and left alone. It is one of the more critical adjustments on the boat. Play it constantly to allow the boat to point and power up and to sail with a balanced helm. BOOMVANG Downwind the boomvang is tensioned just enough so that the last 18″ of the top batten is nearly parallel to the boom. Be careful of overvanging in light winds and undervanging in heavy winds. Upwind in light winds, the vang needs to be loose enough so that the leech will twist open (upper batten angled outboard) to help the boat drive through waves and accelerate out of a tack. The vang should not be totally loose as this will compromise the boat’s speed and acceleration out of tacks. The vang should be set loose enough so that when the mainsheet is eased out the upper batten a good 15 to 20 degrees open from parallel to the boom, but no looser. As the breeze picks up, increase boomvang tension to help bend the mast and flatten the sail. At maximum boomvang tension there will be slight overbend wrinkles running from the mast toward the clew of the main. These should be just below the spreader and just barely evident in the heaviest of winds. In very heavy conditions, near survival, it may be advantageous to ease tension on the vang allowing the top of the main to twist way open reducing heeling moment. JIB SHEET TENSION On the Club 420 the jib leads are fairly far outboard which makes it necessary to use windward sheeting in light to medium winds to bring the lead closer to the centerline. The leeward sheet is trimmed in tight until there are slight creases from the tack to the clew. Trim the windward sheet hard enough so that the creases just barely disappear (approximately 1 1/2″ to 2″). In light to medium winds when trying to accelerate ease the leeward sheet and not the windward sheet. In breezy conditions do not use the windward sheet. (Note: Please see the chart at the end of this guide.) SPINNAKER TRIM Your North Club 420 spinnaker should be flown with 4″ to 8″ of curl in the windward luff at all times. An overtrimmed spinnaker will close the slot between the spinnaker and the main. It will not only make the boat sail much slower, but the spinnaker will also become more difficult to fly. Set your pole topping lift height so that it is roughly parallel to the horizon. In light winds it is necessary to lower the pole. In a breeze raising the pole will keep the 2 clews even. Set the pole position nearly perpendicular to the wind when sailing on a broad reach or a run. A telltale on the topping lift 1 ft. up from the pole will greatly aid in setting the proper angle of wind to pole position. Finally, ease your halyard off the top of the mast approximately 6″ to help open up the slot between the spinnaker and the upper sections of the main. WEIGHT PLACEMENT Upwind in very light winds the helmsman should sit just in front of the traveler with the crew placed just forward of the centerboard thwart. In medium winds the helmsman will move aft slightly just straddling the traveler. The crew will be anywhere from just behind the thwart to just forward of the helmsman. In a breeze the helmsman will move aft of the traveler. When on the trapeze, the crew will have his/her aft foot just forward of the helmsman’s body. When hiking the crew will be just forward of the helmsman and hopefully leaning aft and angled behind the helmsman. Remember to keep the weight centered so the boat maintains proper balance through chop. ** We want to thank Tyler Moore, multi-year collegiate All-American and past collegiate sailor of the year (and expert Club 420 sailor!) for his time, effort and input into the creation of this tuning guide.

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Questions and answers about sports

How heavy is a 420 sailboat?

Asked by: whitney barrier, how heavy do you have to be to sail a 420.

The boat is used in summer, high school, and collegiate sailing. It features a mainsail, jib, and spinnaker. As a junior sailing boat it is designed for two people to sail together, and generally the minimum crew weight is 220 lbs combined and a maximum of 320 lbs .

How fast does a 420 sailboat go?

Top 420 skippers find speeds of 10-12 knots extremely hard to achieve, and even harder to sustain. The reason it feels so much faster than that is the crap hull and foil shape of boat boats, which makes them extremely squirrely at anything significantly above hull speed.

How many people can fit in a 420 sailboat?

The Club 420 is a two person dinghy which forms the base of many local, high school and collegiate programs in North America. Simple for beginning sailors and yet challenging enough for collegiate champions. The Club 420 offers more learning opportunities than any other double-handed boat.

How expensive is a 420 sailboat?

CLUB 420 PRICE $8650 . Please call 585-754-5315 or email us for fleet quotes.

Why are 420 sailboats called 420?

It has a large sail-area-to-weight ratio, and is designed to plane easily. It can be rigged to be sailed single-handed or double-handed. The 420 is an International class recognized by World Sailing. The name refers to the boat’s length of 420 centimetres (4.2 m; 13 ft 9 in) .

Who makes the 420 sailboat?

The Zim Club 420 is for one-design sailors who want the strongest, lightest 420 with the best rigging available. Proven boat construction techniques and a race rigging package ensure performance, strength, and durability.

Is a laser faster than a 420?

The Laser (91.1) is faster than the 420 (97.7) and slower than the 470 (86.3).

What is a j22 sailboat?

The J/22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Rod Johnstone as a one-design racer and first built in 1983. J/22. Class symbol. Development. Designer.

What is a lightning sailboat?

The Lightning is a recreational sailboat, initially built with wooden plank construction and, since the early 1960s, of fiberglass with wood trim . It has a fractional sloop rig with wooden or aluminum spars.

How do you rig a 420 sailboat?

How much is a Melges 15?

Melges 15 Sailboat – Starting at $13995.00 | West Coast Sailing.

How long is a laser?

Laser (dinghy)

How much does a laser sailboat cost?

A new Laser will cost about $5,500 . A used Laser in good condition will usually cost between $1,500 and $3,500. A new Wayfarer will cost about $15,000.

How fast can a laser sailboat go?

In general, I’ve found that the sustained boat speed is usually around 1/2 the wind speed, up to about 10-12 knots . In 15 knots of wind, the Laser will do 7-8 knots, and in 20 knots, it will do 10 knots.

Are laser sailboats still made?

The Laser sailboat is no longer in production in North America and Europe and because the Laser trademark is being held by the former builder, the boat’s name had to be changed in order for Bruce Kirby’s design to continue to be sold world-wide as a One Design class.

Are Lasers hard to sail?

Lasers are hard, physical boats to sail . Originally designed as a fun ‘beach boat’ the rudder is too small and the original controls are frankly inadequate.

Can you buy a new Laser sailboat?

Buy a Laser Sailing Boat We can supply the Laser standard (full rig), Laser radial and Laser 4.7 rigs so you have a choice of sail size . We provide custom packages to suit your needs and can also deliver your brand new boat direct to your door, or sailing club.

Is a Laser faster than a Sunfish?

Lasers are unquestionably faster than Sunfish except in drifters or if it blowing about 25 (when it is blowing 25 good Laser sailors are still going faster than a Sunfish can go, but most Laser sailors are not physical enough and a Sunfish will go faster than they can sail their Laser.)

Is a Finn faster than a Laser?

Downwind in breeze, when you are working the Finn hard, it’s more squirrelly then a laser , IE the wipe out happens faster and harder, but the rides are more exhilarating. Light air sailing, the finn’s deeper cockpit is much more comfortable to deal with.

Do Sunfish capsize easily?

But occasionally Sunfish capsize is not so routine . The daggerboard may fall out of the trunk if the sailor has neglected to properly secure it. The sailor may be unable to climb the overturned hull to reach the daggerboard due to fatigue or lack of upper body strength.

Can you sail a Sunfish in the ocean?

Having a crab claw sail with its simple two line rigging makes a Sunfish simple to learn to sail and set up. Upgrades can be added to enhance sail control for competitive sailing, but ultimately the Sunfish is the ideal boat to learn to sail .

Can 2 adults sail on a Sunfish?

The specifications on Sunfish’s website says it can hold 1-2 people , but the optimal weight is listed as 190 lbs. My wife and I combined would be about 350. Would that be too much for the sunfish to hold? Yes it absolutely would be.

Can two adults sail a Sunfish?

Yes, that is correct.

Can a Laser sailboat hold two people?

The Laser has one sail only and can be sailed by one or two people (rare) and is best sailed in higher winds by a fit, moderate weight person (less than 80kg).

How much does a Laser 2 weigh?

What is the weight limit on a laser sailboat.

The general weight limit of laser dinghies goes between 77.2 to 154 lbs (35 – 70 kg) depending on the laser type. Standard laser rigs can handle the most weight and are best for experienced sailors. Laser radials are great for teens and women who are on the lighter side.

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How Much Does A Sailboat Weigh?

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

June 15, 2022

While it may seem counterintuitive, there's more than one weight measurement for sailboats. In this article, we'll go over three ways of determining the weight of a sailboat.

Consumer sailboats usually weigh between 120 and 30,000 pounds, with the average sailboat weighing 8,845 pounds. This average sailboat weight is without taking into account additional gear, fuel, people, and more that are on a sailboat out on the water. To accurately weigh a boat isn't as simple as dropping it on a scale.  Besides the logistical problems you'd face, it wouldn't give you all the information you need to know.

That's why there are a few types of weight measurement for boats.  These are dry weight, displacement, and tonnage. Don't confuse these subtypes; while displacement and dry weight are closely related, tonnage is a different type of measurement.

Table of contents

Dry weight is closely related to displacement, and it’s the number you’d get if you hung an empty boat from a scale.  Dry weight isn’t always included on specification sheets, but it’s vital if you intend to tow or transport your boat.  

To give you a better idea of the dry weight of different vessels, we’ll use a short list of common boat sizes by LOA (length overall) in feet.  Keep in mind, the weight of a boat differs based on hull material , mast type, and many other factors.

• Dinghies (less than 12’): 100 to 200 pounds
• Small Sailboats (15’ to 20’): 400 to 2,500 pounds
• Medium Sailboats (21’ to 25’): 2,500 to 5,000 pounds
• Cruising Sailboats (27’ to 32’): 7,000 to 12,000 pounds
• Large Sailboats (35’ to 40’): 12,000 to 30,000 pounds

What factors contribute to the weight of a sailboat?  Hull material makes a huge difference in dry weight.  Older wooden cruising vessels with deep keels often weigh thousands of pounds more than an equivalent-sized fiberglass boat.  Also, sport and racing sailboats sometimes weigh a fraction of an average consumer cruiser.  

A sailboat’s mast and rigging contribute to the weight as well.  Solid hardwood masts sometimes weigh hundreds of pounds more than hollow masts, and heavy brass deck equipment adds up.  It doesn’t take long for equipment to increase the weight of a boat.

Displacement

How is displacement different than dry weight?  First of all, you can only calculate dry weight when a boat is empty and dry.  Displacement is equal to the weight of a boat, along with everything (and everyone) aboard at the time of measurement.  This includes water, fuel, deck equipment, interior cushions—you get the picture.

The most common measurement of weight for sailboats is displacement, and it reflects the weight of a loaded sailboat in the water.  We measure displacement by calculating the weight of the water volume a boat displaces.  This unit is vital in boat design.  A vessel will sink if it weighs more than the water it displaces.  

There’s a simple way of picturing the concept of displacement.  Imagine a cup of water filled to the very top.  Now drop in a coin and measure the amount of water that spills out.  The weight of the spilled liquid is the displacement of the coin.   

Oddly, the displacement value of a boat means slightly different things in salt and freshwater.  Saltwater weighs 64.1 pounds per cubic foot, while fresh water weighs 62.4 pounds per cubic foot.  That means a boat will displace more freshwater because saltwater essentially ‘pushes harder’ upward on the craft.

So, how does displacement translate to weight?  You can get a general idea of how ‘heavy’ a boat is using a simple calculation, shown below.

‍ (Displacement/2,240) / (LWL x 0.02)^3

1)    First, you’ll need to convert the displacement (in pounds) to long tons .  Simply divide the displacement by 2,240 to get your answer.  Put this number aside for a moment.

2)    Next, find the length at waterline ( LWL ) of your boat, and multiply it by 0.01 .  Take this value and raise it to the power of 3 .  It should look something like this: (LWL x 0.01) ^3

3)    Finally, divide your first number (in long tons) by the result of the previous calculation to get your displacement to length ratio .

The displacement to length ratio is useful for a number of reasons.  Using this simple number allows you to determine the weight class of a boat, so you’ll know what it’s suitable for.  Below, we put together a list to help you understand the differences using a D/L ratio of 40 to 400.

• Ultra-light (race boats): 40 to 89
• Light (race or trailer-sailboat): 90-179
• Medium (day boat/light cruiser): 180-269
• Heavy ( cruising sailboat /offshore cruiser): 270-359
• Very Heavy (heavy offshore cruiser): 360-400+

Generally speaking, sailboats built before 1950 typically have a heavy D/L ratio.  A boat with a ratio over 300 handles much differently than a light vessel, and many consider heavier boats to be more ‘seaworthy.’  Of course, it’s not always that simple, but the general rule still applies.  Using what we know about displacement, it’s time to go over our final weight measurement.

Tonnage represents the volume of the enclosed space on a boat, using the same concept as displacement.  Salt and freshwater tonnage differ for the same reasons as well.  Tonnage and size are directly related, and this unit gives you an idea of how much cargo you can carry before overloading.  Cargo tonnage is measured in long tons, similar to displacement.  Simply divide the tonnage (in pounds) by 2,240 to get your cargo tonnage value.

Why Weight Matters

While we haven’t mentioned every way of weighing a sailboat, you can gain a lot from understanding dry weight, displacement, and tonnage.  For example, you’ll need to know the dry weight of a boat to determine if your vehicle can actually tow it.  If a vessel weighs 15,000 pounds, you’ll probably want to avoid it unless you have a permanent mooring or a heavy-duty pickup truck.  

Displacement and dry weight are closely related.  Displacement is equally crucial for determining a boat’s capabilities.  Heavy, deep-keel sailboats generally handle well in rough seas, but you probably won’t be racing with a high D/L ratio.  If you understand what your intentions for a boat, it’s imperative to comprehend displacement and D/L ratio.  

Tonnage is essential to understand, especially for offshore cruising.  Using this value, you can calculate how much food, water, supplies, and how many people you can take aboard.  Ignoring any of these values can spell disaster for any captain but understanding sailboat weight ahead of time ensures you’ll know what you’re doing.

Now that you have a grasp of sailboat weight measurements, it’s time for some real-world examples.  We found the specifications of three common sailboats so you can get an idea of what to expect.

How Much Does A Catalina 30 Weigh?

This 30-foot sloop is one of the most successful production fiberglass sailboats in history.  It was built by Catalina Yachts between 1972 and 2008, with over 6,000 units.  We chose the Catalina 30 because it’s an ideal example of a medium-sized all-purpose cruising sailboat .  This versatile sloop is well suited for coastal cruising and some offshore passages.

Dry weight clocks in at 10,200 pounds, with a D/L ratio of 291.43.  This sailboat is an ideal general-purpose cruising vessel.

How Much Does An O’Day 25 Weigh?

Despite being only a few feet shorter than the Catalina 30, the O’Day 25 is a much different boat.  This popular day cruiser has a displacement of only 4,007 pounds, which is less than half of the Catalina 30.  The O’Day 25 falls into the medium weight category with a D/L ratio of only 193.16.  Comparatively, you can immediately see how these two common fiberglass boats differ.  The O’Day 25 will be much easier to tow, yet less suitable for long offshore passages.

How Much Does An Atkin ‘Eric’ 32 Weigh?

This 32-foot wooden sailboat was designed decades ago for offshore sailing.  While dimensionally similar to the Catalina 30, this boat is significantly heftier with a displacement of 19,500 pounds.  Despite only being 2-feet longer than our Catalina at the waterline, the Atkin Eric has a D/L ratio of 418.81 making it an extremely heavy boat!

From a distance, all three of our examples would look similar in size and above-water characteristics.  Below the surface, we find something very different.  Each of these vessels is suitable for different things, and how much they weigh plays a vital role in their uses.  Now that you know how to interpret the weight of a sailboat, you’ll be prepared to choose one that best fits your needs.

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SAILORS Why to Sail a 420

© Nikos Drougkas

© Andrea Lelli

Are you thinking of sailing a 420? Here we tell you the best reasons to do it!

The 420 offers great development for sailors in the two-person disciplines – most of the World's top sailors sailed in this class and easily moved on to succeed in other classes, and enjoy Olympic and big boat careers

To learn your trade as a helm or crew it is best to do this in the 420, especially with the coaching structure and events available around the world. Some young sailors may never be big enough to sail a Laser Radial or other one-person international classes, or may take a longer time to grow, so getting into the two-person classes via the 420 makes sense to develop your skills and keep future options open.

Unlike Optimists, most boats you will sail in the future will have downwind sails. The 420 is an ideal platform for learning about tuning a boat and the consequences of tuning, teaching in a relatively simple way the trimming of sail combinations (i.e. main, jib, spinnaker together) like no other boat can. This is great for all your future sailing, not just two-person sailing.

The 420 is a stable boat to sail which planes upwind easily, the trend in modern yachting. It will teach you how to sail in an environment of partnership with your crewmate, adding another significant element to your development as a sailor (and as a person).

The 420 is a global class with great opportunities available to develop your sailing and compete at the highest level, making many friends from around the world along the way.

Now some people unfamiliar with two-person sailing may challenge your step into the 420 with some of these most frequently heard questions:

• “It’s a hassle to co-ordinate with another sailor” …only true if you have picked the wrong sailor to partner with. A committed sailor with a supportive family in fact make it easier as there are two of you offering support to move boats, move sailors, chaperone trips, etc.
• “It’s expensive” …sailing is an expensive sport, but you already know that. A good, top competitive, second hand 420 is relatively inexpensive, usually with lots of sails and gear. In fact, splitting the costs between two sailors makes 420 sailing quite similar in expense to a committed one-person campaign.
• “It makes it hard to go back to one-person sailing ” …completely untrue!!! Gaining experience in the 420 increases your sailing ability and means it is easy to switch across classes, whether you are a skipper or a crew. Top 420 sailors have jumped back into one-person boats and have generally been very successful as their sailing careers have developed.

Now you know the 420 will give you a unique experience during your youth sailing years. Don't hesitate and join the #420sailingfun now!

Source: www.420sailing.org.nz

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Question: Am I too heavy for my company race team?

• Add to quote

My Apknite company is starting a team/club that plans on racing 420’s. I used to sail as a child on 420’s and even then I was heavy with another person. I weight around 285.  

Enjoy your life and don’t worry about it. Sail trim and tactics win races. Yes, weight is technically a factor, but it’s dominantly an excuse.  

With no disrespect intended, the answer is,that you are too heavy to competitively race a 420. The ideal crew weight for a 420 is 240 to 300 lbs. That is the combined weight of the skipper and crew. At 285 lbs you alone are near the absolute upper limit of the ideal combined crew . Ideally the individual crew weight falls in a range of 50-60% of the total combined crew weight in order to have the boat sit in it's proper trim and with optimum weight distribution. There are some mix of four ways to look at your options here, 1) decide that it's not all that important to win since sailing is fun whether or not you win, 2) evaluate the competition and conclude that they have their own issues that might level the field, 3) go into training and perhaps target a weight loss in the 30-50 lb range.or 4) 420's are small boats for an adult crew. since 420s are pretty weight intolerant. So you might want to approach the company to see if there is an option to race some other class of boat that is more weight tolerant. Regarding option #3, the reality is that ever increasingly those of us who try to race competitively routinely work out to maintain the required strength, weight, agility, and balance. I have raced on a boat where the three person crew needed to drop 40 lbs for a high level regatta. Over 5 weeks each of us diligently dieted and worked out and we got to our target weight. It was not easy. Jeff  

Minnewaska said: The average weight of an American adult male is 195 lbs. Sure, we have a heavy nation, but you have to get into the Asian countries before two average adults are the ideal weight profile of a 420. They are designed for kids and those who were malnourished during their growth years. No doubt, they aren't the best choice for an adult company sailing club. I highly doubt there will be many adult crews, who average 160 lbs each. Still, if that's what they've got, enjoy your life and go for it. I doubt many crews will be inside the ideal crew specs. Click to expand...

FEELSLIKEHOME said: My Apknite company is starting a team/club that plans on racing 420's. I used to sail as a child on 420's and even then I was heavy with another person. I weight around 285. Click to expand...

I think your overall body size combined with your agility/athleticism are more important, than strictly your weight, in terms of whether you can go out and have fun on a 420. I sailed 420s as a teenager with a cousin who competitively raced. Tons and tons of fun, but you need to be quick and nimble on these boats. The fact that they're designed to be sailed with a trapeze should tell you something. By all means, go for it and see how it goes. I'm sure you can sail, but sailing comfortably or proficiently may be more difficult for a bigger guy.  

I would say it depends on the sailing skills of your competitors. If you are experienced and they are not, the weight handicap would be likely offset by a skill differential. I tried to get on my college racing team but did not have the experience and needed a 100 lb captain to make up for my size at 170 lbs. Can you influence the boat decision? You are better built for a keel boat. I am thinking grinder not on the bow.  

If you order a pizza..yum good..order it without crust. No, nada, zippo bread for 2 years. Sentence yourself Even if inactive you will dump theweight by ditching the carbs. Look into it  

Hmmmm...not sure the OP was looking for weight loss tips.... I am guessing it is going to be very casual beercan racing, so I don't think the weight is a big deal. It may prove to be an advantage when the wind pipes up as you will be able to keep the boat flatter. The biggest problem with being a big guy on a small dinghy is the agility. Getting across cleanly through gybes and tacks is much harder to do, and may have you going for the occasional swim! Just get out there and give it a shot. Maybe you can find a 100lb waif to crew with you! Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk  

SchockT said: Hmmmm...not sure the OP was looking for weight loss tips.... Click to expand...

Race with a dog, to get under the total weight. Done.  

I try not to give unsolicited diet or medical advice. Mr. Feelslikehome knows he's large, that's why he asked the question. He could be 6' 10" and quite trim. Or he could be overweight but have other medical issues that prevent him from exercising/skipping crusts/using healing crystals. Or maybe he doesn't give a damn. All that said.... Damn, 285lbs in a 420! That's a big boy in a little boat, kinda like the old Chris Farley bit. I would say go for it. What's the worst that could happen? You lose? You capsize and get wet? Nothing wrong with either of those things. If it's about fun, go out and have fun.  

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2021 420 World Championship Report & Results

July 11, 2021 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

Santo Stefano al Mare, Italy — July 11 2021    Wow. The 2021 420 World Championship , 2-10 July 2021, with over 200 teams in attendance, is now in the books. As a first-hand observer (at this moment flying over the snow-capped Swiss Alps back to New York) the story created here by this American sailing team is still almost too much to absorb. I’m trying to capture it, to appreciate it, and there’s lots I’ll miss. I’m sure many others are also still in a similar euphoric, grateful and exhausted daze, but here goes.

With most of the 34-member team arriving in Santo Stefano al Mare on 26 June, the American 420 sailing team came early to get up to speed not only with boat preparation, but to train in unique Mediterranean-style conditions, with the goal to make this away game feel a little more like a home game. The team was ready to get to work. Santo Stefano al Mare is a small seacoast town on the Italian Riviera, about an hour east-northeast of France and Monaco.

If you are not part of this class, you are missing out! The International 420 Class creates a pretty magical atmosphere at these events, one incredibly rich and rewarding for the kids lucky enough to participate. In fact, the scene at Marina Degli Aregai was abuzz with over 200 420’s being carefully unloaded, rigged up and tuned, everything deliciously baffled by the sounds of so many different languages and cultures mixing and blending together. So many flags, new faces, so much to take in, and yet, as different as so many things were, the sailors were in some ways all the same. As I walked down the long line-up of boats organized by country with a US team Dad, himself a veteran of international sailing, we both noticed a Greek sailor meticulously prepping her boat… wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt. He (the Dad) noted that no matter how different each culture/language might be, sailors looks like sailors, no matter where you go, and that’s pretty cool.

This year’s US 420 team featured young first-timers, sailors brand new to international 420 sailing, along with experienced veterans. Conditions ran the gamut, from very light/ flat water and bobbing around waiting for wind, to white-knuckle hold-fast maximum winds, with unique waves sets almost every day. In retrospect, the 4-5 training days spent on the water was a difference-maker for Team USA, giving them vital experience and confidence.

The coaching staff, led by conductor (and US i420 Class President) Michael Rudnick, included Steve Keen, Udi Gal, Zach Leonard, and Lior Lavie. Start to finish, our USA coaches provided tireless and dedicated attention to all 17 boats and each member of the US team, not to mention high-level technical and mental coaching. Peter Foley (father of US Team sailors Peter and Audrey Foley) noted, “One of the biggest keys to great coaching is passion; really more than anything else, you have to love what you do.” He’s right, and the success of Team USA at this regatta is a direct reflection of this coaching staff’s passion.

In the end, the sailors have to do it on the water, and Team USA most certainly rose to the occasion against fierce competition. Spain alone, as a side note, has an incredible 420 sailing program; they have won the Francis Mouvet Nations Trophy (best overall team at the World Championship) an amazing 7 of the last 8 years.

In the women’s (53 entrants) division , Vanessa Lahrkamp/Katherine McNamara faced very strong competition from two French and two Spanish teams, but their incredible consistency eventually wore

everyone else down. Over ten races, Lahrkamp/McNamara’s worst finish was a 7 th , and they ended up winning the Women’s World Championship by 10 points.

In U17 (67 entrants) , a similar story played out as Freddie Parkin/Thomas Whidden faced several very competitive Spanish teams (in fact halfway through the regatta, 4 of the top 5 places where held by the Spanish. Parkin/Whidden started out somewhat conservatively, but with each race, seemed to gel and gain confidence.

Finally in the Open/Men’s Division (90 entrants) , Thomas Sitzmann/Luke Woodworth overcame a bit of a slow start, kept working, and emerged with the coveted Open 420 World Championship title. This team found their groove and actually won 6 of their 9 races, a remarkable achievement at at World Championship.

Putting it all together, there was an amazing, stirring, and inspiring symmetry to these three gold medal performances. In fact, this may be one of the most impressive days that US youth sailing has ever had. On this fateful Friday, in what turned out to be the last day of sailing (there was no wind on Saturday) each of these three teams faced an uphill battle, as the seemingly unstoppable and very deep Spanish team(s) held the lead in all three divisions. Friday brought sunny Mediterranean skies as usual, but the Ligurian Sea came alive that day with 14-21 knot E/SE winds, strong current, and very steep and challenging waves, conditions historically favoring European teams. Nine total races were sailed on Friday, and amazingly, Team USA won 8 of them!

• Sitzmann/Woodworth 1,1,1
• Parkin/Whidden 1,1,1
• Lahrkamp/McNamara 1,1,3

Wow! Friday’s lights-out performance vaulted USA teams to the “yellow jersey”, and that was that. Three incredible performances; three World Championship titles for the USA. For full results go HERE .

Finally, winning a world championship doesn’t happen often. This is the first time a US team has won a 420 World Championship since 1977 … some 44 years ago. Those who were lucky enough to be in Italy witnessed a gritty, inspired and brilliant sailing performance, for which the entire US 420 team must take credit. There were certainly other US teams here capable of medals, and the fact that those not in the hunt still supported and cheered on their teammates is what must make this US 420 Team one of, if not the best, ever.

Congratulations to this team, and hope that this inspires more US interest and participation in the International 420 Class !!!

MORE ON THE 420

HISTORY OF THE 420 & THE “i420”

Long story short, the “i420” is the original 420, designed in 1959 by Christian Maury. The only reason it’s called the “i420” now is because of the growth of the “Club 420” class. This class (as you know) employs the same hull design, but the boat is heavier, has a non-tapered mast, and is an all-around beefier boat. https://www.usi420.org/

We now have  the Mid-Atlantic Championship here on the bay (fall) and the Annapolis i420 Early Bird Regatta in the spring.

The i420 class has a very active fleet in Long Island Sound, Florida, California, and a little bit in Texas.

Remember the i420 is the official boat of US Sailing Youth doublehanded championships, and is the boat for all ODP run by US Sailing. It’s not hard to understand why so many top doublehanded sailors, then, come from Long Island Sound, Florida, and California.

MISCONCEPTIONS / CRITICISMS

The i420 has (partly through the fault of the class association itself) earned some negative observations that just aren’t true.

• that it is ungodly expensive . Absolutely not true. In fact the opposite may be true. There are GREAT i420’s for sale at VERY competitive prices, and new boats honestly aren’t much different and in some cases LESS expensive than club 420’s.
• that there are “ no regattas ” and you have to travel internationally to compete. Not true. We have 4-5, and now more, events on the east coast of the USA alone (in the last 1.5 months we’ve done Wickford, the ACC, and the Mid-Atlantics), and also the Pacific Coast championship, etc. Over the winter there is the ODP,  Nationals, North Americans, and then the Midwinters! One does not have to travel outside of the USA to get a ton of regatta and training experience. It is nice, though, to be able to consider the possibility of sailing internationally. In fact the rest of the world sails the i420 and there are incredible growth opportunities with this class all over the world. Our recent World Championship budget was actually less than a similar Optimist international travel budget. It’s doable.

One critical addition to this is that the Youth Championship is sailed in the i420, along with all US Sailing ODP events.

• You have to travel around the world. Not at all true. See #2.
• You need a private, exotic coach. The truth in this lies in the fact that good coaches are always hard to find. This is true of any boat. However, there is a wealth of good coaches around, and many of the best really prefer the i420 to coach in and with (see testimonials.)

TESTIMONIALS

The I 420 is a fantastic learning and growth class for young sailors.  The light-weight and adjustable rig allow young sailors to learn valuable principles that will prepare them to sail everything from spinnaker class racing at the local club to today’s high performance one designs and elite Olympic classes.  Even more important, it’s fun. The boats are fast and easily sailed even in strong winds.     -Yale Sailing Coach Zach Leonard

The I-420 is the best platform for young sailors to develop a comprehensive set of sailing skills. The I-420 is faster, more responsive and easier to control in strong winds than the C-420. It is also lots more fun to sail in lighter conditions. While it is a little more technical, nearly all of the adjustments are the same as a C-420, just more efficient and easier to execute.

I have worked extensively with both the C-420 and I-420 for the last 12 years. Both are viable platforms, but the I-420 is just more fun and more challenging. Given that the summer breezes on the Chesapeake are on the light side, the I-420 is much preferred.

If I had a child coming into his or her junior sailing years I would want them to be in a I-420.        -Skip Whyte, former US Olympic 470 Coach, Head Coach U. Rhode Island

i420 is a great way for young sailors to learn about high-performance boat‘s and have a great time.  The i420 is light and powered up and planes easily, and teaches the kids about rig tune and mast bend more than most other Junior sailboats.  –Steve Hunt, pro sailor and champion HS sailing coach

The International 420 is the original 420. It is sailed by every country in the world, and is the global default standard for double-handed youth training platform for a reason: it is stable, responsive, and fast (fun), but not so fast that sailing tactics are minimized. Most importantly, this boat and rig requires sailors to learn more about tuning which is an essential skill, and because of the variability in tuning, this boat can be competitive to more kids (more weight ranges).   -Tom Sitzmann, Severn School coach

I420 is the perfect youth sailing boat. It provides safe environment and allows for fundamental skill building, while also introduces the sailors to high performance sailing. Unlike modern youth dinghies that are skipping some fundamental learning, the i420 introduces the young sailors to a very wide spectrum of sailing skills. One of the best aspects of an i420 is the fact that it requires a lot of teamwork, strong communication, and high level of performance from both skipper and crew – something that I feel is missing in our digital world and especially these days in the COVID-19 environment.    -Udi Gal, Champion 420 and Olympic 470 Medalist.

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420 dinghy, shall i buy one ?

• Thread starter jez33
• Start date 6 Nov 2008

ok as some of you might remember i asked advice from you all about cheep,fast and stable sailing dinghys for me to consider but what do any of you think about the 420? is it just for youths or does that mean its for beginners regardless of age ect?  

What do you want to do with it? Though I have not sailed one, it was too small for me, it looks a nice boat, SWMBO liked it, and it has all the gear inc spinnaker and trapeze, good for racing for a light crew. Quite a technical boat to sail well, I would look at the class association website where there are guides inc one on buying a 2nd hand boat. http://www.420sailing.org.uk/docs/uploaded/2ndHndGuide.pdf  

Phoenix of Hamble

Active member.

Depends how heavy you are! The 420 is a great fun boat to sail, and in the right hands can be a little rocket ship.... Relatively easy to sail, and reasonably robust... But.... they do tend to be a boat that is preferred by lighter crews... and used to be a favourite option for crews as they outgrew optimists.... less so nowadays as more modern designs have taken over... saying that, I wouldn't want to create the wrong impression... you wouldn't sink it, and it'll sail just fine with even a heavier crew on board Don't know how much sailing experience you have, but if its limited, i'd tend to look towards something a little more allround such as a Mirror on the smaller side or an Enterprise for something a bit bigger....  

I would not describe a 420 as a beginners boat, rather it is the lead in training boat for olympic sailing. For a beginner I would sugget a non trapeze dinghy suited to the weight of the crew which is not too high performance. Try talking to your local club or sailing school.  

Twister_Ken

Well-known member.

I'd disagree with Maxi (having learned to sail in Fireball!) A 420 is a good little boat, quite capable of being cruised around by inexperienced sailors, like many of the other alternatives. However unlike - say - a Mirror or Enterprise (actually, I'd an Enty was less stable), it has a built-in route to more exciting sailing as experience increases. A kite and a wire offer a dose of whoop-de-doo when the time is right.  

I agree with Ken...... 420's are really easy to sail.... especially as they have a relatively small rig, and as such don't get overpowered so easily. Also, just for information...... very few people now progress to a 420.... the more recent route has largely been via the 29'er or into a Feva.... Only thing i'd add, is that the learning curve would be easier in something like a Mirror or Enterprise, but not hugely.... and perhaps these two boats would offer other options such as a bit of river cruising in a way that a 420 would be less suitable for....... but i'd certainly not walk away from a good one at the right price without a good look....  

Points taken, though I would still say make sure the crew weight suits the boat, and if it is something of the size of a 420 perhaps something like an RS200 may give both the buzz of sailing something nippy and a decent class organisation. I am well aware many take to trapezes well (I know some guys who insist on sailing Musto Skiffs) but equally many do not and starting with a boat designed to use a trapeze may not be the best thing. It would be good to call in at either a decent dinghy sailing club or school to try some boats and get a better idea of what suits the needs. Of course if dinghy cruiing is more the direction then one is looking at a different set of boats completely.  

thanks for the replies. will the 420 bea good boat sailing single handed ?? i will most likely be alone most of the time atleast ?  

fishermantwo

I sailed a 420 for a season in the '70's. It had a forward mast position as well so it could be sailed cat rigged if required. Was not so good rigged this way. Pleasant easy boat to sail and not a strenuous boat to sail with trapeze. Much better performance with trapeze, rig is designed for trapeze and comes alive when used. Should be cheap these days and so are 470s. Plenty of tired ones about but still usable.  

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Southerly 420

Sailboat specifications.

• Last update: 25th March 2020

Southerly 420's main features

Southerly 420's main dimensions, southerly 420's rig and sails, southerly 420's performances, southerly 420's auxiliary engine, southerly 420's accommodations and layout.

Similar sailboats that may interest you:

The Najad 420 is a 42.65ft masthead sloop designed by Najad and built in fiberglass by Najad Yachts (SWE) between 1991 and 1996.

The Najad 420 is a heavy sailboat which is a reasonably good performer. It is stable / stiff and has an excellent righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a heavy bluewater cruising boat. The fuel capacity is average. There is a good water supply range.

Najad 420 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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How Much is a 420 Sailboat? (A Comprehensive Guide)

For those looking to purchase a 420 Sailboat, the cost is likely the first question on your mind.

The cost of a 420 Sailboat can vary greatly depending on several factors, including whether you are buying new or used.

In this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything you need to know when researching the cost of a 420 sailboat.

From understanding what a 420 sailboat is and the factors that affect its cost, to the cost of new and used 420 sailboats, additional costs, and tips for researching the cost, we will provide all the information you need to make an informed decision when purchasing your 420 sailboat.

Table of Contents

Short Answer

The cost of a 420 sailboat can vary greatly depending on its age, condition, and features.

Generally, a new model 420 sailboat will cost between $6,000 and $10,000.

For a used model, buyers can expect to pay anywhere from $2,500 to $7,000.

It is also important to factor in additional costs such as maintenance, insurance, and storage.

What is a 420 Sailboat?

A 420 sailboat is a class of dinghy, or small sailing boat, designed for racing purposes.

It is a two-person boat with a spinnaker, a lightweight sail designed to catch the wind and help the boat go faster.

The 420 is a small and lightweight boat, making it easy to transport and maneuver around the water.

It is a popular boat for recreational sailing and has been used in competitive sailing since the 1950s.

The 420 is a great boat for beginners and experienced sailors alike, as it is easy to learn and can be adjusted to suit different skill levels.

With its low cost, ease of use, and ability to perform well in competitive sailing, the 420 is a great choice for anyone looking to get into sailing.

Factors Affecting the Cost of a 420 Sailboat

When it comes to the cost of a 420 sailboat, there are a few key factors to consider.

The age of the boat, size, and condition all play a role in determining the overall price.

Additionally, additional costs such as sails, rigging, and other accessories can also add to the total cost.

The age of the boat is an important factor in determining the cost.

Generally, newer boats will be more expensive due to the higher quality materials and components used in their construction.

On the other hand, used boats can be a great way to save money as they are often much more affordable.

However, it is important to inspect the boat carefully and make sure it is in good condition before making a purchase.

The size of the boat is also a major factor in determining its cost.

Larger boats tend to be more expensive, as they require more materials and components.

Additionally, larger boats can require more sails and rigging, which can add to the total cost.

The condition of the boat is also an important factor in determining the cost.

Boats that are in good condition will cost more than boats that are in need of repair.

It is important to inspect the boat carefully and make sure it is in good condition before making a purchase.

Additionally, doing some research and comparing prices can help ensure you are getting the best deal possible.

In addition to the factors mentioned above, there are also additional costs to consider when purchasing a 420 sailboat.

These costs include sails, rigging, and other accessories.

Sails and rigging can be expensive, so it is important to factor in these costs when budgeting for a sailboat.

Additionally, other accessories such as safety equipment and electronics can add to the total cost.

Overall, the cost of a 420 sailboat can vary greatly depending on the age, size, and condition of the boat.

Generally, new boats can range from around $12,000 to more than $20,000.

Used boats are usually more affordable, with prices ranging from $2,000 to $15,000 depending on the condition and age of the boat.

Additional costs such as sails, rigging, and other accessories can add to the total cost.

Before making a purchase, it is important to do research and compare prices to ensure you are getting the best deal possible.

Cost of New 420 Sailboats

When it comes to the cost of a 420 sailboat, the price can vary greatly depending on the age, size, and condition of the boat.

New boats, in particular, can range from around $12,000 to more than $20,000.

The price of a new boat will depend on its features and amenities, such as the number of sails, the type and size of the mainsail, the quality of the rigging, and the interior layout.

Higher-end boats may also come equipped with additional features such as electronics, a sail-handling system, and a navigation system.

In addition to the cost of the boat itself, there are additional costs to consider.

Depending on the type of sailing you plan to do, you may need to purchase sails, rigging, and other accessories.

It is important to factor in these additional costs when budgeting for a new sailboat.

It is also important to consider the ongoing costs of owning a sailboat, such as dock fees, insurance, and maintenance.

There are a number of online resources that can provide detailed information about the various sailboats available, as well as the prices for new and used boats.

Additionally, it is a good idea to speak to a qualified yacht broker, who can provide expert advice and guidance on your purchase.

Cost of Used 420 Sailboats

When it comes to finding a great deal on a 420 sailboat, it is important to consider the cost of a used boat.

Used boats can be a great way to get into sailing without breaking the bank.

The cost of a used 420 sailboat will vary depending on the age, size, and condition of the boat.

Generally, used boats can range from as low as $2,000 for older boats in need of some repair, to $15,000 for newer boats in excellent condition.

When shopping for a used 420 sailboat, it is important to keep in mind that the older the boat, the more likely it is to need additional repairs or maintenance.

While older boats may need some work, they can also be a great way to get a great deal on a sailboat.

It is important to inspect the boat thoroughly before making a purchase to ensure that it is in good condition and any necessary repairs are taken care of.

Additionally, it may be wise to purchase a boat with a warranty to protect against any unexpected repairs that may arise.

In addition to the cost of the boat itself, there are several other costs associated with owning a 420 sailboat.

These costs include sails, rigging, and other accessories such as a cover and anchor.

Sails are typically the most expensive part of buying a sailboat , and can range from a few hundred dollars for used sails to several thousand for new sails.

Rigging, which includes the lines, pulleys, and blocks, is also necessary for sailing and can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.

The other accessories such as a cover and anchor can range from a few hundred dollars to over a thousand depending on the type and quality.

New boats can range from around $12,000 to more than $20,000.

Additionally, there are several other costs associated with owning a sailboat such as sails, rigging, and other accessories.

It is important to do research and compare prices to ensure you are getting the best deal possible.

Additional Costs for 420 Sailboats

For any prospective 420 sailboat owner, it is important to consider the additional costs that come with purchasing a boat.

Sailboats require a variety of accessories, from rigging and sails to other necessary items such as anchors and life jackets.

All of these items can add up quickly and should be taken into account when budgeting for a new sailboat.

Rigging for a 420 sailboat typically includes a mast, boom, and various types of line and hardware.

This can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on the type of rigging desired.

Sails are another important part of the cost equation, with pricing depending on the type of material and the number of sails that you buy.

Prices for sails can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.

In addition to the cost of the boat, rigging, and sails, there are also several other accessories and supplies that should be taken into account.

These can include safety equipment such as life jackets, flares, and other items.

Anchors, ropes, and other items for mooring the boat should also be considered.

Other items such as cleaning supplies, tools, and boat covers can also add to the overall cost.

Finally, it is important to consider the cost of maintenance for a 420 sailboat.

Regular maintenance and repair of the boat, sails, and rigging will be necessary to ensure the boat is in safe working condition.

The cost of this maintenance can vary greatly depending on the condition of the boat and the frequency of use.

Overall, the cost of a 420 sailboat can be quite varied, and it is important to do research and compare prices to ensure you are getting the best deal possible.

While the initial cost of the boat can be substantial, it is important to consider the additional costs associated with the boat before making a purchase.

By taking all of these costs into account, you can ensure that your purchase is truly the best value for your money.

Tips for Researching the Cost of 420 Sailboats

When researching the cost of 420 sailboats, it’s important to do your due diligence and shop around.

Start by researching the market to get an idea of what prices are being asked.

Check out online classifieds such as eBay and Craigslist, as well as local boat dealers and sailing clubs.

If you are in a coastal area, explore marinas and boatyards to find used boats for sale.

When comparing prices, consider the age, condition, and size of the boat.

Newer boats tend to be more expensive, but may also come with additional features and upgraded components.

Older boats can be more affordable, but may need more maintenance and repairs.

In addition, consider the cost of accessories and supplies needed for the boat, such as sails, rigging, and other equipment.

Another way to save money on a 420 sailboat is to look for used boats.

Used boats are generally more affordable and can provide a great value for the money.

However, be sure to inspect the boat thoroughly before making a purchase.

Check for signs of wear and tear, and ask the seller questions about the boats history and maintenance.

Finally, dont be afraid to negotiate.

Many sellers are willing to work with buyers to reach a reasonable price.

By researching, comparing prices, and negotiating, you can find the perfect boat for your budget.

Comparing Prices of 420 Sailboats

When it comes to purchasing a 420 sailboat, it is important to do your research and compare prices.

There are many factors to consider when comparing prices, such as the age, size, and condition of the boat.

Additionally, it is important to factor in any additional costs, such as sails, rigging, and other accessories.

New 420 sailboats can range from around $12,000 to more than $20,000.

It is important to carefully consider the features and quality of the boat to ensure you are getting the best value for your money.

When comparing prices, always make sure to factor in the cost of any additional accessories or upgrades you may need.

Used 420 sailboats are usually more affordable, with prices ranging from $2,000 to $15,000 depending on the condition and age of the boat.

Purchasing a used boat is a great way to save money, but it is important to inspect the boat thoroughly and have a professional evaluate it before making a purchase.

When comparing prices, it is also important to consider the cost of insurance and maintenance.

Insurance can be expensive, so make sure to factor in the cost of insurance when comparing prices.

Additionally, it is important to consider the cost of any maintenance or repairs that may be needed in the future.

Finally, it is important to consider the cost of any additional accessories or upgrades you may need.

For example, if you intend to sail in rough waters, you may need to purchase stronger sails or additional rigging.

Additionally, you may need to purchase additional safety equipment, such as life jackets, flares, or a distress beacon.

All of these items can add to the cost of your boat, so make sure to factor them into your budget.

In conclusion, it is important to do your research and carefully compare prices before making a purchase.

New boats can range from around $12,000 to more than $20,000, while used boats are usually more affordable, with prices ranging from $2,000 to $15,000.

Additionally, it is important to factor in any additional costs such as sails, rigging, and other accessories, as well as the cost of insurance and maintenance.

Final Thoughts

A 420 sailboat is an excellent choice for a sailing enthusiast, and the cost of one can vary greatly depending on a number of factors.

The cost of a new 420 sailboat can range from around $12,000 to more than $20,000, while used boats are usually more affordable, with prices ranging from $2,000 to $15,000.

Additional costs such as sails, rigging, and other accessories can add to the total cost, so it is important to do research and compare prices to ensure you’re getting the best deal possible.

Now that you’ve read this comprehensive guide on the cost of a 420 sailboat, you’re ready to make an informed decision on your purchase.

James Frami

At the age of 15, he and four other friends from his neighborhood constructed their first boat. He has been sailing for almost 30 years and has a wealth of knowledge that he wants to share with others.

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The Dali was just starting a 27-day voyage.

The ship had spent two days in Baltimore’s port before setting off.

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By Claire Moses and Jenny Gross

• Published March 26, 2024 Updated March 27, 2024

The Dali was less than 30 minutes into its planned 27-day journey when the ship ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday.

The ship, which was sailing under the Singaporean flag, was on its way to Sri Lanka and was supposed to arrive there on April 22, according to VesselFinder, a ship tracking website.

The Dali, which is nearly 1,000 feet long, left the Baltimore port around 1 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday. The ship had two pilots onboard, according to a statement by its owners, Grace Ocean Investment. There were 22 crew members on board, the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement. There were no reports of any injuries, Grace Ocean said.

Before heading off on its voyage, the Dali had returned to the United States from Panama on March 19, harboring in New York. It then arrived on Saturday in Baltimore, where it spent two days in the port.

Maersk, the shipping giant, said in a statement on Tuesday that it had chartered the vessel, which was carrying Maersk cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were onboard, the statement said, adding that the company was monitoring the investigations being carried out by the authorities and by Synergy Group, the company that was operating the vessel.

“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” the Maersk statement said.

The Dali was built in 2015 by the South Korea-based Hyundai Heavy Industries. The following year, the ship was involved in a minor incident when it hit a stone wall at the port of Antwerp . The Dali sustained damage at the time, but no one was injured.

Claire Moses is a reporter for the Express desk in London. More about Claire Moses

Jenny Gross is a reporter for The Times in London covering breaking news and other topics. More about Jenny Gross

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• Sailboat Guide

Island Packet 420

Island Packet 420 is a 44 ′ 7 ″ / 13.6 m monohull sailboat designed by Robert K. Johnson and built by Island Packet Yachts starting in 1999.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

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Baltimore bridge collapse wasn't first major accident for giant container ship Dali

Propulsion failed on the cargo ship that struck the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday as it was leaving port, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River. Its crew warned Maryland officials of a possible collision because they had lost control.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel” and a collision with the bridge “was possible,” according to an unclassified Department of Homeland Security report. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

An official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to USA TODAY that the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is working with federal, state, and local officials “to understand the potential impacts of this morning’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Clay Diamond, executive director, American Pilots’ Association, told USA TODAY power issues are not unusual on cargo ships, which are so large they cannot easily course correct.

“It’s likely that virtually every pilot in the country has experienced a power loss of some kind (but) it generally is momentary,” Diamond said. “This was a complete blackout of all the power on the ship, so that’s unusual. Of course this happened at the worst possible location.” 

The ship in Tuesday's crash, Dali, was involved in at least one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium.

That 2016 incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern, according to VesselFinder.com, a site that tracks ships across the world. An investigation determined a mistake made by the ship’s master and pilot was to blame.

No one was injured in that crash, although the ship required repair and a full inspection before being returned to service. The pier – or berth – was also seriously damaged and had to be closed.

VesselFinder reports that the Dali was chartered by Maersk, the same company chartering it during the Baltimore harbor incident.

The 9-year-old container ship had passed previous inspections during its time at sea, but during one such inspection in June at the Port of San Antonio in Chile, officials discovered a deficiency with its "propulsion and auxiliary machinery (gauges, thermometers, etc)," according to the Tokyo MOU, an intergovernmental maritime authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provided no other information about the deficiency except to note that it was not serious enough to remove the ship from service.

Follow here for live updates: Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after ship strike; construction crew missing: Live Updates

Why did Dali crash into the Baltimore bridge?

Officials said Tuesday they’re investigating the collision, including whether systems on board lost electricity early Tuesday morning, which could be related to mechanical failure, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Accidents at sea, known as marine casualties, are not uncommon, the source told USA TODAY. However, “allisions,” in which a moving object strikes a stationary one with catastrophic results, are far less common. The investigation of the power loss aboard the Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, will be a high priority.

In a video posted to social media, lights on the Dali shut off, then turned back on, then shut off again before the ship struck a support pier on the bridge.

Numerous cargo and cruise ships have lost power over the years.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all international vessels to have two independent sources of electricity, both of which should be able to maintain the ship's seaworthiness on their own, according to a safety study about power failures on ships , citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The Dali's emergency generator was likely responsible for the lights coming back on after the initial blackout, Diamond said.

“There was still some steerage left when they initially lost power,” he said. “We’ve been told the ship never recovered propulsion. The emergency generator is a diesel itself – so if you light off the generator, that’s also going to put off a puff of exhaust.”

Under maritime law, all foreign flagged vessels must be piloted into state ports by a state licensed pilot so the Dali's pilot is licensed by Association of Maryland Pilots .

Diamond described the incident based on information from the Maryland agency that licensed the pilot aboard the ship. His organization represents that group and all other state piloting agencies in the US.

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

“Neither one was enough. The ship never did regain its engine power.”

How big is the Dali ship?

The Dali is a 984-foot container vessel built in 2015 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. With a cruising speed of about 22 knots – roughly 25 mph. It has traveled the world carrying goods from port to port.

The ship, constructed of high-strength steel, has one engine and one propeller, according to MarineTraffic.com.

The Dali arrived in Baltimore on Sunday from the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Before that, it had been in New York and came through the Panama Canal.

It remains at the scene of the collapse as authorities investigate.

Who owns and operates the Dali?

It is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd but managed by Synergy Marine Group, also based in Singapore. It was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to a statement from the shipping company.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and are closely monitoring the situation,” Maersk said in the statement. 

Synergy, which describes itself as a leading ship manager with more than 600 vessels under its guidance, issued a statement on its website acknowledging the incident and reporting no injuries among its crew and no pollution in the water. There were two pilots on board and 22 crew members in all, according to Synergy, all of them from India.

USA TODAY reached out to Synergy on Tuesday, but the company did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Contributing: Josh Susong

What we know about Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after being hit by a cargo ship, with large parts of the bridge falling into the Patapsco River.

At least eight people fell into the water, members of a construction crew working on the bridge at the time, officials said. Two were rescued, one uninjured and one in serious condition, and two bodies were recovered on Wednesday. The remaining four are presumed dead. The workers are believed to be the only victims in the disaster.

Here’s what we know so far.

Baltimore bridge collapse

How it happened: Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship . The container ship lost power shortly before hitting the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said. Video shows the bridge collapse in under 40 seconds.

Victims: Divers have recovered the bodies of two construction workers , officials said. They were fathers, husbands and hard workers . A mayday call from the ship prompted first responders to shut down traffic on the four-lane bridge, saving lives.

Economic impact: The collapse of the bridge severed ocean links to the Port of Baltimore, which provides about 20,000 jobs to the area . See how the collapse will disrupt the supply of cars, coal and other goods .

Rebuilding: The bridge, built in the 1970s , will probably take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild , experts said.

• Baltimore bridge collapse: Crane arrives at crash site to aid cleanup March 29, 2024 Baltimore bridge collapse: Crane arrives at crash site to aid cleanup March 29, 2024
• Officials studied Baltimore bridge risks but didn’t prepare for ship strike March 29, 2024 Officials studied Baltimore bridge risks but didn’t prepare for ship strike March 29, 2024
• Baltimore begins massive and dangerous cleanup after bridge collapse March 28, 2024 Baltimore begins massive and dangerous cleanup after bridge collapse March 28, 2024

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

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Chris Baraniuk

Why the Baltimore Bridge Collapsed So Quickly

Just shy of half past 1 in the morning, the MV Dali , a giant container ship, was sailing gently out of the port of Baltimore when something went terribly wrong. Suddenly, lights all over the 300-meter-long vessel went out. They flicked on again a moment later, but the ship then began to veer to the right, toward one of the massive pylon-like supports on the Francis Scott Key truss bridge—a huge mass of steel and concrete that spans the Patapsco River.

The Dali ’s lights went out a second time. Then the impact came. The ship plowed into the support, with large sections of the bridge’s main truss section instantly snapping apart and falling into the river. It took just 20 seconds or so for the structure to come down.

Now, a major US port is in disarray, and several people who were working on the bridge at the time of its collapse are missing. A rescue operation is underway. President Biden has called the disaster a “terrible accident.” Ship traffic is currently stuck on either side of the crash site, and a major roadway through Baltimore has been cut off.

“It’s a dreadful tragedy and something you hope never to see,” says David Knight, a bridge expert and specialist adviser to the UK’s Institution of Civil Engineers. But commenting on footage of the bridge collapse , he says he is not surprised by the manner in which it crumpled.

Large steel structures may seem invulnerable, but steel, explains Knight, is relatively lightweight for its size. As soon as it is pushed or pulled the wrong way with enough force, it can fold like paper. In this case, the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a “continuous,” or unjointed, bridge that had a 366-meter-long central truss section. (Truss bridges use steel beams, arranged in triangular shapes, to support their load.) The central truss was made up of three horizontal stretches, known as spans, with two sets of supports holding these above the water. It was the third-largest structure of its kind in the world.

Will Knight

“When you take a support away, there is very little in the way of robustness,” says Knight. “It will drag down, as we saw, all three spans.” The separate approach spans remain standing. There is nothing in Knight’s view that immediately suggests any structural problem with the bridge. An engineering firm, Hardesty & Hanover, confirmed to WIRED that it performed an inspection of the bridge in 2019, and that other inspections have been carried out since, but did not provide any additional details on the state of the structure. WIRED has approached H&H for further comment. In June last year, the US Federal Highway Administration rated the condition of the bridge as satisfactory .

The immense force of the container ship impact should not be underestimated, adds Knight. Such vessels require a lot of power and time—perhaps many minutes—to come to a complete stop. The Francis Scott Key Bridge was completed in 1977. In more recent decades, bridge engineers have commonly incorporated defenses to reduce the potential damage by ship strikes when bridges are erected in similar locations, Knight says. These include hydraulic barriers and additional concrete around the base of bridge supports, for instance. However, even with such fortifications in place, heavy strikes can still cause devastating damage.

It is not clear why lights turned off and on again on the Dali , a Singapore-flagged ship built in 2015. “That is an indication of a massive problem,” says Salvatore Mercogliano, a maritime historian at Campbell University in North Carolina and a YouTuber who has analyzed the crash .

At the time of the accident, two pilots—mariners who board a ship to help it navigate particular stretches of water, including in and out of ports—from Baltimore were on board. The Dali was broadcasting its position publicly via the automatic identification system (AIS) and was traveling at a speed of over 8.5 knots. It then slowed to around 6 knots in the moments before the crash, according to AIS data .

Both pilots and all crew members on the Dali are accounted for. There are no reports of injuries, the ship’s management company, Synergy Group, said in a statement on March 26.

ABC News reports that the crew of the vessel made a desperate mayday call in an attempt to warn transport officials that the crash was about to occur. A report from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, seen by ABC, says the Dali “lost propulsion” and that the crew were aware they had “lost control” of the ship. Maryland governor Wes Moore told reporters that , thanks to the mayday call, officials were able to stem the flow of traffic over the bridge, an intervention that he says “saved lives.”

Mercogliano says it is very difficult for ships of this size to make rapid adjustments to their trajectories. Video footage shows a sudden outpouring of smoke from the vessel’s stack, indicating a change in engine activity of some kind. What is particularly disturbing is that, in this case, the vessel ends up plowing straight into one of the key supports for the bridge, clearly off course. No information as to why this happened has become public.

Photographs of the aftermath show the bow of the ship pinned beneath fallen sections of the bridge . The anchor chain is visible, meaning that at some point the anchor was dropped, though it is not certain whether this happened before or after impact. The chain appears to be at an angle, however, which Mercogliano says could be a sign that it was dropped shortly before the crash and dragged for a brief time.

Lawyer James Turner of Quadrant Chambers in London specializes in, among other things, ship collisions. He says that there would have been no automated systems on board a merchant ship of this kind able to prevent the impact. Information from radar, AIS, and visual observations would have been available to the crew, however.

But data-collecting systems may now reveal exactly what happened. As on airplanes, commercial ships have data and audio recorders on the bridge, which are often a key source of information for investigators post-incident. “The master will hit a button and that ensures that the last two hours of audio recording are preserved, as well as all the data from the various parts of the ship, like the engine and steering and so on,” explains Turner. “That can be downloaded and queried.”

He adds that estimates of the ship’s speed at the time of the incident as recorded by AIS are likely “99.99 percent accurate.”

For now, the focus of responders will be on locating survivors from the fallen bridge. Two people have been rescued, one of whom is in the hospital. Six construction workers remain missing .

The disaster has come at a difficult time for shipping, with drought afflicting the Panama Canal and Houthi attacks striking multiple vessels in the Red Sea in recent months. Somali piracy is on the rise again , also. The grounding of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal is very much still within recent memory—it occurred a mere three years ago.

The Port of Baltimore insists in a statement that it has not been shut down—road vehicles are still operating within the port—however, all ship traffic in and out is suspended until further notice. AIS data reveals around a dozen commercial vessels at anchor outside the port, their entry now blocked by the stricken bridge and the Dali . It will take some time for the US Army Corps of Engineers to remove the steel pieces of the bridge, which present a significant threat to passing vessels, from the river.

“Whatever ships are in the port are now stuck,” says Mercogliano, who notes that Baltimore is an important port in terms of car deliveries and coal exports.

Overall, he argues, maritime operations are extremely safe today, though the volume and velocity of trade mean that when things go wrong it can be especially serious.

“We move goods a lot faster than ever before, and there’s very little margin for error,” he says. “When there is a mistake, the mistakes tend to be very large.”

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