49er class sailboat

International 49er & 49erFX Class Association

Class contact information.

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Class Email

Class Website

One-Design Class Type: Dinghy

Was this boat built to be sailed by youth or adults? Adult

Approximately how many class members do you have? 70

Photo Credit:Ricardo Pinto

Photo Credit: Ramon Oliden

Photo Credit: Ivan Bulaja

About International 49er & 49erFX Class Association

The 49er and 49erFX are the premiere Olympic skiff. Designed by famous Australian skiff sailor / designed, Julian Bethwaite, the 49er represents the culmination of high performance sailing, remaining the gold standard for athletic competition on water and becoming a proving ground for today’s top International sailors. Using a twin trapeze, self-tacking jib, asymmetric gennaker and solid wings, the 49er and 49erFX can reach speeds of 25 knots. With the addition of the 49erFX variant, the class has opened up to younger, smaller and female sailors while still providing all the same excitement.

Boats Produced: 2200

Class boat builder(s):

Mackay Boats Ltd Ovington Boats Ltd

Approximately how many boats are in the USA/North America? 140

Where is your One-Design class typically sailed in the USA? List regions of the country:

Florida, New York, California

Does this class have a spinnaker or gennaker? Yes

How many people sail as a crew including the helm?  2

Ideal combined weight of range of crew:  350

Portsmouth Yardstick Rating:   740

Boat Designed in  1995

Length (feet/inches): 16’8″

Beam: 9′

Weight of rigged boat without sails: 275

Draft: 3′

Mast Height: 27′

Coaching or Clinic Resources

Tuning guides.

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One Design Class Profile: The 49er

September 15, 2013 by Sail1Design Editor 2 Comments

By S1D One-Design Class manager  Leslie Holt

In 1995, Julian Bethwaite designed the 49er, and since then it has been gaining popularity world-wide for its incredible speed. The boat takes several design cues from the poplar three-man Aussie 18, which is a larger high performance skiff.  In 1996, the 49er was selected for the 2000 Olympic Games. This relatively new high performance skiff made its Olympic debut at the Sydney Olympics. It has been in every Summer Games since then and is a continually growing class. Harken calls it “The Formula One race car of the Games”, and perhaps this is why the 49er class has been growing so quickly.

This 16ft long skiff design has a beam of only 5ft 9in without including the wings; that sounds reasonable until you learn that the sail area amounts to 637.49sq.ft. including the spinnaker. The wings add to the beam of the boat and take it to a maximum width of 9ft 6in. This winged design allows the sailors more mechanical advantage while hiking than the narrow hull of the boat otherwise would.

Boat Specifications

LOA: 4.995m/16 ft 4 in Beam: w.o/w wings-1.75m /2.9m(5 ft 9 in/9 ft 6 in) Draft: 1447 mm (4 ft 9 in) Weight: 70 kg (154 lb) Main/Jib: 21.2 sq. m (228.19 sq. ft) Spinnaker: 38sq m (409.3 sq. ft)

The combination of the large sail area and light-weight planing hull make this boat nothing short of a speed demon in almost all conditions. Those attributes also mean that this boat is very difficult to sail well in mid to upper level wind conditions. Any sailor looking to take on a 49er needs to be physically prepared for the power this boat possesses. It is going to take many many hours of practice and a great deal of communication and teamwork for a team to excel at sailing a 49er.

When asked how difficult it is to master these boats Finn Nilsen, who participated at US 49er Nationals, replied, “If you’ve never sailed a skiff, the 49er is not a boat you can just jump in and expect to race well immediately. As the wind ranges increase the boat just becomes more difficult and the margin of error becomes extremely small. For teams that are new to the 49er…the first couple months of heavy air practice are going to be spent swimming”

Charles “Campbell” Woods, who also participated in the 2013 US Nationals says, “The boat is crazy fast all the time and in the right conditions it truly flies. The close coordination of crew, driver and boat creates a system that when sailed properly is rewarding and really blows your hair back. Some of the best times sailing are just out training and raging downwind at mach 10 with your bodies all the way off the back of the boat and the hull just skipping wildly across the tops of the waves. Racing in anything over 10knots is a total blast and is both exhilarating and exhausting.’

The only thing about these boats that sailors seem to dislike is the time between the races in an event. The 49er will not sit upright unless underway which means no real breaks between races. Most 49er regattas tend to be fast paced in an effort to keep from wearing out the sailors in the time between the races.

 If you are looking to get into skiff sailing, this is definately a class to consider. As stated before, you do need to be fairly athletic to handle these boats because of the huge sail area involved, but by all accounts, they are blast to sail. According to ISAF, the optimal crew weigh is somewhere between 145lbs and 165lbs; combined weight should be somewhere between 290lbs and 330lbs. The typical 49er sailor is very athletic and can handle high sheet loads and rapid situational changes. Both the skipper and crew on this boat are on trapeze and coordination between the two is essential to good boat handling. The competition in 49ers is fairly stiff due to the fact that it is an Olympic class, but there seem to be a number of 49er teams that do not have Olympic ambitions.

Oakcliff Sailing Center, which has recently been named a US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider Training Center, held the US Nationals for the 49er Class in Oyster Bay, NY from August 22-26. There were eighteen 49ers at this top level event including a few Olympic hopefuls. Brad Funk and Trevor Bird took first place on the 49er line.

There are currently 98 boats registered for 49er Worlds which will be held in Marseilles from September 21-29. Judging from the teams that have registered, it promises to be a highly competitive event.

Check out the 49er Class at:

United States 49er Class Association: 49erNA.org

International 49er Class Association: 49er.org

Thank you to the following Sailors and Sources who made this article possible

Finn Nilsen of Team Nilsen

Charles “Campbell” Woods of dinghylocker.com

Oakcliff Sailing Center

Sailing.org (ISAF)

Yachtscoring.com

Olympic.org

Photos from

Yachtpals.com

49ersailing.ca

Sailing.org

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Adrenaline pumping speed. The skiff that flies.

It's one of the most powerful experiences in high performance, double handed skiff sailing. Using a twin trapeze, self-tacking jib, asymmetric gennaker and solid wings, the Mackay built 49er reaches speeds of 25 knots. It's also the boat used by Olympic winning and World Champion teams.

Find out more in the Features section below

Specifications

No of crew:             2

Opt. crew weight:   145 – 165 kg’s

No. Trapeze:           Twin

Hull material:          GRP

Hull length:             4.995m

Beam length:          2.9m

Hull weight:            94kg

Mainsail area:         16.1m2

Headsail area:         5.1m2

Spinnaker area:       21.2 m2

The 49er is the men's Olympic Skiff Class.

49er Class association website  http://49er.org/

The 49er is 16ft long and made of fiberglass and carbon fibre for optimum strength and lightweight. Weighing 125 kgs when fully rigged, its optimal length to weight ratio and very fine hull lines, help produce excellent lift in waves and maneuverability.

 The Wings

The boat features distinctive wings 9ft wide to allow the crew to achieve maximum leverage and to support the rig. The wings are designed to blend into the hull and cockpit area which optimises aerodynamics and makes it easy to move around. The wings are fastened to the hull and can be easily detached. 

CST became the carbon fibre tube suppliers in 2021. All tubes are QA checked plus bend and weigh tested by CST to ensure consistency.

The mast is assembled by the class builders. All mast fittings are the same on the 49er and FX so spare parts can be used for either boat.

The spreaders are built from recycled carbon. The mast join system and spreader base was recently redesigned for added strength around the trapeze area.

The huge sail area for such a small boat means that the 49er can sail faster than the speed of the wind.

The Class is moving to a new range of sails in 2022. The main and jib sails will be built by North Sails using the 3Di technology which is a 3D full sized molding construction process that uses composite materials. The technology enables sails to be built to the desired shape and retain shape over time. This change to the “black sails” will improve the longevity and consistency while also decreasing the overall cost of sails.

The spinnaker has also undergone design changes and will be built by McDiarmid Sails.

The new sails are currently under development and due to be available in early 2022.

Congratulations to the 2023 49er/49erFX European Championship winners

Developing the 49er Class

49er Recent Successes

What is included in the full 49er package.

The boat package comes complete with all ropes and sheets from Robline, rudderstock, 2 x tiller extensions, gennaker pole, boom and turnbuckle set.

The Rig package comes complete with mast, wires, halyards, halyard adjusters, trapeze lines and trapeze adjusters.

***Boatbreaker and footstraps are not included and need to be ordered as extra items.

What can be customized on the 49er?

The concept of the 49er is that all boats are the same. We offer the option to upgrade to EVA foam for non-skid on the wings and also offer a service to custom pack and align the centrecase.

Where do I get class numbers and country flag for sails from?

Sail numbers and flag details can be found on the class website:  49er Class Association

Can I retrofit the 49er?

The class rules clearly state what can be added and changed on the boat as part of maintenance. Blocks and ropes can be replaced with similar products by other manufacturers. Please read the rules carefully and remember, you cannot change anything unless the rule specifically allow it.

How should the wings be safely transported?

Wings must be transported with the foam blocks under each wing to stop the underside denting on the wing plinths on the deck. Make sure they are tied down well so they don’t fly away!

Place padding under the ties in the non-skid areas to protect your non-skid and stop it wearing.

How to do a gelcoat repair?

Small gel coat repairs are relatively easy to do. 

What is Gelcoat made up of?

Gelcoat is a polyester product that is cured by using a catalyst called MEKP. (Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide)

MEKP is a dangerous substance and should be treated as such when using, being very careful not to get any on your skin or in your eyes.

How can I get the catalyst - MERK?

We cannot ship MEKP so you will always need to buy it separately from your local marine store or fibreglass manufacturer.

How much MERK do I need?

The amount of Catalyst varies depending on the conditions you are using it in, but around 2%-3% will always work.

It is best to use a small syringe or dropper to get the required catalyst rate.

If you have mixed 100gm of gelcoat, then you are aiming for 2ml of catalyst.

Generally, polyester doesn’t stick well to Epoxy, so if you are repairing an epoxy boat, then you should source a special epoxy compatible gelcoat.

What are the Gelcoat colours?

Gelcoats colours are not always a 100% perfect match.

Colour will vary depending on the depth of the repair and the batch.

49er, VX One & Zephyr are built from Epoxy resin.

For the epoxy boats we use a product made by Scot Bader.

Grey is Crystic 253 RAL= 7035

White is Crystic 253 PA   - White 337

Does Mackay Boats supply gelcoat?

We supply a small tin (of each relevant colour) with each new boat.

Order additional gelcoat from our store, although it cannot be shipped by courier.

How do I do gelcoat repairs?

Doing gelcoat repairs is an art that improves with experience.

Making sure the surface is prepared well and keyed up is critical.

Overfill and then sanding back is a slow and time-consuming process.

Be very careful not to scratch the boat around the repair.

You shouldn’t sand the original surface around the repair with any paper coarser than 600grit.

Mask around the repair to protect the boat.

You can initially use a file or 150g to take the high parts off the filling, but don't use the coarse paper for too long or you will end up with scratches in the finished repair.

Once you have it fair with 600g, you can work your way through the sandpaper grades until you finish with 1500grit before cutting and polishing.

We would typically use 600g, then 800g or 1000g, then 1200g, then finally 1500g.

49er Tuning Tips

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Class Rules Updated – March 2019

• opalgraphem
• March 26, 2019

A Class rule change has been approved by World Sailing. The change limits the thickness of grip tape on the wings to 3mm maximum. No other changes were introduced.

To see the full class rules, follow this link.

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• Sailboat Guide

49ER is a 16 ′ 0 ″ / 4.9 m monohull sailboat designed by Bethwaite Design and built by Ovington Boats Ltd., MacKay Boats Ltd., LaserPerformance, and Nautivela 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)

Beam with wings removed: 5.58’. Olympic class since 2002.

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49er High Performance Skiff

49ER AT A GLANCE 

A TRUE HIGH-PERFORMANCE SKIFF

The 49er one-design skiff has transformed dinghy racing offering performance, excitement and spectacle together with the unmatched ferocity of competition only generated in Olympic fleets.

The hull designed by Julian Bethwaite is lightweight and offers minimal resistance with no noticeable speed hump, unlike other boats at the time. The most noticeable feature of the 49er skiff is the solid wings which make the boat easier to sail and generate massive righting moment. The 49er adopted a new sail plan and full carbon mast in 2008 which has enabled the boat to stay in line with modern developments in rig design.

Association Link 49er.org

49er Complete Ready to Sail

•  49er Hull package (G40021)
• Complete CST mast (Inc wires, halyards & trapeze system)
• North Main and Jib
• Pryde Spinnaker
• Launching trolley

Price: £30,250.00

            £25,208.33 (ex VAT)

49er Hull package – Ex Spars & Sails

• Fully fitted hull
• Spinnaker pole
• Spinnaker sock
• Boom with vang arms
• Rudder Stock
• Twin Carbon Kevlar Tiller Extensions
• Rig Bag inc Turnbuckles for both lowers and main shrouds and adjusters
• Control line blocks
• Boat Breaker

Price:  £20,450

             £17,041.67 (ex VAT)

49er Hull inc Wings

• Spinnaker Pole
• Spinnaker Sock

Excluding :

• Rudder stock

Price:  £17,995

             £14,995.83 (ex VAT)

49er Hull and deck only 

Price: £13,500

            £11,250.00 (ex VAT)

49er Padded mast bag

49er Under cover

49er Top cover – Wings stowed

Combi Foil Bag

Looking for something else, we sell parts & spares.

From sails to rigging, mast fittings and covers.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

United States heads back to the Olympics in the 49er

Tokyo 2020 marked the first time in history the United States did not send a full slate to the Olympic Games, after missing the final qualification opportunity in the 49er class at the 2019 Pan American Games. In Paris, the United States will be represented once again in the 49er class. 

The duo of  Andrew Mollerus and  Ian MacDiarmid , along with  Ian Barrows and  Hans Henken , officially punched their tickets by qualifying to the medal race at the 2023 Sailing World Championships.

Barrows and Henken were awarded the spot with their performance at the Olympic Trials in January. Both men will be making their Olympic debut in Paris. 

Daniela Moroz makes history

Daniela Moroz was not only the first U.S. sailor to make the Olympic team for Paris 2024, but she made history by becoming the first American to ever qualify to the Olympic Games in formula kite — a sailing event that will make its Olympic debut in Paris. 

The six-time world champion earned her spot by placing third in the Olympic test event in Marseille in July of 2023 and then finishing fifth at the world championships in the Netherlands a month later. Moroz will look to become the first American woman to win an Olympic sailing medal since 2008 when Anna Tunnicliffe Tobias won gold in the Laser Radial class. 

Ellie Aldridge eyes gold in Paris

Great Britain’s  Ellie Aldridge experienced major success in 2023, winning silver in the formula kite at the Olympic test event in July and again at the world championships a month later. Aldridge capped off her year with a gold medal at the 2023 Formula Kite European Championships, cementing herself as one to watch heading into Paris. 

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