49er sailboat racing

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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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 Top cover – Wings out – Canvas – Banks

Ovington Rig Bag

49er Padded mast bag

Combi Foil Bag

Looking for something else, we sell parts & spares.

From sails to rigging, mast fittings and covers.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• What is a 49er in Olympic sailing?

The iconic 49er brings fast and furious racing to the Olympic Games for the men’s skiff event.

You won’t be able to miss the skiffs, emblazoned with each country’s flag, as they roar around Marseille Marina with drama and unpredictability inevitably in their wake.

Here’s your whistlestop guide to the 49er class.

What is a 49er?

The 49er is a skiff. Skiffs are the high-performance end of sailing – fast, light and tough.

It is called a 49er because the hull of the boat measures 4.99 metres.

At Paris 2024, the 49er will be raced by two men and was introduced to the Olympic programme for Sydney 2000.

Its sister design, the 49erFX, will be raced by two women and was brought in at Rio 2016.

How does a 49er work?

In a 49er crew, one sailor plays the role of helm and the other plays the role of crew.

The helm makes tactical decisions and steers the boat, while the crew undertakes more of the physical work and controls the sails.

There are three sails on a 49er – the mainsail, the jib and the spinnaker – with each 49er’s spinnaker displaying the relevant country’s flag.

Who are the previous Olympic medallists?

Tokyo 2020: Gold – Dylan Fletcher, Stuart Bithell (Great Britain), Silver – Peter Burling, Blair Tuke (New Zealand), Bronze – Erik Heil, Thomas Plößel (Germany)

Rio 2016: Gold – Peter Burling, Blair Tuke (New Zealand), Silver – Nathan Outteridge, Iain Jensen (Australia), Bronze – Erik Heil, Thomas Plößel (Germany)

London 2012: Gold – Nathan Outteridge, Iain Jensen (Australia), Silver – Peter Burling, Blair Tuke (New Zealand), Bronze – Allan Nørregaard, Peter Lang (Denmark)

Who are the top athletes in 49er?

Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken have emerged as the outstanding crew in the class. They enjoyed a superb 2023, winning the Paris 2024 Test Event in Marseille and the 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships, their third successive world title.

But they have not had it all their own way in an unpredictable run-up to the Games.

At the World Championships in March, Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin won France’s first ever global title in the class. May’s European Championships saw Hernán Umpierre and Fernando Diz of Uruguay finish first and GB’s James Peters and Fynn Sterritt claim the title of top European nation.

When is the 49er event at Paris 2024?

49er racing begins on Sunday 28 August and ends on Thursday 1 August.

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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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On this page you will find a list of boats for sale in NA. If you’d like to post your boat here, contact us

Boat: CAN 2255 Build: Mackay Location: Toronto Contact: Sam Bonin ( [email protected] ) Great starter boat hull for teams looking to get in the class without having to worry about repairing/replacing old parts. Can also be an upgrade for existing teams looking for a great deal. Boat was purchased for 2022 Worlds and used sparingly after (<100 days). No expenses spared outfitting this boat. Includes alloy trolley, top cover, boat breaker, boom, vang strut and arm, compass bracket, recently nautixed, foils (laser aligned), all custom top of the line ropes, spin bag and pole. Pictures of boat available upon request. Extras available: 49er mast (CST with all rigging), 3 49er latest gen kites (6-8/10 quality) and 1 49er 3Di jib (quality 9/10). Contact for price on extras.  Asking $24,000 CAD

Boat: CAN 2084 Build: Ovington Location: Vancouver Contact: Ryan Wood ([email protected]) Great starter boat for young teams! Sold as hull only package. Hull and bulkhead on port side have been repaired professionally by Roberts Composites. Pictures of repair are available upon request. Includes alloy trolley, top cover, wing bags, boat breaker. Extras available, incl 49er mast (CST or SS),  sails (North, Pryde), Alu trailer ($2,000). Asking $10,000 CAD

Boat: USA 1170 Build: Ovington Location: Las Vegas Contact: Lewis Allen ( [email protected] ) Good condition, 2 sets of sails, trailer, dolly, many extras. Best offers accepted . Asking $7,500 USD w/ aluminum trailer.

Boat: CAN 1883  Build: Mackay Location: Montreal Contact: Cameron Baird |   [email protected] or (438) 884-5567 If you’re looking to jump into the 49er or FX this is the perfect hull for you. Sailed competitively in North America from 2019 until early 2022 this is a watertight and well maintained boat from a good batch of Mackay hulls. The boat was only sailed in 2022 at Worlds and has not been used since. It has always been stored indoors or down south in the winter and comes with plenty of kit to get you going. Can be sold as a 49er, FX, or just a hull with plenty of gear. Boat is located in Montreal and delivery can be arranged upon request. Asking price: $15,000 CAD  

Boat: CAN 2008 Build: Mackay Location: Victoria Contact: Dylan Jones ([email protected]) Good starter package for new team. Mackay 49er hull only package including foils with cover,  boat breaker, top cover, 4 tillers. Option for mast and sails available. Asking $16,000 CAD

Boat: CAN 1222 Build: Ovington Location: Ottawa, ON Contact: Rebecca Heller ([email protected]) FX with Southern Spars mast. Comes with two sets of <2020 sails (2mains, 2jibs, 2spins) and covers (travel and normal). Also comes with the boards with board bags and a steel dolly. Was just newly gripped and rigged. Asking $8000 CAD

Boat: CAN 1468 Build: Mackay Contact: Mike Lynch ([email protected]) Well-maintained fixed-wing boat, perfect for starting out. The boat comes with full inventory including two mains, three jibs, two spinnakers, a spare sprit pole, extra tiller extensions, and other spares including blocks, and rigging. The boat comes with two sets of foils, one in good condition, and the second set requiring refinishing. The boat is dry, and there are no structural issues or damage. Ready to be sailed. The boat has top and bottom covers and an aluminum dolly. The boat is available with an aluminum trailer that can transport one 49er + one 29er and masts. The boat has been stored indoors and properly winterized. Located in Collingwood but can easily be brought to Toronto for viewing. Asking $15,000 CAD

Boat: CAN 1463 Build: Mackay Location: Montreal, Quebec Contact: Nathan Duffar-Calder ( [email protected] , 4388318807) Great boat to enter the class in. The boat was temporary used for an olympic campaign for Rio 2016, then was only used again later in 2018 by high performance sailors until the end of 2022. It has never taken on any water and keep tension properly. It comes with at 49er rig (2020 mast and sails) and 49er FX rig, (2018 mast and 2 sets of training sails). Furthermore, the boat comes with two sets of blades, an aluminium dolly, a rigged cover, bottom cover and a mast cover. The boat is ready to be sailed and has a bunch of line addition to increase performance. If interested, a trailer with a box that can fit two 49ers or 29ers can be included for a different price. Asking: $18,000 CAD

Boat:  CAN 1749 Build: Mackay Location: Montreal Contact: Sophie Vinet ( [email protected] ) Complete  49erFX setup, fixed wings. Always stored indoors. Comes with: 1 SS Mast, 2 mains, 3 jibs, 2 kites, 6 carbon tillers, boards, top cover, and alu trolley. Asking $18,000 CAD

Boat:  CAN 730 Build: Mackay Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba Contact: Chad Goodall ( [email protected] ) This boat was manufactured in 2002 (hull NZ 02/02 730) but has been well maintained and is in very good condition.  It has been carefully stored and very lightly used for the past 10 years.  It comes with a spinnaker and two sets of sails, one practice and one race set.  It also includes a launching dolly, a foils bag, 2 sail bags, a rigged cover, mast cover, boat breaker and various spare lines and parts. Asking:  $7,500 CAD

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Meet Dylan Fletcher, Britain’s sailing star from a family of ballet dancers

If there is a spring in the step of Ineos Britannia – and there should be given the momentum they are beginning to build in this America’s Cup – at least some of that is down to Dylan Fletcher.

Ben Ainslie’s co-helm on board the British AC75 has been a lively presence in the Louis Vuitton challenger series, with his constant chatter and energy.

Promoted at the 11th hour in place of Giles Scott, having made himself, in Ainslie’s words, “undroppable”, Fletcher’s is the voice you hear on the TV coverage, constantly talking, painting a picture for his skipper, reading the wind shifts, projecting the lay lines, giving Ainslie options on the race course.

Mind you, Fletcher ought to be sure-footed. It is in his blood. Both of his parents were ballet dancers. His father Graham Fletcher – or “Flecky” as he was known in the business – was a principal dancer in the Royal Ballet who had a wonderfully colourful career.

Fletcher snr was inside the Miss Piggy costume on the famous Muppet Show sketch “Swine Lake” from 1978, dancing with Rudolf Nureyev in a parody of the White Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake.

It was the start of a long association with American puppeteer Jim Henson, Fletcher snr appearing several times as the Fletcher Bird and Timmie the Martian in episodes that included guests Diana Ross, Liberace and Alice Cooper. Later he took on the role of Mr Mistoffolees in Cats , joining the original cast members. “That was probably Dad’s most notable role,” Fletcher says, smiling.

Mum Jane, meanwhile, was in the English National Ballet and is now a pilates instructor in Market Harborough.

Did he inherit the dancing genes? “Obviously they wanted me to do ballet as a kid, and I did a few times – but I hated it!” Fletcher admits. “Anything to do with the stage or performing wasn’t for me.”

That is not strictly true. Fletcher, it turns out, paid for his first boat with money earned from acting in The Bill , although he says he was “only three or four” when he did it and quit showbiz soon after. “They wanted me to do more but my mum was against it,” he says. “Sliding doors!”

Sitting in a room of the Ineos base in Barcelona, overlooking the boat shed, Fletcher laughs. He is aware that his childhood, and route into sailing, was rather unusual. But he has not spoken much about it before. Although he was a hugely successful Olympic sailor, winning gold in the 49er in Tokyo alongside Stu Bithell, Olympic sailing pales in comparison with the America’s Cup for media attention.

If Ainslie’s team do make next month’s 37th America’s Cup match against defenders New Zealand – and despite a defeat by Alinghi on Monday in very light winds, they should still advance to the challenger final at 4-1 up in a first-to-five series – Fletcher can expect to be repeating his back story a lot in the coming weeks.

Fletcher learnt to sail when the family moved from Thames Ditton to Market Harborough when he was a boy. “Mum and Dad put me on a summer course at Pitsford reservoir, Northampton Sailing Club,” he recalls. “That’s where I started. But I was relatively late coming into the Olympic programme. I didn’t start racing until I was 13.”

He made up for lost time. After buying his first boat (“I really wanted a quad bike. Like most boys, I had delusions of being a Formula One driver.”) Fletcher progressed swiftly through the ranks – 405s, 29ers, then 49ers, finishing sixth in Rio with Alan Sign before that gold in Tokyo, which was decided by a photo finish.

By a happy coincidence, Fletcher and Bithell beat Emirates Team New Zealand’s double America’s Cup winners Peter Burling and Blair Tuke to silver in Enoshima. Perhaps he already holds an Indian sign over them? “Ha,” he says. “I don’t know about that. But their path to the America’s Cup definitely inspired me. Ultimately, one of the reasons I did a lot of Moth sailing after Tokyo [Fletcher won the world title in the foiling dinghy class in 2022], and pushed hard at that, is because of Pete [Burling], Nathan [Outteridge], Tommy [Slingsby] and Goody [Paul Goodison]. They all won Moth world championships. They’re all Olympic gold medallists. And now they’re all helming AC boats.

“I was like: ‘Right, now I’ve won an Olympic gold I need to go and win a Moth world title, because I want to be an America’s Cup helm.’”

Still, to say Fletcher’s promotion to co-helm on Britannia caught outsiders by surprise would be an understatement. Scott is, after all, a double Olympic champion himself, and far more experienced in this world. No one saw it coming.

It seems Fletcher’s persistence and doggedness have been rewarded. He reckons he sent Ainslie “about a text message a month until Ben finally relented” and brought him into the team.

Initially, he wondered whether he might have been brought in to helm the British SailGP boat when Ainslie and Scott were busy with the America’s Cup, which he did in the first season of the series before Ainslie bought the team. But gradually, he made himself indispensable. From helming the second AC40 when Ineos were two-boat testing earlier this year, to his work in the simulator with Ainslie and Scott. Colleagues talk about his constant thirst for knowledge, and energy. Ainslie has credited him for introducing the system of communication Fletcher developed with Bithell in the 49er.

Naturally, Fletcher feels huge sympathy for Scott, who did nothing wrong. But he is grateful for the latter’s support. “Giles is basically the best coach we could have,” he says. “He has a really good eye for seeing the differences on other teams and how that can help us.”

But mostly, he is just buzzing for himself. “It’s incredible,” he says. “When Ben called me into his office and told me I would be co-helm, I was pretty nervous, just going out sailing the next day, the weight of expectation on my shoulders. To be alongside Ben Ainslie? The greatest Olympic sailor of all time? I really felt the weight on my shoulders.

“But yeah, I feel like our partnership is growing. I’m learning from him all the time and I feel like I understand what he wants from a communication point of view.”

And what is that? “I’m happy to make a decision,” Fletcher says. “It might not be what Ben would do, and he might not be happy about it, but it’s the best decision I can make based on the information I have. But mostly, I’m feeding him. Obviously he has a lot more match racing experience than I do. And I think it can be dangerous to have… you’ve got two helms, you can’t have a committee meeting for every decision. You’ve got to have one person generally leading the decisions. And that’s Ben.”

It seems to be working. If Fletcher can help Britain to pirouette from a shaky preliminary regatta to a glorious swansong in Barcelona, he will have done his parents proud.

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Class Rules

Congratulations on your choice of the 49er and 49erFX. Welcome to the worldwide group of 49er sailors.

The 49er has a noble lineage from the skiffs of Sydney Harbour. Skiffs enjoyed their first official regatta in 1827 and have raced continuously ever since. Elsewhere in the world skiffs have been increasingly seen, as the regatta circuit has expanded to Europe and the USA, and also via television coverage. 

49er CLASS RULES

The 49er Class rules are available on the World Sailing Class Page

49erFX CLASS RULES

The 49erFX Class rules are available on the World Sailing FX Class Page

Join the Elite Community of 49er Sailors and Fans

We are passionate about sailing and the 49er class, and we are committed to promoting and growing the sport of sailing around the world. Join us today and be a part of the 49er sailing community!.