The Sailing Surfboard type Dinghy

The 'sailing surfboard' style sailing dinghy has become more and more popular in recent decades and is typified by the 'Topper' and 'Laser' classes. Early boats, similar to these designs, were often constructed from plywood, although modern plastics, glassfibre and composite materials are far more common today. This type of craft is one for the sailor who doesn't mind getting wet as sailing one can sometimes be a fast and testing experience with capsizes being a frequent occurrence when boats are being raced to their limits. Typical elements of the 'sailing surfboard' style dinghy design include a shallow draught profile, a none-existent or shallow cockpit with the rest of the hull being decked over and forming built-in buoyancy tanks. A lifting centreboard and casing plus a rudder and tiller are fairly standard although sail types, rig and rigging arrangements may vary considerably. The bermudan rig with single sail or mainsail plus jib is common but there are also many other types of rig, The lateen sail rig shown here allows a large amount of sail area to be set without the need for more than one sail or a long mast.

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