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Sailboat Guide

International FJ

International FJ is a 13 ′ 2 ″ / 4 m monohull sailboat designed by Uus van Essen and built by Schock W.D., Grampian Marine, Advance Sailboat Corp., Paceship Yachts Ltd., Alpa Yachts, Centro Nautico Adriatico, Whitecap Composites, Costantini (Chantier Naval Costantini), Nautivela, Zim Sailing, and Comar Yachts starting in 1956.

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)

Formerly FLYING DUTCHMAN JUNIOR, FLYING JUNIOR. As of 1980 the name was officially changed to INTERNATIONAL FJ. First built of Fiberglass in 1960. A ‘Club’ version (CLUB FJ) is of heavier construction with approximately the same dimensions. There have been a number of other variants including the DEMON, a stretched version of the same design, and the PIRATE, said to be a FJ hull with a TASER deck and seen mostly in Canada. (Formerly listed here as FLYING JUNIOR (INTERNATIONAL FJ).) Spinnaker Area: 8m2/86 sq.ft.

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420 vs FJ racing

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Does anyone have solid advice as far as racing fj's v 420's (purely boat speed related)? My impression is the fj is slightly more responsive, and likes to point a little more than go low and fast upwind, but i have only had a few races in one. I have plenty of 420 experience so I wont have any problem working off of comparisons. It would be collegiate so no chutes or traps involved. Thanks

At the risk of sounding seditious, try the Dinghy thread at SA: Sailing Anarchy Forums -> Dinghy Anarchy The Racing forum at Sailnet just isn't that robust, look how many days or weeks there between threads. SA is definitely rougn-and-tumble, but much more race-oriented...

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An Insider’s Guide to the Boats of College Sailing

September 19, 2012 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

By Airwaves writer Zach Brown (please add your comments in our online forum at the bottom of this article.)

The announcement of the new Collegiate 420 by Laser Performance sprung an interesting discussion about the many boats available to collegiate sailing programs around the country. There are more dinghy manufacturers and more boat options than ever before. This article will discuss the current landscape of boats sailed at major programs, the increased fleet options available, and whether or not there is a competitive advantage to owning a specific fleet of boats.

The Current Landscape

Presently there are five doublehanded dinghies in college sailing: FJs, 420s, Fireflies, Techs, and Larks. Each boat is unique and teaches different skill sets that are all valuable to becoming a well rounded and successful sailor. The Holy Grail, also know as the perfect dinghy for all intercollegiate programs, simply cannot exist because not all sailing venues are the same. The best boat to sail on a small river or lake is not suitable for a choppy open water venue.

The FJ is the most common college sailing dinghy. Roughly fifty-four percent of programs own a fleet of FJs. Light teams weighing less than 260 pounds gain a significant advantage in soft winds. Strong winds favor a heavier combined crew weight of approximately 295 pounds. Bigger skippers benefit from balancing more weight aft in the boat, which pops up the bow and increases upwind and downwind speed.

The Club 420 is the second most sailed boat of college sailing. Approximately forty-three percent of all programs throughout the country own a full fleet of 420s. The 420 has a very flat aft hull surface which dictates the quirks associated with the boat. While the flatness aides in stable planing, it makes sailing the boat over 275 pounds rather difficult in light winds due to all the wetted surface area. A light weight team of 255 pounds will have a speed advantage in less wind, but the very large centerboard powers the dinghy up dramatically in breezy conditions requiring much more crew weight. Schools must attend regattas sailed in 420s with a range of crew sizes to compete in varying wind velocities.

The Firefly is a popular British University boat that has finally made its way into the American college sailing scene with a few modifications including a gnav strut kicker for the boomvang and a reef point so it’s easy to reduce sail area in windy conditions. Although Fireflies are currently only sailed at MIT on the Charles River in Boston, don’t be surprised to see more fleets popping up at universities limited to flat water shifty venues.

The deep hull is a fully rounded surface which makes it possible for heavier teams to be equally competitive with smaller ones in light winds. The tapered mast depowers the mainsail in heavy breeze so larger teams do not gain a relative advantage. Quick crew work is a requisite for the firefly because tacking is fast and favorable. The Firefly is the ultimate short course team race dinghy that gets around the race course easily in light winds and rarely has kinetics rules violations.

Tech Dinghy

Even though it’s only raced at MIT and UW Madison, the infamous Tech Dinghy is a staple for the NEISA and MCSA districts. This simple design created in 1935 has set the technology curve in college sailing multiple times; first with the introduction of fiberglass boat building technology in 1953 and now in 2012 with its 6 th generation creation of an all carbon boat. Over 2000 people are introduced to sailing through the Tech Dinghy every year. The indestructible Techs are a flat water venue dinghy suitable for singlehanded or doublehanded racing. The boats are easy to tack and great for light wind shifty conditions.

Techs are famous for equaling the playing field of college sailing because everyone has the same boat speed and there is no benefit to sailing light. It is almost a rite of passage in NEISA to have a mental breakdown in a Tech on the Charles River due to the competitive nature of Techs and the challenging venue of the River. Overcoming the challenge of the Tech Dinghy teaches sailors plenty of lessons that are valuable for the rest of their sailing career.

Some new designs for MIT’s 6 th generation Tech Dinghy include: increased sail area to 84 sq ft, mainsheet controlled from mid boom instead end of boom, ease of planing, greater speed that exceeds FJs and 420s in many conditions, and ease of recovery after a capsize with minimal water to bail.

The Lark is only raced in college sailing regattas at Tufts University in a suburb of Boston, but Wesleyan University in Connecticut and many British Universities sail the boat as well. The Lark is incredibly similar to a Firefly with its hull shape, bendy rig, and ease to tack. The Tufts Larks could not suit Mystic Lake better with its extra large square top main sail and carbon rig making it easy to get races off and have productive practices in shifty unreliable wind conditions. An ideal flat water venue dinghy, the Lark is one of the fastest boats in college sailing. Because the Lark accelerates so quickly and speed almost doubles, sailors can sometimes chase a filling puff instead of waiting for it to arrive.

The Changing Landscape

College sailing equipment is changing rapidly due to the design of new boats and emergence of more boat builders. The sport is improving from the increased focus of boat builders like Laser Performance, Rondar Raceboats USA, and Zim Sailing. The battleground for these manufacturers takes place on the price, durability, quality, service, and suitability of the boats.

Laser Performance

Laser Performance produces the majority of college sailing boats through the traditional offering of the Club 420 and the FJ. Over the last few years Laser Performance has committed considerable resources redesigning the 420 for increased speed, performance, and durability while maintaining the price point. The exact release date for the Laser Performance Collegiate 420 hasn’t been released yet, but it has been confirmed that St. Mary’s College will host the 2014 ICSA Coed College Sailing Nationals in this new dinghy. Features of the Collegiate 420 include a core layer in the hull and deck that makes the boat twenty pou nds lighter and significantly stronger with a closed forward bulkhead. Other small changes include inboard jib leads, an integrated bow bumper, and new fittings.

Rondar Raceboats USA

Rondar Raceboats has been making high quality boats since 1964. Their success is well known in non-college sailing classes such as the 505, Firefly, Viper 640, and the K6. This long established “new comer” to college sailing offers sailing programs the choices of the Rondar 420, the Firefly, and the Tech Dinghy. The Rondar 420 is similar to the Collegiate 420 with two forward bulkheads, a fully cored hull, and resin infusion. Although initial pricing is slightly higher than the mainstream brands, Rondar’s representative claimed the “whole life” costs of their boats are considerably cheaper than any of the current choices. MIT has bought into this idea with a fleet of Rondar 420s, 20 Rondar Fireflies, and a new fleet of Rondar made Carbon Tech Dinghies.

Zim Sailing

Zim 420s and FJs are another new comer to the college sailing scene. Zim has already made its way into the hands of many schools including Columbia University, Fordham University, SUNY Maritime, University of Connecticut, and University of New Hampshire. SUNY Maritime coach Russ O’Reilly has been pleased with the boats, the service, and the price of his Zim 420s. O’Reilly specifically noted that the service was top notch with each boat assembled, tested, and inspected by a team of Zim builders.

Competitive Advantage?

With five unique college boats available now, new boats coming in the near future, and three different boat manufacturers, fleet selection become harder for some college sailing programs. Clearly there is a competitive advantage to owning some FJs because the majority of college sailing interconference regattas are raced in FJs. But, that does not mean every school should have a full fleet of FJs. Selecting the proper dinghy based on the conditions of a program’s venue is the top priority. Supplementing the fleet with a group of at least six other boats is a great way to diversify and properly prepare for each weekend’s regatta.