Finn (dinghy)

Last updated
Finn
Finn black.svg
Finn dinghy.svg
Development
Designer Rickard Sarby   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Year1949  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Boat
Crew1
Draft 0.17 m (6.7 in)
Hull
Hull weight107 kg (236 lb)
LOA 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
LWL 4.34 m (14 ft 3 in)
Beam 1.47 m (4 ft 10 in)
Rig
Mast length6.66 m (21 ft 10 in)
Sails
Mainsail area10.6 m2 (114 sq ft)
Racing
D-PN 90.1 [1]
RYA PN 1060 [2]
Building of Finn dinghies in 1952. Finn 1952.jpg
Building of Finn dinghies in 1952.

The Finn dinghy is a single-handed, cat-rigged sailboat, and a former Olympic class for men's sailing. Since its debut at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, the Finn featured in every summer Olympics until 2020, making it the longest serving dinghy in the Olympic Regatta and one of the most prolific Olympic sailboats,. [3] The Finn is a physically demanding boat to race at the highest levels, especially since the class rules now allow unlimited boat rocking and sail pumping when the wind is above 10 knots. [4] The event did not feature on the Olympic programme from 2024. [5]

Contents

Design

Finn dinghies Finn dinghies in Karrebaeksminde 2.jpg
Finn dinghies
Finn dinghy Soren Svare i Jolle.JPG
Finn dinghy

The Finn was designed by Swedish canoe designer, Rickard Sarby, in 1949 for the Helsinki Olympics.

in 1952 the hulls were built of timber and the sails were of cotton. Initially there was little understanding of the role of a mast which could bend to reduce power. However over time the Finn sailors learned how to plane timber off the front of their masts for heavy winds and to glue on strips of timber on the front of the masts for lighter winds. [6]

Although the Finn hull has changed little since then, there have been developments to the rig. The original spars were made of wood until the late 1960s and early 1970s, when there was a gradual change to aluminum masts. Aluminum masts are significantly more flexible and allow more control over sail shape, and became commonplace after the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich when they were first supplied to Olympic sailors. More recently, carbon fiber masts have become commonplace in competition Finns.

The sails, too, have evolved and are now commonly made of various laminates such as Technora, polyester, and Kevlar.

The class rules are overseen by the International Finn Association.

Events

Olympic Games

GoldSilverBronze
1952 Helsinki
details - Open
Flag of Denmark.svg  Paul Elvstrøm  (DEN)Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Charles Currey  (GBR)Flag of Sweden.svg  Rickard Sarby  (SWE)
1956 Melbourne
details - Open
Flag of Denmark.svg  Paul Elvstrøm  (DEN)Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  André Nelis  (BEL)US flag 48 stars.svg  John Marvin  (USA)
1960 Rome
details - Open
Flag of Denmark.svg  Paul Elvstrøm  (DEN)Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Aleksander Tšutšelov  (URS)Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  André Nelis  (BEL)
1964 Tokyo
details - Open
Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg  Wilhelm Kuhweide  (EUA)Flag of the United States.svg  Peter Barrett  (USA)Flag of Denmark.svg  Henning Wind  (DEN)
1968 Mexico City
details - Open
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Valentin Mankin  (URS)Flag of Austria.svg  Hubert Raudaschl  (AUT)Flag of Italy.svg  Fabio Albarelli  (ITA)
1972 Munich
details - Open
Flag of France.svg  Serge Maury  (FRA)Flag of Greece (1970-1975).svg  Ilias Hatzipavlis  (GRE)Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Viktor Potapov  (URS)
1976 Montreal
details - Open
Flag of East Germany.svg  Jochen Schümann  (GDR)Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Andrei Balashov  (URS)Flag of Australia.svg  John Bertrand  (AUS)
1980 Moscow
details - Open
Flag of Finland.svg  Esko Rechardt  (FIN)Flag of Austria.svg  Wolfgang Mayrhofer  (AUT)Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Andrei Balashov  (URS)
1984 Los Angeles
details - Open
Flag of New Zealand.svg  Russell Coutts  (NZL)Flag of the United States.svg  John Bertrand  (USA)Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Terry Neilson  (CAN)
1988 Seoul
details - Male
Flag of Spain.svg  José Doreste  (ESP)Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg  Peter Holmberg  (ISV)Flag of New Zealand.svg  John Cutler  (NZL)
1992 Barcelona
details - Male
Flag of Spain.svg  José van der Ploeg  (ESP)Flag of the United States.svg  Brian Ledbetter  (USA)Flag of New Zealand.svg  Craig Monk  (NZL)
1996 Atlanta
details - Male
Flag of Poland.svg  Mateusz Kusznierewicz  (POL)Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Sebastien Godefroid  (BEL)Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Roy Heiner  (NED)
2000 Sydney
details - Male
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Iain Percy  (GBR)Flag of Italy.svg  Luca Devoti  (ITA)Flag of Sweden.svg  Fredrik Lööf  (SWE)
2004 Athens
details - Male
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Ben Ainslie  (GBR)Flag of Spain.svg  Rafael Trujillo  (ESP)Flag of Poland.svg  Mateusz Kusznierewicz  (POL)
2008 Beijing
details - Open
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Ben Ainslie  (GBR)Flag of the United States.svg  Zach Railey  (USA)Flag of France.svg  Guillaume Florent  (FRA)
2012 London
details - Male
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Ben Ainslie  (GBR)Flag of Denmark.svg  Jonas Høgh-Christensen  (DEN)Flag of France.svg  Jonathan Lobert  (FRA)
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details - Male
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Giles Scott  (GBR)Civil Ensign of Slovenia.svg  Vasilij Žbogar  (SLO)Flag of the United States.svg  Caleb Paine  (USA)
2020 Tokyo
details - Male
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Giles Scott  (GBR)Flag of Hungary.svg  Zsombor Berecz  (HUN)Flag of Spain.svg  Joan Cardona Méndez  (ESP)

World Championships

The following league combined table of medalist is below

RankingSailorGoldSilverBronzeTotalNo. Entries
1Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Michal Maier  (CZE)611837
2Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Ben Ainslie  (GBR)60067
3Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Lawrence Lemieux  (CAN)5321024
4Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Giles Scott  (GBR)501610
5Flag of Sweden.svg  Fredrik Lööf  (SWE)331711
5Flag of Brazil.svg  Jörg Bruder  (BRA)32168
5Flag of Denmark.svg  Lasse Hjortnäs  (DEN)320513
7Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Georg Oser  (SUI)312612
8Flag of Russia.svg  Vladimir Krutskikh  (RUS)31049
9Flag of France.svg  Andre Mevel  (FRA)30256
10Flag of Germany.svg  Roland Balthasar  (GER)300314
10Flag of Germany.svg  Wilhelm Kuhweide  (EUA)30037
11Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  André Nelis  (BEL)23278
12Flag of Poland.svg  Mateusz Kusznierewicz  (POL)230510
13Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Pieter-Jan Postma  (NED)223715
13Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Edward Wright  (GBR)223716
15Flag of Germany.svg  Wolfgang Gerz  (FRG)222613
16Flag of Denmark.svg  Jonas Høgh-Christensen  (DEN)212514
17Flag of Spain.svg  José Luis Doreste  (ESP)21144
18Flag of Denmark.svg  Paul Elvström  (DEN)21034
18Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Hank Lammens  (CAN)21037
19Flag of France.svg  Philippe Presti  (FRA)20136
20Flag of the United States.svg  Cam Lewis  (USA)20023
20Flag of Denmark.svg  Stig Westergaard  (DEN)20027


Continental Championships

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References

  1. "Centerboard Classes". US Sailing. Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  2. "Portsmouth Number List 2012". Royal Yachting Association. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  3. Administrator. "History of the Finn". www.finnclass.org.
  4. "Finn battling to retain Olympic status". Scuttlebutt Sailing News. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  5. "Finn dinghy: Farewell to Olympics". Yachting World. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  6. personal experience