O'PEN Skiff

O'PEN Skiff

Development
Designer	Vitali Design
Location	France
Year	2006
No. built	8,000
Builder(s)	Melges Performance Sailboats
Role	One design racer sail training
Name	O'PEN Skiff
Boat
Crew	One
Displacement	99 lb (45 kg)
Hull
Type	monohull
Construction	polyethylene
LOA	9.00 ft (2.74 m)
LWL	7.17 ft (2.19 m)
Beam	3.58 ft (1.09 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	daggerboard
Rudder(s)	transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	cat rig
Sails
Sailplan	catboat
Mainsail area	48.44 sq ft (4.500 m2)
Total sail area	48.44 sq ft (4.500 m2)

The O'PEN Skiff, or O'pen Skiff, is a sailing dinghy that was designed by Vitali Design of Italy for children's sail training and as a one design racer. It was first built in 2006. ^{[1] [2]}

The design is a World Sailing international class. ^[3]

The boat was originally marketed by the manufacturer as the O'PEN Bic, but was renamed the O'PEN Skiff in 2019. ^{[1] [2]}

Production

Originally produced by Bic Sport of France starting in 2006, the design is now built by Melges Performance Sailboats in the United States and remains in production. More than 8,000 boats have been delivered. ^{[1] [2] [4]}

Design

The O'PEN Skiff is a single-handed training and racing sailboat. The hull is built of thermoformed, molded polyethylene, with a two-section mast and aluminum boom. It has a catboat rig, with a K.Film polyester, fully-battened mainsail; a raked stem, an open transom; a transom-hung, composite epoxy rudder, controlled by a tiller with an extension and a retractable, composite epoxy daggerboard. The boat displaces 99 lb (45 kg) and may be transported on a car top or on a trailer. ^{[1] [2]}

Operational history

O'PEN Skiff sailors participate in a light wind race in France

The design is widely used by hundreds of sailing clubs for training children to sail. ^[2]

Russell Coutts, World Champion New Zealand sailor and America’s Cup Winner, said of the design, "the O’pen Skiff is a fantastic boat for young sailors to experience the joy of sailing. It is fast, exciting and fun to sail yet simple to rig and maintain. Many of the skills learnt in the O’pen Skiff will be easily transferred to other boats as sailors evolve and progress onto other forms of sailing." ^[5]

Racing

Main article: List of O'PEN Skiff championships

See also

• List of sailing boat types

Similar sailboats

• Optimist (dinghy)

References

1. McArthur, Bruce (2022). "O'PEN Skiff sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
2. Melges Performance Sailboats (2021). "The O'pen Skiff". melges.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
3. World Sailing (2022). "O'pen Skiff". sailing.org. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
4. McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Melges Performance Sailboats". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
5. Skiff Sports (2022). "O'PEN Skiff". skiffsports.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.

External links

• Official website