Finn (dinghy)

Design

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.

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

World Championships

• Finn Gold Cup Open Worlds
• Finn Youth World Championship for Under 23
• Finn Masters World Championship for sailors above 39

The following league combined table of medalist is below

Continental Championships

• 2006 Finn Open European Championship

References

References

1. "Centerboard Classes". US Sailing.
2. "Portsmouth Number List 2012". Royal Yachting Association.
3. Administrator. "History of the Finn".
4. (13 February 2018). "Finn battling to retain Olympic status".
5. (25 June 2021). "Finn dinghy: Farewell to Olympics".
6. personal experience