Optimists are designed for kids. They can handle them without danger, fear or back-strain. Safe and simple enough for an 8-year old, exciting and technical enough for a 15-year old.
Single-handed is best. They didn’t learn to ride a bike on a tandem.
Over 150,000 kids in over 100 countries cannot be wrong.
The Optimist is not only the biggest dinghy class in the world, it is the fastest growing.
The only dinghy recognised by the ISAF exclusively for under 16s
Former Optimist sailors were over 50% of the dinghy skippers at the last Olympics.
Easily transported on top of any car, (where it will drip water over your shiny paintwork!).
A good second hand boat can be bought for around $2000, and as the Optimist is the fastest growing junior fleet in Australia and the world, the boats retain their value and are very easy to resell when the child “ages out”.
International Optimist Dinghy Association of South Australia Inc
ABN: 41 211 220 145
The South Australian association is a member of AIODA and is known as International Optimist Dinghy Association of South Australia Inc or IODA-SA. It is affiliated with Australian Sailing.
