Class History

The Finn legacy began with the Finnish Yachting Association's 1948 search for a new dinghy. Rickard Sarby's winning design, based on a Nordic double-ended sailing canoe, quickly became the Olympic singlehanded men's dinghy for the 1952 Games in Helsinki and has appeared in every Summer Games since. With an unstayed mast and 10.6 sq. meters (115 sq. ft) of sail area, the physically demanding 4.5 m (14'9")Finn is closely associated with many renowned sailors. John Bertrand and Russell Coutts, the only two helmsmen to beat an American Defender in the America's Cup, as well as the legendary yachtsman Paul Elvstrom, are all Olympic medalists in the class. The Finn is also part of Harken's history; Vanguard, the boatbuilding company that the Harken brothers founded alongside their hardware business, designed a hull in 1975 that dominated the international Finn circuit until the mid-1990s.

Boat Specifications

LWL: 4.2 m, 14 ft
LOA: 4.5 m, 14 ft 9 in
Beam: 1.51. m, 4 ft 10 in
Hull (with fittings) 140 kg, 319 lb
Sail Area: 10 sq m, 115 sq. ft
Rig Type: Cat