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OK (dinghy)
Encyclopedia
History
In 1957 Axel Dangaard Olsen of Seattle, U.S.A., asked the Danish yacht designer Knud OlsenKnud Olsen
Knud Olsen Præstø, Denmark) is a Danish builder and designer of boats, who was the designer of one of the most popular sailing dinghies in use over the past 50 years, the OK Dinghy, which became an ISAF International Class in 1974...
to prepare drawings for a light and fast single-handed sailing dinghy based on conventional plywood construction. The resulting design was named the O.K., using Knud Olsen's initials in reverse.
The O.K. was intended as a preparation class for the Olympic Finn
Finn (dinghy)
The Finn dinghy is the men's single-handed, cat-rigged Olympic class for sailing. It was designed by Swedish canoe designer, Rickard Sarby, in 1949 for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki...
and it has followed its technical evolution ever since. The rig is identical to a Finn comprising a single sail set on a rotating, un-stayed, bending mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
.
OKs are built in plywood, G.R.P and composite construction and all forms enjoy equal racing success. Freedom of choice in hull materials is replicated in choice of rig. The choice of mast, sail and fitting must fit within the class rules but enables the sailor to have a combination suited to his/her requirements. Consequently, every OK develops to suit the owner's style of sailing, while the shape of the hull is designed by a comprehensive set of strict one-design rules ensuring a long competitive life span. Old boats often only need a rig up-date and minor constructional modifications to make them competitive, provided they meet modern buoyancy requirements.
In the 60s and 70s, the OK class enjoyed an explosive success, with the total number of boats exceeding 10,000, and large racing fleets building up. In the 80s, the success of the popular one-design single-handed Laser
Laser (dinghy)
The International Laser Class sailboat, also called Laser Standard and the Laser One is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy. According the Laser Class Rules the boat may be sailed by either one or two people, though it is rarely sailed by two. The design, by Bruce Kirby, emphasizes...
affected the success of OK.
In the eastern European countries, the OK was the official youth single hander and after the breakdown of the socialist system, many 'old' sailors came back to the class of their youth, now with their own boats instead of club-owned.
The OK was elected as single hander for the Asian Games 1998.
In 2003 carbon masts were introduced to the class.
In 2005, There was a revival of the OK class with many older boats being restored and updated, new boats are being built and participation in club races is on the rise.
The 50th anniversary of the design of the OK dinghy was marked by the largest ever OK Dinghy World Championships held at Leba
Leba
Łeba is a town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. It is located in the Middle Pomeranian region , near Łebsko Lake and the mouth of the river Łeba on the coast of the Baltic Sea.-History:...
on the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
coast in July 2007.