Men's Two Person Dinghy
The 470 is a two-person, monohull planing dinghy with a centreboard, Bermuda rig and centre sheeting.
The name 470 depicts the boat length, that is 470cm or 4.70m long.
Frenchman André Cornu designed the boat in 1963, as a modern fibreglass planing dinghy to appeal to sailors of different ages and weights. These boats were given international status in 1969.
In 1976, the 470 was added to the Olympic programme at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, in Quebec, Canada. In 1988 the first Olympic women’s sailing event was sailed in the 470.
The hull of this dinghy is made of fibreglass and it is fitted with integral buoyancy tanks.
It is a popular boat with individuals and sailing schools worldwide, offering a good introduction to high-performance boats, without being excessively difficult to handle.
These boats are not designed for beginners. Sailors often gain experience in a smaller dinghy, such as a 420, before graduating to the 470s.
Further, because of their large sail-area-to-weight ratio the boat planes easily.
The 470 is equipped with spinnaker and trapeze, making teamwork necessary to sail it well. It is not considered a difficult boat to sail but to be competitive everything should be mastered to perfection.
- Type: Centerboard Boat
- Hull Material: GRP
- Mainsail Area: 9.45 m²
- No. of Crew: 2
- Year Designed: 1963
- Headsail Area: 3.59 m²
- Opt Crew Weight: 110 - 145
- Number of Trapeze: Single
- Spinnaker Area: 12.16 m²
- Designer : André Cornu
- Hull Length: 4.7
- Boat Weight: 120 kg
- National Origin : France
- Beam Length: 1.7
- Advertising Cat: C
International 470 Class Rules