About the AltO

The AltO is a new, two person, single trapeze fast racing dinghy. It has been designed to meet a combination of parameters making it an exciting, fun, tactical racing class to suit a wide range of crew combinations. In spite of a multitude of new sailing dinghies over the past 20 years there has been no successful, fast*, non-skiff dinghy without wings or racks since the 505 more than fifty years ago.
*py < 950

The parameters for the AltO design were:

1. One design - for price, control and tactical racing
2. Large - maximum practical length for speed, stability and comfort
3. Comfortable - for helm and crew in all winds
4. Fast - for excitement and fun
5. Light - fast sailing and ease of handling on shore
6. Durable - for longevity of competitive racing and resale value
7. Affordable - good value for money
8. Ability to run - to be compatable with other racing classes and club courses
9. Simple gybing - for easy crew handling
10. Hull rocker - fast tacking and good all weather performance
11. Pivoting centre board - for ease of launching and coming ashore
12. Minimum control systems - to increase tactical racing by reducing the technical and cheque book content
13. No wings or frames - to keep it light, simple, comfordable and afordable

After four years of design, development and testing, the final version of the AltO will be launched in Spring '08. It combines the best from the past and the present and is designed for the future by introducing the AltOpole system, which allows the assymetric spinnaker to dead run and thus benefit from both the easy gybing of the asymmetric and the running ability of the symmetric. It can therefore race compatibly with non- spinnaker and symmetric spinnaker classes on traditional club courses and is able to run when against the tide in rivers and esturies.