About

The AltO update

Following the launch of the prototype AltO at the Dinghy Show in 2008 and over three years extensive testing with feedback from new owners, the designer and AltO Class Association are very satisfied that the AltO more than achieves the strict design criteria for the class.

The boat has been shown to perform well across a wide range of conditions. Whether it was the light winds at this year's Medway Regatta and Bass Week, the perfect conditions at Pyefleet Week or strong winds at Coniston and Burnham, the AltO has proved itself a thoroughbred of dinghies and a delight to sail.

This film together with the Y&Y test report say it all.

If you are using Internet Explorer and can't see the film click here.

 

About the AltO - An exciting class for club sailors

Easy to sail, yet almost as fast as a fiveO, and nearly half the price! That should sum up the AltO. This is a dinghy to revitalise fast club racing by being suitable for mixed teams, even husbands and wives, and being compatible with club courses.

Of course introducing a new class in the present economic climate might be slow, but for those to whom it appeals then the price could not be more competitive, especially for a large fast dinghy with vinylester hull, carbon mast and swinging pole. In most clubs there is now only handicap racing and more than one in class constitutes a fleet.

This two-person, single trapeze design offers fast, exciting, and fun sailing, in a comfortable, responsive and controllable racing dinghy. It is an ideal fast club racing class suitable for a wide range of both crew weights and ages, male or female.

The AltO incorporates the best from past and present designs with innovation for the future.

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, comfortable and affordable

The AltO combines the best from the past and the present and is designed for the future by introducing the AltOpole system, which allows the asymmetric 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 estuaries.