Build-Your-Own Optimist Pram Class at Great Lakes Boat Building School

Build your own Optimist Pram in this one-week class! Working from a computer-cut kit, you’ll assemble a class-legal, race-worthy Opti, ready for finishing and rigging. www.clcboats.com/boatbuilding_classes/374.html

One of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world, there are over 150,000 Optimists officially registered in the class and many hundreds more built but never registered. A kind of seagoing version of a Soapbox Derby car, the Optimist was designed in 1947 by American Clark Mills at the request of the Optimist International service club following a proposal by Major Clifford McKay to offer low-cost sailing for young people. He designed a simple pram that could be built from three sheets of plywood by family teams including children, and donated the plan to the Optimists. The design was slightly modified and introduced to Europe, eventually spreading around the world. The International design was standardized in 1960 and became a strict one-design in 1995.

At yacht clubs and summer camps around the world, Optimists are used as sail trainers for youngsters, from absolute beginners to teens. Due to its inherent stability, unstayed rig, robust construction and relatively small sail, the Optimist is often sailed in breeze stiff enough to keep most other small sailboats ashore. Many of the world’s finest sailors, including Olympians and America's Cup racers, began their careers in Optimists. The boats can be comfortably sailed by people from age 8 to 15, and comprise the biggest youth racing class in the world. The International Optimist class’ six annual continental championships routinely draw upwards of 850 young racers each year.

Chesapeake Light Craft developed this kit specifically for club racing use. The kit you’ll work from follows the official International Optimist Class plans exactly. While assembled using easy stitch-and-glue techniques, tolerances are maintained by building the hull inside a computer-cut female mold. Epoxy and fiberglass assure a lifetime of real-world durability. Get your kids into sailing and racing. They'll have the prettiest Opti in the fleet!