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A Class Catamaran
Did you know that the A-Class catamaran is the fastest single handed racing catamaran in the world? In fact it is arguably the world's fastest small sailing boat upwind? 'Never start upwind of an 'A' Class unless you plan to tack off!'
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Published on April 10th, 2023 | by Editor
A-Class Catamaran having it both ways
Published on April 10th, 2023 by Editor -->
The singlehanded A-Class Catamaran has a strong presence in the USA, which was strong enough to host the 2022 World Championship, and strong enough for the country’s Ravi Parent to win the Open division world title.
Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck checked in with Florida A-Class sailor Axel Issel for an update:
The A-Class Class rules allow for development, which is good for improving the boat but can get expensive as gear becomes obsolete. How does this impact participation?
The A-Class is divided into two sub-classes separated by different sets of measurement rules; the Foilers (Open) and non-foiling (the Classics). In the case of the Classics that have been around 67 years, most development has occurred in the last decade or so with the change from straight dagger boards to C foils and the deck-sweeper mainsail with curved booms.
Older hulls and masts remain competitive but the newer configurations do provide a slight advantage. Today, Classic boats from 10+ years keep winning Nationals and Continental championships and boats with straight booms and daggerboards still are in the top 5 in the Euro circuit.
The Classic fleet keeps growing in most countries due to the speed and simplicity of the boat; very competitive, tactical, fun races, with plenty of accessible boats around the globe. In many parts of the world, the Classics are very popular with larger numbers than Foilers like in the US/Canada, Italy, France, Australia, etc.
Sailors in Classics are competitive at all ages, many well into their 70s so it is a class where you can grow and be at the top for decades with your same boat for many, many years.
The Foilers have seen the most recent development. Here newer boats (2019-20 and newer) make a difference over older ones since they are easier and more stable to foil. Participation in the class is achieved in Classics due to very even and fun races with skippers with 20 years fighting 70s-year-olds. Participation in Foilers comes from younger sailors trying to master the fastest single-handed catamaran in the world.
Most of the top sailors in the world raced A-Cats at some point, even though it is a non-Olympic class. The A-Cat has consistently proven itself in the international scene whereby the World, European, and North American Championships are frequented by some of the most famous sailors in the world.
However, it’s always taken the dedication of a pure A-Class sailor to win the Championships. This demonstrates the high level of performance within the class and it leads to amazing numbers of entries for such events. Today, almost all top professional regattas are raced in foiling boats, like the America’s Cup, the Ocean Race, SailGP, etc, so learning and growing in a foiling A-Cat gives you experience and advantage, attracting young talents to the fleet.
When was the shift to foiling? How did the class endure that transition? Were there kits? Foilers started around 2015, but in 2018 the class decided to create two sets of rules to keep the non-foiling boats competitive, and two sub-classes were born. I believe this was a wise decision, to make the class appealing to a wider population.
Today you can be competitive in your 20s and into your 70s, with a newer Foiler or with an older Classic. Regattas are usually scored in two fleets, and some, like the North American Championship regatta, have the two fleets + the “Overall NA Champion” who is the best skipper among the two classes.
The transition was progressive, initially some folks modified the trunks on the hull to insert the newer foiling blades. Today, to be competitive in Foilers, you need a newer foiling specific boat. Manufacturers build two models: the Foiler and the Classic. The Classic is lighter, simpler and less expensive. The Foiler has a lower hull profile; is heavier due to extra carbon needed to support extreme foiling forces, and needs better physical input.
Has the foiling equipment stabilized or is it still evolving? For the last three years (late 2019-2020), there have been no new developments. The latest one was the rudder differential. Some have been working on differential for center foils with no success. Also, cambered sails with specific masts have been designed, but nothing new has come out. Until measurement rules for Foilers are changed, it will be difficult to see any new significant design improvement.
How is the used boat inventory in North America? Today, there are around 20 used boats for sale. Some used boats for sale are almost new, like a 2022 Foiler and newer Classics. You can buy an old Classic for less than $5K and be competitive in the Classic fleet. Used boats and parts can be found in https://usaca.info/ and in https://www.facebook.com/groups/922063451790001/ .
Who are the suppliers for North America? Are there any in the continent? Boats and masts builders are in Europe. Today, the largest manufacturer of boats is eXploder from Poland (with accessible labor), which provides new Classics and Foilers. Fastboatstuff.com is their representative in the US, and they carry new boats and parts for almost all new and older model boats. North America is getting shipments from Europe usually two times per year with new boats and parts. I have been in the class three years and I always find the parts needed quickly. Top competitive sails are built here in the USA by Glaser, Sail Technologies, etc.
Why do Foilers and Classics race together? Because it is way more fun, and way more competitive. The fleet is well mixed during races. In addition, it is a good way of keeping the fleet growing, making an easy and fun entry point to the class with more options. For example, I started in Classics two years ago and after the Worlds in Houston last year, I sold my Classic and I switched to the Open class.
Usually, the top Foilers will have an advantage but most part of the fleet is mixed. In lighter winds like sub 10 knots, the boats are even and in lighter non-foiling conditions, Classics are faster. Top light sailors can start foiling downwind around 8 knots but most of the foiling fleet foils closer with 10 knots of wind 100% air time, and upwind foiling is mastered only by the ultra-top sailors, and usually they need 12-13 knots of wind to make real gains over the top Classics going upwind.
For us, the newer foiling sailors, learning to foil (like me!), will always have Classics around showing how much ground is lost while we are trying to fly……and once on air, if we do not do the correct angle, Classics will pass you by. .Racing with 50 boats on the line, is always more fun than 20-30 boats, and chances are you always will have someone next to you on every mark.
What is the ideal sailor weight for the A-Cat? I believe 170-195 pounds is the ideal range, NED 007 Mischa Heemskerk won the world championship several times and he is 225+ lbs; the latest World Champion USA 76 Ravi Parent (2022 Rolex Yachtsman of the year) weighs around 165lbs . Who knows….!
Where are the hubs of class activity in North America? Florida concentrates 30% of the fleet, with Key Largo, and the Sarasota/Tampa Bay area being the most popular spots, followed by Fort Walton and Melbourne, FL. Lake Lanier in Georgia has one of the largest fleets, Annapolis/West River area is popular as well.
Lake Carlyle in Illinois, where we raced the 2021 North Americans, have several active boats. Also, there are 10 boats in Alamitos Bay in California, and there is a large fleet in Ontario Canada where we raced the 2022 North American Championship.
I heard a new fleet will grow soon in Mexico City as well. This year we are all looking forward to race in October the ‘Alter Cup’ in Pensacola, Florida, only for Classic boats, where skippers from other multihull fleets join the A-Catters to determine the best multihull skipper!
Tags: A-Class Catamaran , Axel Issel , Craig Leweck
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F1x A-class foiling catamaran
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This is the ultimate singlehanded foiling catamaran of the moment: ultramodern, incredibly fast, very agile, extremely strong and feather-light, in an aerodynamic and ergonomic design. The perfect total package, packed in 1 foiling catamaran. This is the world’s coolest boat for singlehanded races and the winner of several A-cat world championships and many other sailing races.
The 2020-F1x A-cat is exactly the same foiling catamaran that made Mischa Heemskerk Vice-World Champion at the Herveybay Worlds 2018 in Australia and World Champion at Weymouth 2019. All our foiling F1x A-class catamarans come straight, ready to race and ‘Mischa-tuned’ from our factory.
Unique design enables top performances
The F1x A-class foiling catamaran is the ultimate reflection of our current design language. The aerodynamic design accentuates the performance qualities of this super fast foiling racing boat. The sophisticated deck plan provides clear control and minimal air resistance.
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Design The design of the F1x foiling A-class catamaran was completely conceived by the DNA design team and made at DNA’s own yard. In the DNA design team Pieterjan Dwarshuis, Mischa Heemskerk and the renowned Dutch industrial design engineer Rudo Enserink worked closely together to create the perfect foiling A-class catamaran.
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Technical details.
The F1x A-class foiling catamaran has a number of unique features that improve performance. For example:
- Semi ridged trampoline. Gives extra torsional stiffness to the boat and increases its aerodynamic characteristics.
- Patented main-sheet-wheel-system. For more direct and faster trim of the main sail.
- Aerodynamically placed traveller car.
- Flexible daggerboard casings. For minimal water absorption in floating mode.
- Aerodynamically shaped ‘beams’.
- Adjustable T-rudders. Foiling with rudder differential is possible.
Specifications
LOA: 5.49 m BOA: 2.30 m Max. draught: 1.20 m Sail area: 13.94 m Total weight: ca. 53 kg Top speed: 31 kn Extra: All measurements according to IACA Class regulations.
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Yes, I want a F1x A-cat!
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Official results for both events
Admiral's cup results, classic division.
Open Division
World Championships Results
@media screen and (min-width: 70em){.css-1c47y9x{color:var(--chakra-colors-blue\.brand);}} A Cat Class buy/sell second hands, ads and prices
Launched in 1950, this is a class that aims for the best performance in a single-handed sport catamaran. Often made of carbon, now equipped with foils, the A-Class is the most technologically advanced class for solo racing. It is a very dynamic class and the level of the racers is very (very) high.
The Classe a would be the catamaran equivalent of the foiling Moth : light, technological, extreme, fast and bringing together the best in the discipline.
the last A Cat Class ads at the best price
Classe A Autre marque for sale in Le Pouliguen
Classe A Bimare for sale in Mulhouse
Classe A parts for sale in Gembloux
Classe A DNA for sale in Carnac
Classe A parts for sale in Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys
A Cat Class presentation
The model A Cat Class has 2 differents versions : Classe A classic , Classe A foiler .
The A class catamaran, a unique spirit
The A-Class is a single-handed class, the freedom given by the gauge has allowed it to be always at the forefront of technological innovations. The result is a sports catamaran with a magnificent look, impressive and performing around 3 buoys. This open gauge allowed her to be one of the first light sail series to be equipped with foil. The A-Class now flies above the water.
Class A program
It is a boat intended more for regatta sailors than for sailors looking for "calm" rides. There are many shipyards producing A Class boats, including Marstrom, Bimare , Nacra, Addiction, Askell and DNA.
Second hand Class A catamaran
The second-hand A Classes remain quite expensive for recent productions, however, if one is looking for a catamaran for sailing more oriented towards leisure than performance: the bill will be much less expensive.
The entry prices for Class A boats are very low: sometimes 1000$ for old boats, on the other hand, recent Class A boats, those which can perform in championships, are traded for 20000$.
Buying or selling an A Class
This is where it all happens, you can find a lot of A-Class ads on iWannaboat.
Some figures of the A Cat Class catamaran :
Min price :
Max price :
Average price :
Median price :
Available boats :
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Used A Cat Class price table
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Related members, related boats.
Event Details
Class rules
In this section you can find the A-Cat Class rules and measurement guidelines.
World Sailing Plaques ( Open link here )
Australian International A Division Catamaran Association
All you need to know about sailing A Class Catamarans in Australia
A Class Sailing
The A Class Catamaran is the fastest single handed small catamaran in the world. This highly responsive lightweight boat is a joy to sail. The powerful rig means that even the heaviest sailors are on the trapeze upwind in 6 knots of breeze and flying a hull downwind (wild thing). The top sailors in the class have now mastered the art of trapezing downwind, making the boat even faster and more exciting. The boat is very easy for an experienced sailor to sail, but very difficult to sail really fast.
The A Class is a boat built specifically for racing and has very strong fleets both in Australian and overseas. The National Championship in 2011 had a highly competitive fleet of 73 boats, the largest catamaran fleet in Australia. State Championships in Qld, Vic and NSW all had over 30 competitors. Australians consistently perform well at the world championships, in 2010 taking 5 of the top 10 places, including the top 3.
The high quality of racing in the A Class often surprises those new to the class. Regular competitors include Olympic medalists and world champions in several other classes. At recent Australian National Championships, several professional sailors from Americas Cup teams have been shocked to find themselves mid-fleet, although others like Dean Barker and James Spithill have shown their ability to perform at the top of any fleet.
The A Class catamaran is a development class with very simple rules defining the boat. The key rules are:
Full rules are available on the international site.
Several competitive designs of A-Class are commercially available, although which boat is the fastest changes as these products are constantly improved. 50 years of development have produced a very refined boat, so changes are typically incremental and boats usually remain competitive for several years.
If you are interested in a new boat, a number of manufacturers can be found under the Builders/Suppliers list on the right of page.. For secondhand boats and parts our members use the classifieds on this site .
One strong advantage of the development nature of the class is that it allows customization of a boat to suit a specific sailor. For example the weight of a sailor is much less critical on an A Class than any one design class. A heavier sailor will choose a more powerful sail and mast combination than a lighter sailor and a hull shape with more buoyancy. This usually ensures that sailing skill is the most important factor in winning races. It is common to see the top competitors using different hull shapes, mast manufacturers and sailmakers.
Come and give A Class sailing a try. There are a number of clubs where A Classes are sailed regularly and the sailors at these clubs will be happy to talk to you about getting started. Please contact your state representative ( details on our contacts page ) to find out which clubs are active in your area.
Association Française des Catamarans de Classe A
Calendrier et résultats classe a.
Retrouvez ici tous les événements : régates régionales, nationales et internationales, ainsi que les stages.
En cliquant sur le nom de l'événement, vous pourrez accéder aux informations détaillées, inscriptions et résultats.
En accord avec les règles de l'International A-Division Catamaran Association et la réglementation FFV, un double classement est mis en place sur chaque épreuve : Open et Classic. Il contribue à l'animation de la classe et dans un souci d'équité sportive. En savoir plus
Evènements majeurs 2024 (4)
Trophée atlantique 2024 (3), trophée méditerannée 2024 (3), trophée grand est 2024 (3), régate promotionnelle 2024 (0), stage 2024 (2), tous les évènements par année.
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Bienvenue sur le site de l'Association Française des Catamarans de. Classe A ! Le Classe A regroupe maintenant deux pratiques distinctes qui s'inscrivent toujours dans un esprit d'évolution, mais avec des restrictions différentes: Le Classe A open, autorisant le vol, est le précurseur de la voile actuelle, en utilisant les libertés ...
The official Youtube Channel of the International A Class Catamaran Association (IACA). This channel provides an idea of what sailing this most elegant of catamaran classes actually entails. For ...
The official organisation for the A-Class catamaran is the IACA (International A division Catamarans Association). The A-Class rules were expanded over time to prevent the cost of these boats from rising too high and to ensure fairness in racing. Max overall boat length : 5.49 m / 18.3 ft (= still the old IYRU rule) Max overall boat width : 2. ...
The A CLASS CATAMARAN has undergone a steady evolution since the rule was first established in 1962. Dimensions listed are class limits, and beyond these few restrictions, the class is fairly open.
A son début, la jauge de classe A ne comportait pas de limitation de longueur pour ses bateaux. Ce n'est qu'après le succès du "A- Lion" dans diverses épreuves de type "Un par série", organisées aux Etats Unis et en Grande Bretagne, que l'I.Y.R.U choisit les dimensions hors tout de ce catamaran (5.49 m pour en faire les limites de la classe.
Our new Instaboss Queen. editor Tue, 03/05/2024 - 14:19. It gives us great pleasure to introduce Matilde Delaite to the IACA team. Mathilde will be looking after our Instagram account and helping to spread the A-Cat love across that platform, so hopefully engaging a few new sailors to join us.
eXploder AD3 is A-Class sailing catamaran - one of the fastest singlehanded sailing boats on the water. The eXploder A-Class cats have been in production since 2013 and in that time won a staggering 6 World Championship titles and 15 Continental titles. Since it's conception the eXploder platform has been improved over and over again.
Posted on 3 Feb 2023 2023 A-Class Midwinters at Upper Keys Sailing Club. 39 A-Cats gathered at Rowell's Park in Key Largo, FL. Posted on 26 Jan 2023 A-Class Catamaran Nationals at Grafham Water. Held as part of the recent Gill Cat Open. Posted on 7 Nov 2022 Gabriela Cumbie on the Caterwaul Regatta Fall 2022.
Le Classe A regroupe maintenant deux pratiques distinctes qui s'inscrivent toujours dans un esprit d'évolution, mais avec des restrictions différentes: Le Classe A open, autorisant le vol, est le précurseur de la voile actuelle, en utilisant les libertés de la jauge afin d'atteindre des vitesses encore plus grandes en étant libéré ...
A-Class Catamaran World Championships 2024. Punta Ala, Italy September 7th-14th 2024. REGISTER HERE. NEW! Warm Up Event! ITA National Regatta - 31st - 1st Sept. Open Championships for both . Classic and Open Disciplines. Our Sponsors - Without these guys, this event would not be possible, please check them out.
Hull Measurement. This form comprises all the measurements related to the hull and its appendages: length, width, maximum appendage width, minimum appendage width from boat centerline and maximum distance of rudder assembly from hull stern. All boats constructed after 1/1/2010 must have an ISAF/ World Sailing plaque affixed to one of the ...
The singlehanded A-Class Catamaran has a strong presence in the USA, which was strong enough to host the 2022 World Championship, and strong enough for the country's Ravi Parent to win the Open ...
The 'A' Class Future. The two foil types are causing a little debate within the class though. Although all the boats measure as 'A' Class cats equally, the foiling/floating thing appears to irk some in a few national class associations. Some want separate races for foilers, claiming that is not fair now to race both on the same course.
Technical details. The F1x A-class foiling catamaran has a number of unique features that improve performance. For example: Semi ridged trampoline. Gives extra torsional stiffness to the boat and increases its aerodynamic characteristics. Patented main-sheet-wheel-system. For more direct and faster trim of the main sail.
A-Class Catamaran World Championships. 981 likes · 34 talking about this. The official site for the A-Class Catamaran World Championship events, for current, past and future
A-Class Catamaran World Championships official results. A-Class Catamaran World Championships official results. top of page. Home. Documents. News. Logistics. Racing/Social Schedule. Venue/Accomodation. Registration. Our Sponsors. Media & Gallery. Previous events. FRA Worlds 2023; USA Worlds 2022; GBR Worlds 2019;
The A-Class catamaran is a development gauge for sport catamarans. It is the king of single-handed sport catamarans. This catamaran built in carbone fiber is very fast. Now the A Cat has foils and it flyes on the water. Launched in 1950, this is a class that aims for the best performance in a single-handed sport catamaran.
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File Attachment. 'A' Cat World Sailing Official Rules (updated 01/11/21) Measurers Guidelines 01-01-2023.pdf. IYRU Sail Measurement Instructions. A-Cat Classic Hull Measurement Form-19-12-2022.numbers. A-Cat Classic Hull Measurement Form-19-12-2022.xlsx. A-Cat Hull Measurement Form-19-12-2022.numbers.
A Class Sailing. The A Class Catamaran is the fastest single handed small catamaran in the world. This highly responsive lightweight boat is a joy to sail. The powerful rig means that even the heaviest sailors are on the trapeze upwind in 6 knots of breeze and flying a hull downwind (wild thing). The top sailors in the class have now mastered ...
Calendrier et résultats Classe A. Retrouvez ici tous les événements : régates régionales, nationales et internationales, ainsi que les stages. En cliquant sur le nom de l'événement, vous pourrez accéder aux informations détaillées, inscriptions et résultats. En accord avec les règles de l'International A-Division Catamaran ...
The C-Class Catamaran is a high-performance developmental class sailing catamaran.They are very light boats which use rigid wing sails and can sail at twice the speed of the wind. They are used for match races known as the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy and its successor the International C-Class Catamaran Championship - both often referred to as the "Little America's Cup".