The 470 is one of nine one-design boats used in the Olympics. It was designed in 1963 in France as a modern fiberglass planing dinghy. By 1969 the class was given international status and it has been an Olympic class since 1976. In 1988 the first Olympic women’s event was sailed in the 470. The United States won the first gold medal in the Women's 470 class.
Key Statistics: • Length Overall 4.7 m • Length Waterline 4.4 m • Beam 1.68 m • Draft .5 m • Draft (CB down) 1.5 m • Weight 120 kg • Mast 6.78 m • Jib 3.58 sq.m • Main 9.12 sq.m • Spinnaker 13 sq.m • Total Sail Area 12.7 sq.m
The 470 is equipped with a spinnaker and a trapeze, and is quite fast, especially when the breeze is up. Tactically, the boat is demanding, as speed differences are small and fleets are usually big. The competitive crew weight is 275-320 lbs, which makes it ideal for both women and men. World and Continental Championships are organized every year with separate starts for women and men/mixed teams. In the World Championships there have been more than 30 countries represented. There are 65 member nations in the International Class Association and more than 40,000 boats have been built in 20 countries on all continents.