The parts of the boat and their names, who builds Optis and what matters when buying used. The class rules are international; ownership transfer is described for Germany. A video in under four minutes, with everything to read below.
Your child sails an Opti. Suddenly you hear words like sprit, tiller and measurement certificate. And maybe you want to buy a boat. What matters?
This is the hull. The front is the bow, the back is the stern. The Opti is flat at both ends. These flat walls are called transoms.
The daggerboard case sits in the middle. Your child pushes the daggerboard through it. It stops the boat from sliding sideways. The rudder hangs at the back. Your child steers with the tiller and its extension.
The mast stands at the front. At the bottom, the boom holds the sail. The diagonal pole is the sprit. It spreads the sail upwards.
The sail has four corners. Low on the mast, the tack. High on the mast, the throat. At the top of the sprit, the peak. At the end of the boom, the clew.
The edge along the mast is the luff. The edge along the boom is the foot. The free edge at the back is the leech.
Three lines trim the sail. The mainsheet pulls the boom in. The vang pulls the boom down. The sprit halyard tensions the sprit.
Three buoyancy bags are strapped into the boat. With them, the Opti floats even when it is full of water. A mast lock keeps the mast in the boat when it capsizes.
On board you also need a bailer, a paddle and a painter. The painter is at least 8 metres long and floats.
Opti hulls are not built by one yard, but by many. They all build to the same plans. The class checks every new mould as a prototype first.
In Germany you will see boats by Faccenda, Far East, Nautivela, Winner and Zou, for example. Mast, sail and daggerboard often come from other makers.
When buying, start here: without a valid measurement certificate, no Opti may race. Ask to see it. The plaque in the boat must match it.
After buying, have the certificate transferred to you by Opti Class GER. The boat does not need to be measured again.
With its buoyancy bags, the hull weighs at least 35 kg. If it is lighter, wooden corrector weights sit at the front and back. They are listed on the certificate and stay in.
Press on the bottom and the sides. If the hull gives way, it has gone soft. Look closely at the daggerboard case and the mast step. The biggest forces act there, and that is where cracks appear.
The daggerboard and rudder should be straight, with smooth edges. The sail carries a measurement stamp near the tack. An old sail stretches and loses its shape.
Check that all fittings are tight. Ask for the year it was built. And look at when the buoyancy was last tested. It goes on the certificate every 12 months.
To start, it does not have to be the newest boat. A measured, solid boat is enough. Your child learns to sail on the water.
Remember: certificate and condition first, everything else later. And before you buy, talk to the coach.
The class rules are published by Opti Class GER.
Weight (CR 3.2.8), buoyancy (CR 3.2.7), required equipment (CR 4.3), certificate and change of owner (CR 2.4) are in the class rules. The class does not license builders: every GRP builder first presents a prototype and is inspected regularly afterwards (IODA Handbook 2025). The builders named are examples from the Opti Class GER used-boat market, in alphabetical order, without any rating. The notes on soft spots, cracks, edges and sail shape are experience, not rules. The number 123456 in the video is made up.
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