Laser (dinghy)

The Laser (also known as ILCA) is a class of single-handed, one-design sailing dinghies using a common hull design with three interchangeable rigs of different sail areas, appropriate to a given combination of wind strength and crew weight. Ian Bruce and Bruce Kirby designed the Laser in 1970 and Hans Fogh designed the sail with an emphasis on simplicity and performance. The ILCA is a widely produced class of dinghies. As of 2023, more than 223000 boats worldwide had been built. It is an international class with sailors in 120 countries, and an Olympic class since 1996. Its wide acceptance is attributable to its robust construction, simple rig and ease of sailing that offer competitive racing due to tight class association controls which eliminate differences in hull, sails, and equipment; the key pinnacles of the class, with a 1970s boat being identical to a boat made today. The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) defines the specifications and competition rules for the boat but requires authorization by World Sailing, Performance Sailcraft Japan and PSA / Global Sailing who are known as legacy builders. The boat itself remains unchanged but is officially referred to as the ILCA Dinghy, due to a trademark dispute when the boat was called the Laser.