Parts of the Optimist

The Hull

The hull is the body of the boat. The Optimist’s hull is a flat-bottomed, pram-bow dinghy designed to be stable and easy to sail. Key areas of the hull:

• Bow — the front of the boat.
• Stern — the back of the boat.
• Port side — the left side when you face the bow (red side of the boat).
• Starboard side — the right side when you face the bow (green side of the boat).
• Gunwale (gun’l) — the top edge of the hull, where you grab on and where the buoyancy bags sit.
• Buoyancy bags — inflated bags in the bow and stern that keep the boat floating upright if it capsizes.
• Drain hole with plug — a plug at the stern you pull out to let water drain when the boat is ashore.

The Centreboard Parts

• Daggerboard (centrebord) — a flat blade that drops through a slot in the hull. It stops the boat sliding sideways and lets you point upwind. In the Optimist it’s correctly called a daggerboard, hinged at the back of the case so it can kick up if you hit the ground.
• Daggerboard case — the slot in the centre of the hull that holds the board.
• Daggerboard pendant / cord — a rope attached to the top of the board so you can pull it up and down from your sitting position.

The Rudder

• Rudder blade — a wooden or fibreglass blade at the stern that steers the boat.
• Tiller — a lightweight wooden arm that sticks forward from the top of the rudder blade.
• Tiller extension (tiller ext) — an aluminium tube that clips on to the tiller so you can sit further forward and still steer.
• Rudder pintles & gudgeons — the fitting (gudgeon) on the boat and the pin (pintle) on the rudder that let you slide the rudder on and off.
• Rudder downhaul (kicker on the rudder) — a small line that holds the rudder blade down and keeps it from kicking up when going astern.

The Rig / Mast & Sail

• Mast — the vertical spar that holds the sail up, stepped into the mast step at the bow.
• Mast step — the fitting in the bow that the foot of the mast sits in.
• Boom — the horizontal spar attached to the mast at the gooseneck; it holds the foot of the sail out.
• Mainsail — the sail (the most important part!). Its bottom edge is attached to the boom and its front edge (luff) slides up the mast.
• Mast sleeve — the pocket in the front of the sail that fits over the mast. This makes rigging very simple: no battens to insert in a club Optimist.
• Outhaul — a line that pulls the clew (back corner of the sail) along the boom to tension the foot.
• Downhaul (cunningham) — a line that pulls the tack (front bottom corner) of the sail down the mast to tension the luff.
• Mainsheet block & tackle — the system of blocks at the rear end of the boom and the centre of the hull that lets you adjust the sail with little effort.

Rope, lines & fittings

• Main sheet — the single most important control. It trims the sail in and out.
• Boom vang (kicker) — a line that pulls the boom down toward the gunwale, flattening the sail in strong wind.
• Guy / kicking strap — another name for the boom vang in some clubs. Ask your instructor what your club calls it.
• Cleat — a fitting used to secure a line; in the Optimist the mainsheet rarely uses a cleat because you hold it by hand.
• Bailer — a small scoop kept in the boat to empty water over the side.
• Painter — a rope attached to the bow, used to pull the boat to shore or to moor it.
• Toe strap — a strap on the floor you hook your feet under to help balance when you lean out to windward.