Tasar
The Tasar is a 14.83-foot (4.52 m) fiberglass 2 person sailing dinghy with a mainsail and jib. Designed by Frank Bethwaite of Sydney in 1975, the boat was technologically advanced for it time and continues to evolved. Aimed at a husband-and-wife or parent-and-child crew hence no spinnaker, it is designed for a combined crew weight of around 140 kg. The hull weighs 68 kg, and is of sandwich foam construction. The hull has a fine angle at the bow to reduce wave impact drag with unusually clean and sharp chines aft to ensure very free planing and outstanding stability. The foam cored hull is stiff and light and the advanced hull shape, together with an innovative rig which combines a rotating mast with a fully battened main sail, allows the Tasar to plane upwind with the crew normally hiked. The wide beam and a cockpit designed for comfortable hiking make the Tasar easy, fun and very exciting to sail in winds up to 25 knots (46 km/h).
 Class symbol | |
 | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Frank Bethwaite, Ian Bruce |
| Location | Sydney, Australia |
| Year | 1975 |
| Design | One-Design |
| Boat | |
| Crew | 2 |
| Hull | |
| Type | Monohull |
| Construction | Fiberglass (sandwich foam) |
| Hull weight | 149 lb (68 kg) (fully rigged, minus sails) |
| LOA | 14 ft 10 in (4.52 m) |
| LWL | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Beam | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Sails | |
| Mainsail area | 89.44 sq ft (8.309 m2) (PET) 90 sq ft (8.4 m2) (Polyester fiber) |
| Jib/genoa area | 38.42 sq ft (3.569 m2) (PET) 33 sq ft (3.1 m2) (Polyester fiber) |
| Racing | |
| D-PN | 88.2 |
| RYA PN | 1018 |
The Tasar is an international class, with strong fleets in Australia, USA, Britain, and Japan. The class gained status from the World governing body for sailing in November 2001 permitting the class to hold an officially recognised World Championships.
2006 saw the introduction of new PET film sails. In addition, the hull moulds have replaced and the class continues to evaluate.
The Tasar is constructed to the same specifications by licensed builders in Singapore and Canada. This keeps all boats as similar as possible and ensures a true one design class.
Events
International Regatta
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 Canberra | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} AustraliaDavid Jones Malcolm Jones |
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| 1983 Vancouver |  United StatesCharlie McKee Leslie Miller |
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| 1985 Sydney | United States Charlie McKee Becky Brown |
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| 1986 London | Australia Rick Longbottom Louise Scullion |
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| 1988 Yeppoon | Australia Adrian Finglas Adam Beashel |
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| 1989 Vancouver | United States Charlie McKee Becky Brown |
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| 1991 Adelaide | United States Charlie McKee Becky Brown |
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| 1992 Hayama | United States Jay Renehan Lisa Renehan |
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| 1994 Torbay | Australia Russell Ford Cheryl Hutchins |
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| 1996 Cascade Locks | United States Jonathan McKee Libby McKee |
United States Charlie McKee Becky McKee |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} CanadaThilo Giese Beth Caulkin |
| 1998 Melbourne | Australia Brett Young Alan Blenkle |
Australia B. Paine |
Australia M. Conry |
| 1999 Hamana-Ko | Australia Ben Nicholas Thomas Winter |
 JapanIkuya Tanaka Noriko Tanaka |
Japan George Motoyoshi Natsuki Motoyoshi |
| 2001 Whitstable | United States Carol Buchan Carl Buchan |
Canada Thilo Giese Sandra Towers |
Australia Craig McPhee Kevin Kellow |
World Championships
Year |
Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Esquimalt, Vancouver Island, Canada | Jonathan McKee Libby Johnson-McKee (USA) |
Carol Buchan Carl Buchan (USA) |
Jay Renehan Lisa Renehan (USA) |
| 2005 Darwin, NT, Australia | Robert Douglass Nicole Douglass (AUS) |
Craig McPhee Kevin Kellow (AUS) |
Ikuya Tanaka Noriko Tanaka (JPN) |
| 2007 Phuket, Thailand | Jonathan McKee Libby JOHNSON-McKEE (USA) |
Robert Douglass Nicole Douglass (AUS) |
Brett Young Kevin Kellow |
| 2009 Japan | Robert DOUGLASS Nicole DOUGLASS (AUS) |
Craig McPHEE Phillippa AREVALO (AUS) |
Hiroaki SATO Yasuaki MURAGISHI (JPN) |
| 2011 Torbay, UK | Paul Ridgway Bronwyn Ridgway (AUS) |
Robert DOUGLASS Nicole DOUGLASS (AUS) |
 Malcolm DAVIES Fiona DAVIES (GBR) |
| 2013 Cascade Locks, Oregon, USA | Anthony Boscolo Haley LANE (USA) |
Michael KARAS Molly JACKSON (USA) |
Dalton BERGAN Lindsay BERGAN (USA) |
| 2015 Busselton, WA, Australia | Chris DANCE Peter HACKETT (AUS) |
Robert DOUGLASS Nicole DOUGLASS (AUS) |
Jay RENEHAN Lisa RENEHAN (USA) |
| 2017 Gamagori, Japan | Jonathan McKee Libby JOHNSON-McKEE (USA) |
Chris DANCE Jeremy ELMSLIE (AUS) |
Robert DOUGLASS Nicole DOUGLASS (AUS) |
Specifications
Length overall: 14 feet 10 inches (4.52 m)
Waterline length: 14 feet 0 inches (4.27 m)
Beam: 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m)
Weight: Hull, fully rigged without spars, sails or foils: 149 pounds (68 kilograms)
Crew: Two, design crew weight 300 pounds (140 kilograms), minimum crew weight for racing 287 pounds (130 kilograms) (When boats are sailed by crews weighing less than this, ballast is carried to equalize performance.)
Sails: Sails were originally polyester fiber. PET film sails were adopted in 2006.
Mainsail: PET film - 89.44 sq ft (8.309 m2)., 8.31 m². (Polyester fiber - 90 square feet (8.4 m2) - 8.36 square metres)
Jib: PET film - 38.42 sq ft (3.569 m2)., 3.57 m². (Polyester fiber - 33 square feet (3.1 m2) - 3.07 square metres)
Portsmouth Yardstick Handicap: 1018[1]
D-PN: 88.2[2]
Construction: GRP foam sandwich for the hull, hollow aluminium section for the spars
Designers: Frank Bethwaite, Ian Bruce
References
- "Portsmouth Number List 2012". Royal Yachting Association. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- "Centerboard Classes". US Sailing. Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.