The Mackay International 470

A new hull mould was introduced at the beginning of 2002 in order to incorporate some important modifications to the Mackay shape.

The importance of a maximum beam at the gunwhale in a 470 is very significant. It equates to trapezing power! The wider the boat at the gunwhale, the further out the crew can trapeze and the helmsman can hike. We did some calculations and found that if we increased the beam to maximum, it would give a 70kg crew 2kg extra mechanical advantage. The increase in power would be exactly the same as the crew gaining 2kg in weight. The gains to be made in full trapezing conditions are now well proven and recognised by all crews sailing with the new shape, including the 2002 World Champions.

Any designer will tell you that maximum waterline length is fast. We discovered that improvements were possible in this area at the 2000 Olympics under the extremely accurate templates of the class measurer, Santi. By playing around with various stem profile shapes back at the factory, we further discovered that extending the measurement towards the template by just a few millimetres had the profound effect of increasing the effective waterline length by nearly 25mm. This is huge!

Sailing to windward in choppy conditons is a strong point of the Mackay hull. By keeping the bow to minimum tolerance in the bow section, it will cut through the water with less fuss. The boat is not "bounced" by every little wave. Next time you race in a small chop, in light wind or strong wind, take note of the boats that are going fast. Chances are they will be Mackays.

Performance in planing conditions is another strong point. The Mackay has minimum keel rocker in the aft sections. It is as straight as possible. This enables it to get on the plane sooner in marginal conditions and it achieves faster planing speeds in high winds. Numerous crews have commented to us that when sailing off the wind in marginal planing conditions, they can make significant gains on the boats around them.

Another very important factor affecting the performance of a boat in choppy conditions is weight in the ends. This is especially so when the waves are a little bigger and the boat tends to pitch. With less weight in the ends the boat will ride more smoothly over the waves. With the emphasis in our factory on building high quality custom craft rather than mass production, we can take the necessary time and care to ensure that the boats are as light a possible in the ends. It is well understood in our factory that every gram of resin saved in the ends of the boat makes it faster!

Minimum width at the waterline ensures that the Mackay 470 has minimum drag. This is a basic design requirement for most centreboard dinghies.

Construction

Mackay Boats have developed a good reputation for building a very strong and very stiff boat that has a long life.

The obvious advantages are that the boat will hold high rig tension and not flex in the bow and mid sections. A significant underlying advantage is that the tune of the boat will not change through a season of racing. It will not go soft (as some boats do) and therefore the rig tensions and mast bends will not alter as the season progresses. The construction techniques we use give greater longevity and therefore eliminate the need to replace the boat every year or two. A good crew can develop the tune of the boat and know that they can keep it for several seasons.

We believe that our construction techniques are as advanced as allowed by the rules. The building process also involves a considerable amount of custom workmanship. All of the ribs on our boats are vacuum clamped foam with chopped mat and uni-directional rovings on top. We obtain extra strength from the rigidity of the foam itself. It is important to realise that we do not "mass produce" the Mackay 470. We concentrate on building fewer boats but of a very high quality. We have placed the greatest importance on workmanship, with care and attention to detail.

International 470 Class History

In 1963, French architect Andre Cornu designed the two-handed centerboard boat as a modern high performance fiberglass planing dinghy which could be sailed by anyone. And the craft so influenced European sailing that the 470 is directly credited with drawing new sailors to the sport during the 1960s and '70s.

An Olympic class boat since 1976, 470s are sailed today for both family recreation and superior competition by more than 30,000 sailors in 42 countries worldwide. The 470 is so popular that its annual World Cup event is considered one of sailing's major international regattas attended by sailors and spectators from around the world.

A light and narrow boat (length 4.7m and beam 1.7m with a weight of 120kg), the 470 responds easily and immediately to body movement. Thus, the sailors' teamwork and tactics complement one another. The skipper is smaller and lighter (1.65m to 1.8m and 55kg to 65kg), and the crew is tall and light (1.75m to 1.85m yet only 65kg -75kg). The crew's build lets him or her hang far out on the trapeze to keep the boat level in all conditions.

In 1988, women officially entered Olympic sailing competition with the first-ever 470 Women's event. This boat is especially well-suited to women's competition because of its light weight, maneuverability and light crew weight requirement.

Click here to view more information on the history of the 470.