RS Aero
 | |
 RS Aero 7 | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Jo Richards |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2014 |
| Builder(s) | RS Sailing |
| Boat | |
| Crew | 1 |
| Displacement | 30 kg |
| Hull | |
| Type | Monohull |
| Construction | Fiberglass |
| LOA | 4 m |
| Beam | 1.4 m |
| Hull appendages | |
| Rig | |
| Sails | |
| General | 5, 6, 7 & 9 rigs |
| Total sail area | 5 rig : 5.2 m²
6 rig : 6.3 m² 7 rig : 7.4 m² 9 rig : 8.9 m² |
| Racing | |
| RYA PN | 5 rig : 1139
6 rig : 1099 7 rig : 1063 9 rig : 1005 |
The RS Aero is a British sailing dinghy that was designed by Jo Richards as a one-design racer and first built in 2014.[1] It is an international class recongised by World Sailing and hosts an annual World Championships.
Production
The design is marketed and distributed by RS Sailing of Romsey, United Kingdom.[1][2]
Design
The RS Aero is a single-handed recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fiberglass. It has an unstayed carbon fibre mast, a raked stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller with a tiller extension and a daggerboard. It displaces 66 lb (30 kg).[1]
The Aero can be fitted with one of four different rig and sail sizes to accommodate a range of sailors of different weights, ranging between approximately 45 and 95kg.[1]
Variants
- RS Aero 5
- The RS Aero 5 was designed with youth in mind and has 5.2 m² of sail area.[1] It is typically suitable for sailors between 45 and 65kg.
- RS Aero 6
- The RS Aero 6 was designed in 2019 and released in 2021 with the aim of providing an option for women and smaller adults to sail in a less youth-centric fleet. It was designed to fit between the 5 and 7 rigs with a sail size of 6.3 m².[3] It is typically suitable for sailors between 55 and 75kg.
- RS Aero 7
- The RS Aero 7 was designed for medium weight sailors and has 7.4 m² of sail area.[1] It is typically suitable for sailors between 65 and 85kg.
- RS Aero 9
- The RS Aero 9 was designed for heavy weight sailors and has 8.9 m² of sail area.[1] It is typically suitable for sailors between 75 and 95kg.
Operational history
The design has won several awards, including the 2014 Paris Boat Show Coup de Coeurs, the Netherlands 2015 HISWA Product of the Year Award and the 2015 Estonian Sailing Federation Surprise Award.[4]
The boat was also named the Sailing World Boat Of The Year in 2015, as Best One-Design. The magazine described it as "a stunning singlehander that is more than comparable to the Laser." It was cited for its "construction quality, lightweight hull, versatile rig with multiple combinations, technical details, and price".[5]
In a 2014 review, George Yioulos, wrote, "sailing the Aero is unlike other boat I’ve evaluated before. It’s a designer’s brew of lightweight construction, precise craftsmanship, and clever design that allows for high quality production in multiple locations. While it’s still a single-person fiberglass dinghy, after a day on the water it’s more an extension of the sailor themselves than any other non-trapezing boat I’ve sailed." He further noted, "The Aero utilizes a unique mix of modern technology, all-around performance and very easy handling. Maybe it’s not ironic that these are similar to the characteristics that propelled the growth of the Laser some 40 years ago."[6]
See also
Similar sailboats
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Browning, Randy (2019). "RS Aero sailboat specifications and details". sailboatdata.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ Browning, Randy (2019). "RS Sailing". sailboatdata.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "RS Sailing launch the RS Aero 6". RS Sailing, the world’s largest small-sailboat manufacturer. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ RS Sailing (2017). "RS Aero – Pure Exhilaration, Beautiful Simplicity". rssailing.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- ^ Leviathan (27 April 2015). "Boat Of The Year". Sailing World. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ Yioulos, George (11 June 2014). "Singlehanded Sailing: The Next Level". Sailing Scuttlebutt. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
External links
