Protecting integrity of one design class

For the most dominant singlehanded dinghy in the sport, it has not been smooth sailing for the International Laser Class Association (ILCA). The latest incident has been a dispute with one of its original builders which claims the Class has changed the boat design. ILCA provides this announcement titled, Protecting the One-Design Integrity of the Class:

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ILCA’s mission is to protect the integrity of strict one-design sailing—the principle that ensures every sailor competes on equal terms. This principle, enshrined in the ILCA Fundamental Rule, has been the foundation of our class’s success, making ILCA the world’s largest and most enduring youth and adult dinghy class.

To safeguard this strict one-design principle, on August 27, 2025, ILCA, acting under the ILCA Class Rules, withdrew its approval of Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA) as a builder for the class.

This action was only taken after many months of ILCA attempting to work with PSA to ensure they fulfill their contractual obligations, which would have completed ILCA’s goal of having all its builders produce boats from moulds derived from the same ILCA master mould and using the same tooling.

This was to be an essential step toward ILCA’s ultimate goal of producing an “Off the Shelf, Equal Performance, One Design Sailboat” (OSEPODS).

ILCA’s master mould was formally designated in 2005 as the definitive reference mould for all hulls, and its lineage can be traced back to the original mould created by Ian Bruce. This master was used to make moulds used by Performance Sailcraft Europe (later to become LaserPerformance), Performance Sailcraft Japan, and all current builders – except PSA.

As a legacy builder, PSA continued to produce boats from moulds based on their own master and tooling, rather than adopting the ILCA standard. Their moulds and tooling create a boat that is marginally different from those produced by all other current ILCA builders (notably including the other legacy builder, Performance Sailcraft Japan), who have already adopted the ILCA moulds and tooling.

While PSA themselves have acknowledged differences between its boats and those of other builders, there is no evidence that PSA boats perform differently. Still, the fact that they are not identical is inconsistent with ILCA’s strict one-design principle.

When ILCA purchased certain rights from PSA in 2024, the contract required PSA to transition to the same moulds, tooling, and builder agreements as all other approved builders, enabling ILCA to move closer to its OSEPODS goal. Unfortunately, under new ownership, PSA has failed to meet these obligations. This left ILCA with no option but to withdraw PSA’s approval as a builder to ensure the one-design principle and preserve the fairness and integrity of the class.

Looking ahead, ILCA remains committed to ensuring that every sailor, everywhere, sails boats that are equal in construction and performance. This decision is not about excluding builders; it is about protecting the values that define our class and ensuring that ILCA sailors continue to enjoy fair, competitive, one-design racing around the world.