You don’t need any experience or a boat of your own to start sailing. Toila Yacht Club has 38 boats for youth training, from a first Optimist all the way to the fast RS Aero.
Our coach will help choose a boat that suits the sailor’s age, weight and skills. Here is an overview of our boats.
- 15 × Optimist
- 10 × RS Tera
- 10 × RS Aero
- 3 × RS Feva
15 boats
Optimist
For many sailors, the Optimist is their very first boat. It is a simple and safe single-handed dinghy in which a child learns to steer and trim the sail on their own.
According to the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA), the boat is safe and simple enough for an 8-year-old, yet exciting and technical enough for a 15-year-old.
- Length 2.31 m
- Beam 1.13 m
- Hull weight 35 kg
- Sail 3.3 m²
- Crew: 1
Age: children usually start at around 8 years old (recommended). Under the class rules, sailors may race an Optimist until the end of the year in which they turn 15.
Source: optiworld.org (IODA), IODA class rules, World Sailing
10 boats · Sport and PRO
RS Tera
The RS Tera is a modern single-handed youth dinghy that makes sailing easy and fun. It is light, quick for a child to rig on their own, and comes up dry after a capsize.
The Sport and PRO versions share the same hull and mast; only the sail differs. So sailors progress with a new sail rather than a new boat.
- Length 2.87 m
- Beam 1.23 m
- Hull weight 43 kg
- Sail: Sport 3.7 m², PRO 4.8 m²
- Crew: 1
- Sailor weight up to 70 kg
Age: there is no fixed minimum age; body weight matters most: Sport from about 30 kg, PRO from about 40 kg (recommended). At the World Championships the age limit is 16 for Sport and 19 for PRO (2024).
Source: rssailing.com, RS Tera Worlds 2024
10 boats · sails 5, 6 and 7
RS Aero
The RS Aero is a modern, very light single-handed dinghy for youth and adults. The hull weighs about the same as an Optimist, so it is easy to launch and handle.
With interchangeable rigs, the sail size is chosen according to the sailor’s weight and the wind. We have the 5, 6 and 7 rigs. The RS Aero is an International World Sailing class.
- Length 4.0 m
- Beam 1.4 m
- Sail: Aero 5 – 5.2 m²
- Aero 6 – 6.3 m²
- Aero 7 – 7.4 m²
- Crew: 1
Age: there is no age limit; the rig is chosen by weight (recommended): the Aero 5 usually suits sailors under 60 kg, the Aero 6 medium-weight sailors and the Aero 7 medium to heavier sailors. The 2024 Youth Worlds were open to sailors under 22, with a separate under-17 category in the Aero 5.
Source: RS Aero Class Association, rssailing.com, Youth Worlds 2024
3 boats
RS Feva
The RS Feva is the world’s leading double-handed dinghy for youngsters, and also suits a parent sailing with a child. It is often the next step after the Optimist: here sailors learn teamwork and how to use the jib and gennaker (a large colourful downwind sail).
Kids can rig the boat on their own; it is durable and easy to right after a capsize.
- Length 3.64 m
- Beam 1.42 m
- Mainsail 5.5 or 6.5 m²
- Jib 2.1 m²
- Gennaker 7.0 m²
- Crew: 2
- Crew weight up to 230 kg
Age: there is no official age limit; the World Championships are open to everyone. Great for two young sailors together, and also for an adult with a child.
Source: rssailing.com, RS Feva Class Association, World Sailing
Come to a trial training
Write or call us and we’ll agree on a suitable time. Our coach will help choose the right boat and guide you during your first sessions.