The RS800 is a light-weight

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' ( sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' ( iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...

dinghy A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...

Phil Morrison Phil Morrison may refer to: * Phil Morrison (yacht designer) (born 1946), British yacht designer * Phil Morrison (director), American film and television director * Phil Morrison (driver) (born 1977), British race driver * Phil Morrison (baseba ...

and manufactured by

RS Sailing RS Sailing is an international designer, builder and supplier of sailboats and dinghies and associated goods and services supported by a worldwide dealer network and class associations. The current RS range contains 19 dinghies and related part ...

. The boat is sailed by two people both on

trapeze A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, an ...

and has a

main Main may refer to: Geography *Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries * ...

jib A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsail ...

and

spinnaker A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a reach (wind at 90° to the course) to downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinnakers are constructed of lightweight fabric, usually n ...

. The RS800 has a

Portsmouth Yardstick The Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) or Portsmouth handicap scheme is a term used for a number of related systems of empirical handicapping used primarily in small sailboat racing. The handicap is applied to the time taken to sail any course, and the ha ...

number of 799 and a D-PN of 77.0. There is a large racing circuit in the UK, and some European events each year.Yachts & Yachting

Performance and design

The RS800 has a weight equalisation system with extendable racks and lead weights, making the boat accommodating for both male and female sailors.
/ref> It is a twin trapeze boat and the jib is self-tacking and the spinnaker is designed with low loads on the sheets. In 2007 a new deck layout was adopted, removing the stepped side in favour of more open design to encourage easier 'run - through'. In 2013 the class approved a new sail plan with the introduction of a square topped mainsail to modernise the boat. In 2017 the class changed their rules to allow crews to operate the mainsheet and for the sheet to be taken directly from the boom without a deck cleat. This change is optional but has been popular in uptake within the class.

References

External links

RS Sailing (Global HQ

ISAF Connect to Sailing

International RS Classes Association

UK RS Association

German RS Class Association

Dutch RS800 Class Association
{{RS Sailing Dinghies Boats designed by Phil Morrison Sailboat types built by RS Sailing