Club 420
| Crew | Two (skipper and crew, single trapeze for the crew) |
|---|---|
| Length | 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) |
| Rig | Simpler than the International 420: a heavier, reinforced hull and an untapered mast, with a spinnaker or gennaker |
| Typical sailor | Teenage racers moving up from a single-handed trainer; a common North American college sailing boat too |
The Club 420 is a youth-oriented version of the 420, built for high-school and collegiate programs in North America. It is simpler to sail than the International 420, with a reinforced, heavier hull and an untapered mast, and World Sailing does not recognize it as an international class. It's a common next step after a single-handed dinghy, and the boat a lot of college sailing programs use, so time spent learning it well carries forward.
Often confused with the International 420 (i420), the full-trapeze, full-spinnaker version of the same hull.
Where it comes from
The 420 hull was designed in France by Christian Maury in 1959 and named for its length, 420 centimetres. The Club 420 is a simpler version with a reinforced, heavier hull and an untapered mast. World Sailing does not recognize it as an international class.
In North America
- US Sailing describes it as the base of many local, high school and collegiate programs in North America
- About 5,000 Club 420s are sailed in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean
- The ideal combined crew weight is 240 to 300 lb
- It is built by Laser Performance and Zim Sailing, with about 8,600 produced in total
A lighter cousin
The Z420 grew out of the Club 420 for college sailing from 2014. Its hull is about 50 pounds lighter and 40 percent stiffer, and it has no spinnaker or trapeze.
Checked against its sources on September 20, 2026.