ILCA 6 (formerly the Laser Radial)
| Crew | One (single-handed) |
|---|---|
| Length overall | 4.23 m (13 ft 10.5 in) |
| Hull weight | About 59 kg (130 lb) |
| Mainsail area | 5.76 sq m (62 sq ft) |
| Typical sailor | Lighter to average-weight racers, roughly 59-75 kg (130-165 lb); the women's Olympic singlehanded class from 2008-2024 |
The ILCA 6 uses the same hull as the full-size ILCA 7 (the boat sailors used to call the Laser Standard) but rigs a shorter, more flexible lower mast section, marked with a red stripe and an “R,” and a smaller mainsail. The name changed from Laser Radial to ILCA 6 after the class association took over manufacturing rights from Laser Performance. It's a genuinely one-design boat: identical hulls racing on sail and rig size alone, which is part of why it's stayed a standard training and racing boat for younger or lighter sailors moving up from a smaller trainer.
Where the name comes from
The class is called the Radial because of how its sail is made: the panels run up from the clew, the bottom back corner. The boat is often called the ILCA 6 because Laser sailboats lost the rights to manufacture it after selling them to the class association. It was originally built by Laser Performance and by other manufacturers World Sailing approved.
How it sails
The shorter mast and smaller sail area let lighter sailors handle heavy wind. It is a singlehanded, one-design boat, so everyone races with the same standardized equipment.
Class and racing
It was chosen for the women's singlehanded event at the 2008 Olympics. The class is raced by women, men under 18 and male masters, the older-age racing division.
Checked against its sources on September 20, 2026.