Optimist 2.0 is called Primus and comes from Hungary

Our two-part feature (read them HERE and HERE) devoted to the world of the Optimist and its competitors caused no small amount of discussion, including comments on our website and on social media. We also received an email from Hungarian sailor and designer David Bereczki, who pointed us to a boat of his own design, the Primus. The project, one design, was born in 2013-2014 and in recent years has undergone a series of design updates and various tests with coaches and sailors, and is now ready for launch on an international scale for 2020.

An interesting boat that harks back to the Optimist but updates and improves some decisive details. The bow becomes round, a kind of semi scow, which will improve stern handling in wind and wave. The stern remains with an edge, with the rudder hanging down, but the edge then goes off toward the bow. The cockpit is self-emptying, thus overcoming one of the great weaknesses of the Optimist; the centreboard system, on the other hand, resembles that of the Optimist. The sail is radial and triangular

The goal is for 2020 to create a class on an international scale, but there will be no monopoly shipyard; rather, the selection of shipbuilders is also open to Italy. The supply of spare parts is an important issue for a One Design Class. From 2020, Optiparts Marine Equipment will be the exclusive distributor of Primus One Design Racing Equipment (mast, sails and appendages).

This is the comment of designer David Bereczki: “My goal was to build a modern boat from every point of view, for beginners, a perfect drift boat for school. For an 8-year-old and even two children, it is comfortable and offers an accessible and fair racing experience, while the exterior should be fashionable and eye-catching. The construction is intended to be simple and inexpensive. Primus meets all these criteria in our opinion. As a training boat, the Primus is stable, safe and easy to handle. Our company policy is to give the producers of the Optimist and other dinghies the opportunity to become our partners. Primus can become a real alternative to the Optimist. And it is strictly One Design boat: all mold sets are the same for all manufacturers. Like the Optimist, the manufacturer’s manual allows for minimal tolerances, but the molds are the same. Primus Racing equipment cannot be upgraded, all spars, sails, drifts will be the same“.

www.primusclass.org