International Canoe

Current Specifications
Class Symbol
Crew	1
LOA	5.18 m (17.0 ft)
Draft	1.00 m (3 ft 3 in)
Hull weight	50 kg (110 lb)
Main & Jib area	10 m2 (110 sq ft)
Spinnaker area	22 m2 (240 sq ft)

The International Canoe, or more properly the International Ten Square Meter Sailing Canoe, often abbreviated to IC is a powerful and extremely fast single handed sailing canoe whose rules are governed by the International Canoe Federation.

It is a boat with a narrow bow entry and a planing hull, carrying a mainsail, and a jib (sometimes self tacking). Stability is achieved with a sliding seat on which the single crew member sits, effectively controlling the boat from 'outside'.

International Canoes are raced in three divisions. The main body of the class competes to a development (or "box") rule, allowing for significant variation in design between different boats within the rule framework. Within that rule there is a "One Design" subclass which covers boats built to a one design rule in operation between 1971 and 2007, all of which have the same hull shape and are subject to an 83kg minimum weight limit. The third division, known as the AC (Asymmetric Canoe), uses the 83kg one design hull and carries an asymmetric spinnaker.

The combination of an easily driven hull with a highly developed and efficient sail plan, and the powerful righting moment afforded by the (single) crew positioned well away from the hull centerline provides possibly the most exhilarating and technically challenging sailing experience available in a mono-hulled craft.

The origins of the class can be traced back to the 1860s, and International competition with boats that are recognisably ancestors of the current boats started in 1884.

The class is most popular in Australia, the USA and Northern Europe, especially Germany, Sweden and the UK.

External links

• International Canoe sites globally