The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) is to launch a redesigned ILCA 4 sail.
The association says the new ILCA 4 MkII sail was developed to strengthen long-term supply and improve durability without changing the ILCA 4 rig or compromising the ILCA one-design principle.
The association points out that the ILCA 4 sail has previously depended on a 3.8 oz sailcloth that is no longer produced at scale.
This has created ongoing supply uncertainty and cost pressure for builders and sailors and if left unresolved, the constraints would increasingly affect availability.
“As the custodian of the ILCA Build Manual and the one-design integrity of the Class, ILCA has a responsibility to act when a material risk emerges,” explained Santiago Sampaio, ILCA’s chief technical officer.
Our design brief was clear: secure reliable long-term supply and maintain cost stability.
Santiago Sampaio
“Our design brief was clear: secure reliable long-term supply and maintain cost stability while preserving fairness, continuity, and compatibility with the existing ILCA 4 rig.”
ILCA initiated a controlled redesign with constraints including use of the same mast and boom, secure cloth availability, consistent manufacturing, and unchanged one-design integrity.
The commercial release of the ILCA 4 MkII sail is planned for early April 2026, with the intention of the sail becoming class legal in early August 2026.
The new sail uses a more robust 4.93 oz cloth and adopts a bi-radial construction better suited to modern stiffer materials.
Durability and consistency
Additional updates include a larger sail window, an updated batten configuration and a look-and-feel closer to the ILCA 7 MkII.
These changes are intended to improve durability and consistency while minimising the impact on costs.
The sail was developed with the oversight of the ILCA Technical Team using CAD-based design, controlled prototypes and a two-phase testing programme involving builders, sailors and coaches across regions, conditions and weight ranges.
ILCA has also begun work on the development of a future ILCA 6 MkII sail.
