In 1963, French architect Andre Cornu designed the two-handed centreboard boat as a modern high performance fibreglass planing dinghy which could be sailed by anyone. And the craft so influenced European sailing that the 470 is directly credited with drawing new sailors to the sport during the 1960s and '70s.

Over the past three Olympic cycles the 49er has evolved into a finely tuned boat that is nicely balanced in all conditions with a rig that is able to be adjusted for best performance in each windspeed and sea state.