RS21 – KEELBOAT RACING THE RS WAY
The RS21 One Design is a modern keelboat designed with corinthian racing at its heart – keelboat racing the RS way. Finished and completed so you can enjoy close one design sailing without the complex choices. The powerful rig and distinct chines are balanced by well-mannered boat handling and an ergonomic deck layout to ensure everyone sailing has a key role to play and yet ease of use. For those passionate about our planet, the RS21 was developed with sustainability at the core of its design not only in terms of materials but also the carbon footprint of the supply chain, a reduction in single use plastics and efficient logistics. The RS21 International Class is going from strength to strength, with fleets growing over three continents and a national and international racing calendar that is escalating each year. Corinthian sailing, epicly close racing and a class built around removing the arms race, the RS21 is the future of keelboat racing and everything you’d expect from an RS racing class.
No. of Crew
Crew Weight (kgs)
Beam (m)
No. of Trapezes
Max Sail Area (m²)
Length (m)
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CLASS RECOGNITION & ACCREDITATION
WHAT THE SAILORS ARE SAYING…
It’s a very good boat. It planed in 11-12knots, very responsive to roll tacking, roll gybing. Very responsive to rig tune, sail tune and crew weight. It’s a good boat, good platform, a lot of fun!
I think they’ve hit their marks on everything that I could see, and after 10 races on the boat, none of us were beat up at all. I’d jump on one of these little beauties anytime.
Loved the boat and great to get back into some proper one design racing again. I found the RS pretty tweaky upwind: really rewarding accurate steering and trimming: just how I like it! The racing was super close: the last cross often deciding the difference between first and fifth place around the windward mark. And downwind was equally interesting, with plenty of angle options through the range of conditions. The last run, once the wind fully filled in, had us all grinning all the way to the finish!
While it’s a keel boat, it still handles an awful lot like a small dinghy. We were surfing it downwind.
GALLERY
FEATURES
Overarching Design Goals
- Progressive design for simple and affordable club & syndicate ownership
- Balanced, quick and enjoyable sailing as a team
- Evenly matched, close racing prioritized over ultimate performance
- Robust and simple to maintain – efficient fleet operation
- Sustainable aspects designed and built in
Hull
- Eco-friendly construction using bio derived resins and recycled core materials
- Contemporary styling for appeal that reflects cool boats of the era
- Maximum waterline length
- Balanced rocker line for good performance across the wind range, at the expense of maximum speed at one end or the other
- Pronounced chines add form stability as the boat heels and shed water for a drier ride
Foils
- Lifting bulb keel – encapsulated in GRP skins
- Removable internal keel crane
- Composite transom hung rudder – removable
- Tiller extension
Deck
- Large open cockpit with comfortable space for four crew and more
- Open transom for rapid draining
- Layout and systems allow handling by two crew if required
- Minimal obstructions reduce bruises
- Large central port for stowage of sails etc within the boat, adding operating efficiency
- Centre mainsheet can be trimmed by helm or crew
- Kick bars give ergonomic and secure positions for all crew
- No-hiking rule aids racing enjoyment, communication and widens strategic input
- Deck designed to allow one hull to stack on another – for efficient event transport and improved sustainability aspects
Rig
- Carbon composite mast reduces weight aloft to improves handling
- Light weight and pivoting heel make the mast easy to raise by hand
- Durable aluminium alloy boom
- Carbon composite bowsprit
- Quick to rig – 20 minutes from trailer to launch ready
- Durable construction Club sails & larger Race sails options
- Mainsail with single slab reef system in club spec
- Trouble free hanked-on jib
Sail Handling Systems
- Large cockpit with comfortable space for 4 crew and more
- Simple layout with clearly understandable controls
- Large gennaker bag for efficient hoists / drops
Electric Propulsion System (optional)
- E-Propulsion motor system integrated into hull & deck design
- Sits almost invisibly behind the keel / under the mainsheet system
- Prop leg can be raised while sailing – bottom fairing plate closes the hull recess
- Central speed control unit & removable / rechargeable battery pack
Options
- Symmetrical spinnaker and equipment (not required for one-design Class racing)
- Mast head wind indicator
- Keel winch
- Boat cover
- Shore cradle with wheels
- Road trailer
- Warps & Fenders pack
- Anchor pack – inc chain / warp / bag
SPECIFICATION
Standard
Optional
| RS21 | ||
| Designer | Richards / Whitehouse / RS Sailing | |
| Length | 6.67m (20'11") |  |
| Waterline Length | 6.4m (20'99") | |
| Beam | 2.20m (7'3") | |
| Draught | 1.38m (4'6") | |
| Displacement | 650kg (1433lbs) | |
| Hull Construction | Eco-Friendly Composite | |
| Keel | Lifting – With Bulb | |
| Rudder | Removable – Composite | |
| Mainsail – Club | 16.2m² (175ft²) | |
| Mainsail – Race | 16.2m² (175ft²) |  |
| Jib – Club | 8.4m² (90.4ft²) | |
| Jib – Race | 8.4m² (90.4ft²) | |
| Gennaker – Club | 35m² (377ft²) | |
| Gennaker – Race | 40m² (430.5ft²) | |
| Spinnaker – Club | 30m² (322.9ft²) | |
| Mast | Carbon Composite | |
| Shrouds & Forestay | Stainless Steel Wire | |
| Halyards – Main, Jib, Gennaker | Dyneema/Polyester | |
| Boom | Aluminium Alloy | |
| Bowsprit | Carbon Composite | |
| Deck Stowage Port | |
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| Gennaker Bag | |
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| Mooring Eyes x 3 | |
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| Sheets – Main, jib, Gennaker | |
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| Vang/Cunningham/Outhaul | |
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| Mainsail Slab Reefing | |
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| Installed Data Logger For Cloud Community | |
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| Symmetrical Spinnaker & Equipment | |
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| Keel Winch | |
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| Electric Motor System | |
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| Electronics – Speed, Depth, etc. | |
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| Cover | |
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| Shore Cradle With Wheels | |
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| Road Trailer | |
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| Warps & Fenders Pack | |
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| Anchor Pack | |
