ILCA builder Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA) have claimed that the new ILCA moulds introduced by ILCA in 2020 do not conform to the original specifications.
PSA has said that the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) has refused to confirm that its new moulds met the World Sailing specified standard, and PSA claim that more than 8,000 boats have been built by other builders using those non-compliant moulds.
Such a claim would require to be investigated by the the International Olympic Committee and World Sailing, as the ILCA 6 (Radial) and ILCA 7 (Laser) are Olympic equipment and scheduled to be used in the 2028 Olympics.
In their latest Statement PSA stated that . . . “In November 2024, PSA received new moulds supplied by ILCA. Our technical staff, in working with and listening to advice from ILCA’s own technical representatives, identified that the hulls produced from these moulds were shorter and materially different from those built under the original licensed Bruce Kirby tooling.”
“Since identifying this discrepancy, PSA has engaged with ILCA in discussions, yet ILCA has failed to meet its responsibility to the sailors of the class by taking corrective action or making any appropriate disclosure.”
Effective 27 August 2025 the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) announced that Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA) is no longer an ILCA-approved Builder under the ILCA Class Rules. ILCA exercised its right to withdraw PSA’s builder approval following contractual breaches by PSA.q
PSA have said that the ILCA termination announcement is incorrect, and they will operate as usual under the existing and in force 2022 Builders Agreement.
Full Performance Sailcraft Australia Statement available here . . .
