Design and Intended Character
The boat was pitched as a high-performance technical dinghy, and the class grew quickly into a competitive circuit. By the early 1980s the Force 5 was contesting regional, national, and international events including an annual World Championship, and a dedicated class association formed in 1986 to sustain that racing culture. The hull itself is a 140-pound fiberglass monohull with a daggerboard, a 4-foot 11-inch beam, and a sail area of 91 square feet on a cat rig — dimensions that placed it among lively singlehanded planing types rather than lazy pond boats.
Construction and Build History
Owners describe the hull as having a curved bottom rather than a shallow V, a shape that contributes to the boat's distinctive on-water personality. The original AMF Alcort production ran through a corporate shuffle in which Alcort passed to Pearson Yachts in 1988; Pearson then acquired the Laser rights and ended Force 5 production, with the parent going out of business in 1991 and selling its designs to Sunfish Laser Inc. The class, unwilling to let the boat die, sought a new builder; in 1993 Brian Weeks of Weeks Yacht Yard was approached to take up rights and parts, and by early 1994 his yard owned the trademark and equipment sales. Weeks Yacht Yard then refined the molded structure, building later boats stiffer, stronger, and lighter than the originals while continuing to supply fleets nationwide, across the Caribbean, and beyond.
Rig and Handling
All sail controls sit literally at the sailor's fingertips from the seated position, which suits the boat to responsive singlehanded tuning. A Short-Rig option exists that does not require replacing the Full-Rig mast and boom as some one-designs demand; the sailor simply inserts a mast cap on the existing mid-section. The Short-Rig sail carries a full foot and generous roach held by a full upper batten, and it uses the same luff-sleeve pre-bend built into the standard rig, yielding a stable high-performance configuration that broadens the boat's usable wind range.
Accommodations and Use
There are no cabins or berths to speak of — the Force 5 is a daysailer and racer, not a cruiser. Its appeal lies in the big-boat feel claimed for a 13-foot hull: complete control from the hiking position, a responsive daggerboard for shoal exploration at a quarter-foot minimum draft, and a planing-friendly 91-square-foot cat rig for windward bite.
Known Issues
The same curved section that gives the Force 5 its quick responses also makes it a handful off the wind. Owners report the boat is unstable and always rocking, a trait that follows directly from the hull form rather than from wear or poor maintenance. That liveliness turns serious when inverted: the dinghy is fickle and difficult to right after a capsize because it tends to keep rolling over to the opposite side, demanding practiced technique from anyone sailing solo in a breeze.
The Verdict
The Force 5 is a purpose-built one-design dinghy with a deep competitive lineage and a builder still supporting parts decades after the first hulls were molded. It rewards an engaged sailor with fingertip control and a stable Short-Rig option, but its curved-bottom hull is frankly tippy and awkward to recover once capsized.
Pros
- Large, active class with worldwide parts support through Weeks Yacht Yard
- Fingertip sail control from the seated sailing position
- Short-Rig upgrade reuses existing mast and boom
- Weeks Yacht Yard improved construction making boats stiffer, stronger, and lighter
Cons
- Unstable and constantly rocking per owner reports
- Difficult to upright after capsize; rolls to the other side
