Today, the Thames A-Rater class embodies a fascinating blend of tradition and modernity. On any given race day, you might see a beautifully restored 1890s mahogany-hulled boat lining up next to a 21st-century fiberglass cousin – and you’d be hard-pressed to tell which is quicker. The fleet currently numbers around twenty active boats, of which about half are the original wooden classics and half the GRP builds (plus one new-generation hull). Each wooden boat has its quirks and character, lovingly maintained by syndicates who often view themselves as caretakers of living history. These boats are indeed “living history, a direct link with the dawn of competitive small boat sailing in Britain”thamessailingclub.co.uk – not museum pieces, but actively raced craft, still performing as intended over 100 years later.
From a technical standpoint, the A-Raters have kept up with the times in a selective way. Almost all boats now carry Bermudan sloops with lightweight sails (Mylar or Dacron), and virtually all have adopted aluminum alloy masts or even carbon-fiber spars. The first carbon mast appeared in the late 1990s (on Spindrift), and it immediately made the boat more stable (perhaps too stable in some opinions, robbing a bit of the lively roll that helps in fluky river winds)thedailysail.com. Nevertheless, carbon rigs are common now, offering weight savings aloft and flexibility to twist off in gusts. Hull materials, on the other hand, remain tightly controlled by class rules – no planing skiffs or foils here, a new A-Rater hull must “conform closely to the shape of an existing one” raterassociation.co.uk. This rule, adopted to preserve the classic character, means that performance gains come from sails, rigs, and crew work rather than radical new hull designs. In effect, the class has become a development class constrained by tradition: you can refit an 1890s hull with carbon and Kevlar, but you can’t design a brand-new hull from scratch that doesn’t look like an A-Rater. Even the lone “new design” – the boat Adventurer built in the 2010s using the lines of Scamp – actually drew from a 1906 hull shape (Scamp’s) as its template raterassociation.co.uk. This ensures that the fleet today still resembles a coherent class, and that the spirit of the old boats lives on in any new-build.
The class association (re-formed and energized in recent decades) keeps a close eye on the boats’ wellbeing. There have been efforts to catalog and safeguard old hulls. For instance, Saucy Sally, Estelle, Surf, and My Lady Dainty – venerable boats laid up awaiting restoration – are stored at Thames SC, with hopes that either their owners or new benefactors will eventually fund the “major surgery” needed to get them back racingraterassociation.co.uk
raterassociation.co.uk. These projects are costly labours of love, but past successes (Ulva, Carina, etc.) inspire optimism. The association also works to find buyers for boats whose syndicates are disbanding, to keep them on the river. In 2016, for example, both Ulva and Caprice IV were up for sale, and members spread the word to try to secure sympathetic new owners who would race them (indeed, such sales usually stay within the community)thamessailingclub.co.uk. The knowledge and skills for wooden boat restoration have fortunately been passed on, so future rebuilds are feasible.
Currently Estelle and Surf have moved to UTSC and are starting to be restored along with other projects trying to keep other Raters from too much Decay.
Dainty Too and Vanessa are in the workshop being repaired and partially rebuilt.
Surf (also at UTSC ) has been scanned and deconstructed and will be a major project to create the boat again.
Saucy Sally and My Lady Dainty having been laid up for many years may have past the point of recovery and may go the way of other Raters.
On the flip side, the class isn’t afraid of innovation. In recent years, they have dabbled in things like modern foils (some Raters experimented with winged rudders or centre boards to reduce drag, albeit within class limits) and even data analytics – one project saw a company use AI to optimize settings on Ulva’s rig, showing that even a 19th-century design can benefit from 21st-century techfacebook.com. The sailors have also welcomed women into what was once a strictly male bastion – now mixed crews are normal, and as noted, Tara’s crew often included or was skippered by a woman, breaking an old taboo in a very visible wayraterassociation.co.uk. The atmosphere is friendly and familial; many current A-Rater sailors are second- or third-generation, following parents into the class.
Perhaps most importantly, the Thames A-Raters continue to deliver thrilling racing and a spectacle unlike any other. Their performance on the river can still astonish: in a decent breeze, an A-Rater will plane up and down the Thames, her lee gunwale kissing the water, three crew on trapeze or wire-and-toe-strap (sliding seats largely gave way to trapeze wires eventually), and a large spinnaker billowing on the run. They are faster than just about any other boat on that water – “in their native element they are faster than anything else” as the class motto goesraterassociation.co.uk. Spectators who stumble upon Bourne End Week often double-take at the sight: Are those dinghies or yachts? How does that mast not topple over? The Raters gracefully thread between pleasure cruisers and river barges, using every puff that spills over the treetops. And when the wind dies, they can be sculled home with a paddle or “tiller-waggled” – a time-honoured trick on the Thames – much to the amusement of the crowd (and sometimes the consternation of race officials!).
Hull
There’s no denying the elegance with which every Rater glides through the water. Yet it’s just as fascinating to reflect on how fiercely competitive they’ve remained, despite the wide range of hull designs that have emerged over the years.
A turning point came in the 1990s, when a mould was taken from the hull of Ulva. This allowed a new generation of boats to be built using glass-reinforced fibre, bringing a degree of standardisation to the fleet. The result? A surge in numbers — the fleet nearly doubled, breathing new life into the class.
Mast
The earliest A Raters began with a balanced lug sail plan, later evolving to the gunter rig, and eventually adopting the now-familiar Bermuda rig with its striking 45-foot mast.
The introduction of the Bermuda rig marked a significant step in the class’s development. These early hollow wooden masts, although innovative, were still cumbersome—so much so that moving one to or from winter storage typically required a team of three. Yet within living memory (thanks to recollections from R. Winter), a two-piece mast had already been trialled, connected by an internal hollow plug—a clever and forward-thinking design.
It’s also recorded that Tom Sopwith constructed at least one mast using a laminated technique, similar to plywood. This offered a mast that was not only stronger and lighter but also had a degree of flexibility—a key advantage in racing conditions.
The late 1960s and 1970s saw another leap forward with the adoption of alloy masts, significantly reducing weight. By the early 2000s, the class embraced cutting-edge technology once more, this time in the form of ultra-light carbon fibre masts, booms, and even tillers, which continue to push performance to new levels.
Centre Plate and Rudder
Both the centre plate and rudder have undergone significant transformation over the years. Up until the post-war period, most A Raters were equipped with bronze or similarly heavy metal plates—almost as wide from leading to trailing edge as they were deep. These solid plates were notoriously heavy, requiring two people to lift them. While a much lighter alloy version was later developed, it never really caught on. Notably, the bronze plates had a dramatic tendency to bend—sometimes by as much as 30 to 40 degrees—when crews stood on them during a capsize recovery.
Modern boats brought in a redesigned centre plate that was slimmer and deeper, improving both handling and weight distribution.
Rudder design also saw a major shift. The traditional ‘pear drop’ shape, still visible on boats like Ruby, gave way to a more squared-off profile. More importantly, the rudder was now housed in a ‘cassette’—a clever innovation allowing the entire unit, including rudder and tiller, to be lifted out in one motion. This greatly reduced the risk of fouling when the boat was ashore or being transported.
Another noticeable evolution was the switch from the old-style ‘wishbone’ tillers—lacking any extension—to modern dinghy-style stick tillers with extensions, offering better control and comfort. These new designs were quickly adopted, making the older tillers a rare sight today.
Sails and Rigging
A glance at old photographs reveals just how dramatically the sails and rigging of A Raters have evolved over the decades.
In the days of the gunter rig, both the top spar (the gunter) and the boom were often made of bamboo—a lightweight and flexible material. Remarkably, Thames Sailing Club still preserves one of these original bamboo booms.
By the 1960s, sail technology took a leap forward with the introduction of modern sailcloth materials. The heavy cotton and linen sails of earlier years were gradually replaced by lighter, more responsive fabrics such as nylon, polyester, Kevlar, and even carbon fibre. These modern materials offered improved performance and adaptability to different wind conditions.
Sail numbering, something we now take for granted, is a relatively recent development. It wasn’t until the late 1940s or early 1950s that numbers began appearing on sails. Prior to that, boats were identified by their distinctive pennants.
For many years, A Raters made use of a jib boom—a spar affixed at the mast that could be swung out to port or starboard on a reach or run, allowing the jib to catch cleaner wind while the mainsail boom was positioned on the opposite side. These were restricted in the 1970s and eventually fell out of use.
Another feature to disappear over time was the roller reefing jib. As sail design advanced and the drive to reduce weight increased, this setup was replaced by the now-standard jib with a wire halyard. Older images also show mainsails and jibs reefed by rolling sailcloth around booms or onto rollers—another technique now largely consigned to history.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the introduction of the ‘kicking strap’ or vang didn’t occur until the 1960s. Before that, it fell to the mid-hand to physically lean on the boom during gusts to hold it down—a precarious task at best. If they failed, the boom could lift at an angle of 30–40 degrees, causing the upper part of the sail to unexpectedly jibe. This dangerous and unpredictable manoeuvre was known as a "Chinese jibe," and recovering from one was notoriously difficult—often ending in a capsize.
Loss
of the Tabernacle!
In the image, you can see the distinctive slots designed to receive a pin that passed through the mast, allowing it to pivot. The mast itself extended down to, or very close to, the hog (the internal keel). This setup meant that when raising or lowering the mast, the base remained securely hinged—thanks to the structure known as the tabernacle, formed by the two upright pieces either side of the mast.
Also visible is a jib boom, attached to the mast with a hinge that allowed it to swing left or right—and even upwards. This flexibility made it especially useful during the mast-raising or lowering process.
Another now-vanished feature captured in this photo is a block and tackle system, once used to lift the centre plate or to hold it in a partially raised position—a practical bit of rigging not found on today’s Raters.
Judging by the wooden mast and the style of the fittings, it's likely this photo was taken sometime in the 1960s—a snapshot of a transitional era in A Rater design and rigging.
It’s also heartening that the inter-club camaraderie remains strong. At events like BEW, older sailors swap stories of past races – the time Vagabond drifted into the lily pads, or when a sudden squall capsized half the fleet (yes, A-Raters can capsize!). These tales reinforce that the class has seen it all and keeps going. And every so often, the A-Raters venture away from the Thames, spreading their fame. They’ve visited Grafham Water and Bewl Water reservoirs for special races, and even internationally – in 2017 a few were invited to a classic boat event on the Seine in France, where they impressed the locals by sailing under Parisian bridges with inches to spare raterassociation.co.uk.
The A-Rater Tara (ex-Caprice V, built 2001) showing her paces with a modern rig. Even as a contemporary build with carbon hull and spars, she embodies the class’s heritage: three crew on deck, a long elegant hull barely kissing the water, and that unmistakably tall mast harnessing every breath of wind on the river.
