FINN CLASS HISTORY
| JANUARY 1949 | The Finnish Yachting Association organizes a design competition for the single-handed dinghy to be used in the Olympic Games at Helsinki in 1952.
Rickard SARBY does not only produce the full-size drawings of what will become the FINN, but also builds the first prototype. |
| MAY 1949 | First FINN is launched. |
| JUNE 1949 | Result of the design competition: the FINN is not selected. Examples of the best designs are built. |
| SEPTEMBER 1949 | Trial races are held in FINLAND in light winds. The FINN is also invited. The FINN and Pricken are the fastest. |
| OCTOBER 1949 | Further trials are announced for MAY 1950. The FINN becomes popular in Sweden; twenty-five boats are built. The two-wave emblem is chosen and the leech of the sail is shortened by 150 mm to lift the boom. |
| MAY 1950 | New trials in heavy weather; the FINN wins five races and finishes second in the sixth. |
| 1952 | Helsinki, Finland: the FINN Class is first used in the Olympic Games. |
| 1956 | The FINN GOLD CUP is presented to the Class by the late F. G. MITCHELL esq., of England. The INTERNATIONAL FINN ASSOCIATION is founded. |
| 1959 | Synthetic cloth is authorized for making sails. |
| 1961 | The USA magazine "FINN FARE" develops into the official organ of the IFA. Reinforced polyester is authorized for building hulls. |
| 1964 | The FINN Class develops a precise method of controlling hulls worldwide. |
| 1969 | Aluminum alloy and reinforced polyester are authorized for building spars. |
| 1973 | The FINN Class adopts the Lamboley pendulum test to control the distribution of weightt of hulls. |
| 1974 | Building materials for hulls are set free. The double bottom is accepted. A minimum weight is fixed for booms and rudders. |
| 1984 | Any flexible material is authorized for making sails. A standard jig for the definition of station points is required for world and continental championships. The first FINN clinic is held for sailors from developing nations, as part of a long-term development programme of the class. |
| 1986 | Publication of FINNLOG. This book contains both the history of the Class and many technical articles written by the experts. |
| 1993 | Carbon fibre is authorized for buildmg spars. |
| 1994 | The mast weight is reduced to 8 kg. |
| 1995 | The first wing mast appeared and was used to win the FINN GOLD CUP in Mwelbourne, Australia |
| 1996 | The hull weight was reduced by 5kg to 120kg |
| 1998 | The 100th edition of FINNFARE was published |
| 1998 | Reinforced plastic sails came into widespread use. |
| 1999 | Publication of FINNatics - The History and Techniques of Finn Sailing, to celebrate 50 years of the Finn. |
| 2000 | For the first time ever, competitors at the Olympics are allowed to bring their own FINNS |
| 2002 | IFA becomes incorporated |
| 2005 | Complete rewrite and standardisation of the class rules. |