The NS14 class has a long and successful history. It is a beautifully designed boat with an extremely attractive hull shape which performs as well as it looks.
NS – it could stand for nice, nifty, or nuanced sailing but it is actually short for Northbridge Senior, Northbridge in Sydney being the club where the boat was ‘born’. The ‘14’ in NS14 indicates the length of the boat – 14 feet
They are a two person class, well suited to a parent/child or husband/wife team. As the class now has 55 National championships ‘under its belt’ many NS14s have been built and remain in excellent sailing condition. This means that a working NS14 can be bought at a very affordable price and can instantly be competitive with other similar NS14s if sailed to its potential. An example of this might be an Aero 9 or 10 model (made prior to 2000) which can be bought fully rigged with spare sails and beach dolly ranging from around $2,500 – $3,500.
Any NS14 made before the year 2000 is classified as a Division One boat at regattas such as State and National championships. Although NS14s of all ages compete with each other the Division One class enables similar aged boats to have keen and close racing. There is also a division catering for crews with a combined weight over 150kg. Australian Sailing has recently allocated an NS14 yardstick specifically catering for crews weighing over 150kg, differing from the standard NS14 yardstick. This will enable more of a level playing field among crews of all weights.
NS14s built after 2000 are classified in the open division, which boasts many world class sailors, who keenly compete at the ‘pointy end’ of large NS14 events, pushing the barriers of the class, striving for that extra mm per second which can make the difference in such close racing.
Despite the varying abilities and diverse backgrounds amongst NS14 sailors there is an excellent camaraderie amongst the class, with experienced sailors often ready to leap in to aid those with less knowledge, whether it be repairing boats, setting up desirable rigging systems, or discussing ways to get around the course more quickly, tactically or with sailing technique. Those in the class want to see every boat and crew sailing to their potential.
As a class there is a strong fleet in most states. I bought an Aero 9 NS14 in 2018 and have not looked back. My daughter and I have a great time sailing it. They are high performance yet not overpowered, they are exhilarating to sail and are easy to rig and unrig. My uncle sailed 12-foot skiffs at the highest level, representing Australia in inter-dominion teams, he was unlucky to miss out on selection representing Australia at the Olympics in the Star class. He has owned his own yachts, yet he told me the most enjoyable sailing he ever did was racing an NS14 with his son; that it was such a good boat to sail. I think that says a lot.
The 62nd NSW State Championships will be held at Port Kembla Sailing Club on the weekend of the 15th and 16th of March. There will be free camping at the club and various accommodation options nearby.
For more information on the class, upcoming events, or to check out second-hand boats on the market, you can visit the
NS14 Association of Australia | NS14
Sharyn Jones
NS14 Publicity officer
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