ILCA Withdraw PSA Builder Approval

ILCA production underway at PSA’s new production facility at Morisset, NSW

On 27 August 2025 ILCA announced that it has withdrawn Australian ILCA builder PSA’s builder approval following what they say are contractual breaches by PSA.

To date under a transition agreement with ILCA PSA has been building using Kirby Laser moulds. The interim arrangement was to allow the new owners of PSA to continue production while establishing their new factory facilities and allow time to receive and commission the new ILCA supplied moulds and jigs. The time for this transition it seems has elapsed.

ILCA say that they will not be issuing any new World Sailing (WS) plaques to PSA but that all PSA boats already built carrying an official WS plaque are fully class legal. There is no suggestion that the PSA built boats are in any way defective.

Though ILCA does not elaborate in their post the contract breach is understood to relate to PSA’s reluctance to move to building ILCA boats using new ILCA supplied moulds and joining jigs. This equipment is made from a common source on the Isle or Wight UK and is the same as supplied to, and used by, all the other nine ILCA builders around the World.

PSA have posted here pointing to differences between the new ILCA supplied moulds as used by the other nine builders and their own moulds based on Kirby Laser tooling used by PSA since 1998. PSA present their view that the new ILCA tooling is “inconsistent with the one-design principle and the contractual technical documentation” of the ILCA class.

PSA further say that they “will continue as planned with its sponsorship of ILCA Oceania, including the 2026 solidarity program in Tasmania, and the ILCA Under 21 Worlds in Melbourne in 2027”. ILCA Australia is very appreciative of this ongoing support from PSA for our class and events.

We hope that a way can be found for PSA to resume building class legal boats in their now established fabulous factory at Morisset.