6 metres, Open

The 6-metre class made its Olympic début in 1908 and was held continuously at the Olympics through 1952, but was then discontinued. It is a construction class, which means that the boats are not identical, but must meet certain international specifications. The international rule for 6-metres was set up in 1907. The 6-metre boats had a crew of five at the 1936 Olympics.

There were 11 teams competing, although a Swiss boat entered, but was disqualified when its helmsman, André Firmenich, was declared a professional. The event was desperately close in the fight for the gold medal. The British boat, Lalage, helmed by Christopher Boardman (no relation to the cyclist of the 1990s), did not win a single race but held on the for the gold medal by placing second twice, third once, fourth once, and fifth once. They defeated the Norwegian boat, Lully, by only a single point. The Norwegian helmsman was Magnus Konow, competing in his fifth Olympics after 1908, 1912, 1920, and 1928. He would also compete in 1948, setting a record with a 40-year span of Olympic appearances that was not bettered until the 2012 Olympics when Japanese equestrian Hiroshi Hoketsu competed, 48 years after his appearance at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.