The Beneteau 25 is on the rise. Over 30 boats compete in important regattas in this country. When was the last time a new keelboat class achieved this in conservative sailing Germany? YACHT sailed along to the German Open in Travemünde to find out the secret of its success.
76 boats have now been sold in Germany, almost 1000 worldwide, and the trend is rising. There are 80 teams registered for next week's World Championships (27 to 30 September) in Vigo, Spain. The class is currently booming in Spain in particular. The Real Club Nautico in Palma de Mallorca recently bought 17 boats.
The prospects are positive. And this is particularly due to the fact that Beneteau is not the only one building the ship. This is because the familiar mechanism of shipyards throwing one-off boats onto the market and then ceasing production (see X 79, X 99) does not apply here.
The New Zealand shipyard McDell has owned the original mould since it developed the ship in 1995 at the request of a Thai hotel consortium with the Farr design office. This is where the original name Platu, the name for a fast Thai mackerel species, comes from.
Shipyard boss McDell has announced that he will allow licence construction in Europe when Beneteau ceases production. The French have already significantly reduced marketing for the class since their First Class 7.5 has been on the market. But so far there is no indication that the 25 will no longer be built.
The problem with the ship is the poor condition of the keel after delivery. In order to be competitive, it has to be refinished, which costs around 5000 euros with professional help. But with a total price of around 30,000 euros, this is still far below the purchase price for a Melges, which is hardly available for less than 55,000 euros.
World Championship page www.platu25.net/wc2006/
Class association www.beneteau25.de
