The shipyard from Erftstadt offers a broad portfolio of inland and coastal cruisers with sailing boats from 17 to 24 feet, in one-foot increments. The new Sailart 18 replaces a design of the same size from 1993 and, unlike its predecessor, is designed to perform particularly well in regattas.
Visually, it already fulfils this promise: The strongly negatively inclined wave piercer bow with fixed gennaker nose and extreme chines are borrowed from fast contemporary designs and give the small cruiser a very sporty appearance. Whether the Sailart 18 really sails as fast as it looks can only be surmised, however, as it was only completed three days before the start of the trade fair. She has already been in the water once, at least to check her flotation, but she has not yet sailed.
The characteristic chines greatly reduce the relatively large width of the boat in relation to the waterline. This is intended to ensure agile and fast sailing in light winds, but also a high degree of dimensional stability in stronger breezes (when the kink dips in the wind). Shipyard boss Frank Störck's calculation is that the Sailart 18 has a higher speed potential in light winds than the Seascape 18, but in stronger winds, not much weight should be needed on the edge to keep the boat under control on the cross. The ideal crew is two people.
The ready-to-sail boat costs 20,900 euros. Gennaker, laminate sails, carbon fibre main boom and drive are all extra.
Michael Rinck
Redakteur Test & Technik
