As soon as you step on board, you can't resist the urge to run your hand over the golden-brown material from which the Flax 27 is made. The fibres under the transparent gelcoat look soft and somewhat like a carpet. In fact, this is not just a visual effect - the laminate of the daysailer is not made from glass mats, but from spun and woven flax fibres with a foam core made from recycled PET.
Everything is connected by a comparatively environmentally friendly epoxy; part of the resin is plant-based and not derived from petroleum. On top of this is a rod deck made of cork. This natural material is also recycled and is made from the offcuts from wine cork production.
Independent recycling design
Friedrich Deimann (pictured at the jib sheet) and his Greenboats shipyard have done everything they can to build a daysailer that uses fewer environmentally harmful materials and has the lowest possible carbon footprint. The construction method is not entirely new; the shipyard has already gained experience with the materials in the GreenBente. The Flax 27 is now the first independent construction.
From Schleswig, the test launch goes out onto the Schlei. A special detail catches the eye when casting off: The tiller can be rotated through 360 degrees - so the rudder blade can simply be turned round when travelling backwards. This allowed the boat to be steered very sensitively when casting off, and the tiller did not threaten to fold over due to the aft current, so it did not have to be held tightly.
The 8.20 metre long daysailer got underway immediately, the wind was already quite strong at 16 knots and gusts up to 20 and accelerated the light boat straight away. Sitting on the coaming is comfortable, the cockpit is very large for two people and there is still plenty of space aft behind the tiller for fellow sailors.
Intelligent solutions on board the Flax 27
The mainsheet guide has been elegantly solved: the sheet attached to the boom clew disappears aft in the coaming and reappears in the cockpit. Despite several deflections, it is very smooth-running and can be easily manoeuvred by hand. The clamp sits on the cockpit floor and can be easily released with the foot. In the strong wind, it is also important to actively trim the mainsheet. In the strong gusts, the Flax 27 becomes very luffy several times. The speed is consistently above six and often seven knots.
After passing the Stexwiger Enge after a very short time, the Code Zero takes us onto the Große Breite. Now the speed over ground is almost constant at eight knots, but it is not enough for a real planing speed. This is less due to the boat than to the sail, which is unsuitable for these conditions. On the rather high course, the Code Zero generates too much pressure in the gusts.
The Flax 27 is a fast daysailer
Twice the current around the rudder breaks off when there is too much current, there is simply not enough of it in the water, and we take a sun shot. But the daysailer recovers immediately. However, the large furling sail is not particularly suitable for deep courses with less pressure; with a gennaker we would probably have been able to planing.
The wind picks up on the way back. In gusts, the mainsheet has to be opened a little, it would actually be time for a first reef, but the lines are not yet reeved in. Nevertheless, the Flax 27 is fast, she was only greedy to windward up to the wind edge. In terms of feel, the boat sails almost like a dinghy.
The fitting arrangement is practical for two or even just one sailor. The mainsheet and backstay are within easy reach at the helm; the sheet winches are located just before them. The genoa sheets or those of the respective other headsail are run on these two winches behind the superstructure. The halyards are also set through them. These and other outhauls are positioned aft of the mast and run in a channel formed by the superstructure and a panel in front of it. From the outside, this looks like the superstructure wall. This contributes to a harmonious appearance and the lines are out of the way at the same time. Thanks to the generous dimensions of this line channel, it is also no problem to thread the ropes, as you can simply reach in.
The Flax 27 sails like a dinghy
The lines of the lower deck furlers are also concealed and emerge again at the companionway bulkhead. This leaves the deck completely free. The cork deck offers good support. It is not actually necessary to step onto the foredeck when sailing, but initial problems with the sheet of the Code Zero make it necessary to recover the sail unwound from time to time. No sea fence or foot railing offers any support. The side of the hull is slightly curved and merges directly into the deck, the connection to the hull is hidden underneath the stanchion deck - visually very successful, but somewhat detrimental to a secure hold. However, the distance from the superstructure to the supporting forestay is not long, so foreship work is no problem when the boat is in position.
Surprisingly, the small daysailer sails very dry despite a lot of exposure and small waves, so that the oilskins, initially put on out of scepticism, were still completely dry after the trip.
A daysailer according to your own ideas
Owner Michael Ernst from Berlin became aware of the young Bremen shipyard through the GreenBente. He particularly liked the sustainable design, but "I didn't like the look of the Bente," explains Ernst. When he got in touch with Friedrich Deimann, he quickly made plans to have a customised daysailer designed. Greenboats had already been in contact with Judel/Vrolijk through the Bente, which Ernst had spurned, and the Bremerhaven design office delivered a design for a daysailer with pleasing, classic-looking lines and contemporary appendages. At 2.25 metres wide and 8.20 metres long, the boat is very slim and has a significant overhang aft. With the planned displacement of 1350 kilograms, it was also intended to be very light. Greenboats even surpassed this mark. The focus was not only on sustainable materials, but also on consistent lightweight construction.
The main difference to conventional boat building is the flax fibre, also known as linen, which replaces the glass fabric. The laminate is then not called GRP (glass fibre reinforced plastic), but NFRP for natural fibre reinforced plastic. The main advantage for the environmental balance is that glass fibres have to be produced using a lot of energy, which releases a lot of CO2. Flax, on the other hand, actually binds CO2 during growth, and the further processing from plant to fibre to fabric is not as energy-intensive. As the fibres come from France and Belgium, the transport route is also not particularly long. According to Friedrich Deimann, the use of natural fibres and an epoxy, which otherwise contains petroleum-based components made from linseed oil (i.e. the same plant used for the fibres), saves 80 percent of the energy required to produce the laminate.
Flax fibre instead of glass fibre for daysailers
Flax fibres also have only slightly different properties to glass fibres: natural fibres are not quite as tensile, but their structure largely compensates for this shortcoming. If the smooth glass fibre is only surrounded by the resin, the flax fibre absorbs the resin and is also thicker. This can also be seen in the finished laminate, which has slightly more volume, but is just as heavy with the same strength compared to GRP.
Friedrich Deimann used vacuum infusion for processing. The process guarantees homogeneous impregnation of the mat with resin, but at the same time not too much resin is applied. The excess resin that can easily occur during manual rolling does not lead to greater strength, but only to a higher weight. All angled laminates on bulkheads and fixtures were also bonded using vacuum infusion. All panels for bulkheads are also sandwich material. Greenboats benefit from the fact that they have their own panel press in the shipyard and can determine exactly which materials are used in the sandwich. A foam made from recycled PET and cork edges were used for the core of the Flax 27.
The material makes the Dayailer unique
The fact that the flax fibres remained visible on the hull, superstructure and cockpit was at the owner's request and required additional effort. Because the fibres had to be visible through the clear gelcoat, the mats had to be laid particularly neatly in the mould. In this case, neat means that careful consideration had to be given to where the joints meet as inconspicuously as possible and that the fabric pattern runs evenly and symmetrically. Below deck, the laminate is largely sealed with topcoat, so there is no discernible difference to conventional GRP.
The construction method paid off. At 1200 kilograms including rigging and sails, the daysailer Flax ended up being 150 kilos lighter than planned. The flax fabric is not only a material for airy summer clothing, but is also produced in composite materials for technical applications. Laminates made from natural fibres are already widespread in the surfing scene in particular.
Deimann raves about the pleasant finish: "The material just feels good." No more itchy forearms and air shimmering with glass dust in the hall. But there is one disadvantage: the flax fibres are more expensive than glass.
Individuality has its price
At 10 euros per litre, the epoxy with its natural ingredients costs no more than conventional epoxy, but is still expensive compared to polyester resin. The biggest cost item for the Flax 27 was the mould construction, which cost 50,000 euros. In total, the small daysailer cost an impressive 200,000 euros.
The owner was not deterred by the high price. And Michael Ernst is very satisfied with the appearance and sailing characteristics of his boat, although the test trip with the YACHT is only the second trip ever.
He had already discussed the idea for the ship with Friedrich Deimann in 2017. And after the design had been adapted by Judel/Vrolijk employee Robin Zinkmann in line with his ideas, he placed the order in spring 2018. A lot of time went into mould construction; the hull and deck were then presented at boot 2019, albeit still loosely laid on top of each other. Now, in September, the time had finally come: the Flax 27 is afloat.
In-house solutions cost time and money
Even though there was no work with elaborate interior fittings, many detailed solutions were realised by the shipyard, which took a lot of time. The vacuum infusion of all the angular laminates ensures better stability, but it was no easy task to place all the foils and hoses in the cramped interior. The box of the lifting keel has also been realised with great attention to detail: the steel fin with lead bomb can be raised by means of a hydraulic cylinder placed in the foredeck. The fin was aligned in the box, which was then filled with casting resin. The keel could be removed again using a separating layer, and the resulting precisely fitting blocks were bolted to the fin. This meant that the 400-kilogram keel sat firmly in its mount without making the slightest noise when the ship moved. Two stainless steel bolts secure it upwards.
To ensure that the advantage of easy slipping and towing is not blocked by the retractable keel, the rudder is also designed to be retractable. If two tommy screws are opened, the entire system can be pulled up from the cockpit floor.
A pod drive from Torqeedo provides propulsion for harbour manoeuvres or in calm conditions. The battery is installed in the centre in front of the keel box. Sailmaker Sven Kraja and the owner also put a lot of thought into Frogsails' wardrobe. Natural materials were out of the question, but at least they didn't want a mix of materials that could no longer be recycled. Kraja therefore opted for a laminate made entirely of polyester. He coloured some of the threads green - a symbol, just like the whole boat.
This article first appeared in YACHT 22/2019 and has been revised for this online version.
Technical data
- Designer: Judel/Vrolijk
- CE design category: D (optional C)
- Torso length: 8,20 m
- Waterline: 6,90 m
- Width: 2,25 m
- Draught (lifting keel): 0,60-1,40 m
- Weight: 1,1 t
- Ballast/proportion: 0,4 t/33 %
- Mainsail: 19,00 m²
- Furling genoa: (105 %) 11,50 m²
- Hull and deck construction:Flax fabric with foam core made of recycled PET and epoxy by vacuum infusion
