Whenever someone has tried to realise the theoretical ideal of an equally capable sailboat and motorboat, the result has been a rather large compromise at best. In most cases, the speed potential under engine power was the most impressive - which, of course, had to be paid for at the expense of sailing performance.
The Coast 250 aims to change that. And it comes from a renowned company. The shipyard Swallow Yachts is known for its well-sailing and beautifully designed retro designs called BayRaider and BayCruiser - all compact cruisers with a lot of charisma. The Coast 250, which is to be followed by two more models, has a far more modern design in comparison and is intended to offer the best of both worlds as a motor sailer.
It has an extraordinarily modern design - with a swing keel that goes down to an official depth of 1.85 metres, a catch-up four-stroke outboard engine with up to 70 hp and a carbon rig with optional bowsprit for gennaker and code zero.
We were able to test the top version of the Coast 250 for three days off Port Ginesta on the Catalan coast - in winds of up to 20 knots and waves of a good two metres. Overall, it performed well, but also revealed one or two weaknesses.
