The waterline of the Clarc 33 rises an impressive 1.95 metres above the bulb of the T-keel. A lot of draught for berths on the Baltic Sea and Lake Constance, but still no problem: the fin disappears into the hull at the touch of a button
The sleek retro design and the ability to trailer the boat without a special permit are unique selling points in themselves, so it's no surprise that the dark grey yacht is a crowd puller.
Dealer Thomas Nielsen from Yachtsport Eckernförde is accordingly satisfied: "There's practically never a moment when there aren't people on board!" Many interested parties have previously sailed dinghy cruisers and are now looking for a sporty, but also more comfortable yacht, without wanting to forego variable draught and easy changes of sailing area.
And the concepts are not so dissimilar: the vertical stem and the shape of the mahogany-veneered superstructure are definitely reminiscent of dinghy cruisers, as are the spacious cockpit and the pronounced aft deck.
However, the construction by Blank-Yacht-Design is significantly more seaworthy and built by the Estonian shipyard Ridas Jaht using state-of-the-art technology. The hull and deck are made from vinyl ester resin and foam sandwich using a vacuum infusion process. In order to keep the displacement low to suit the trailer, the bulkheads are also manufactured as a sandwich and a petrol engine with saildrive is installed as a lazy slide.
This diet is barely recognisable below deck, as the beautiful woodwork only hints at the lightweight GRP construction. However, the narrow width of just 2.54 metres takes its toll. Although the interior is certainly suitable for touring, those who are used to the comfort of conventional ten-metre yachts will have to make significant compromises.
All in all, the Clarc 33 is an exciting boat and well worth a visit. Ready to sail, it costs around 130,000 euros, with a matching trailer costing 7,500 euros, which can be seen at Yachtsport Eckernförde: Hall A1, Stand C 150.
We were able to test the brand new boat a few weeks ago, the detailed report will appear in YACHT 24/2010.
