Polarising designs: Revolution 29 - a boat doesn't have to be pointed at the front

In 2015, the Revolution 29 was exactly what its name promised: a boatbuilding revolution, an unrivalled boat. There was no other boat like it, not even close: a monohull keelboat less than nine metres long, built from aluminium and with a scow bow. A mix of special uniqueness - and actually a no-go, at least visually. Or maybe not? In the meantime, the round bow is no longer anything out of the ordinary, and not just in the

David Roy is the name of the aluminium welder from La Rochelle, who already caused quite a stir in the industry with the Revolution 22. The small 6.80 metre scow was praised by some as a bold, innovative project, while others derided it as a sailing wok. In the meantime, however, the round bow is no longer anything out of the ordinary, and not just in the mini scene.

More polarising designs:

• Ugly or awesome? Trimaran Hanstaiger X1
• Sunbeam 32.1: bold shapes, smart solutions
• Ace 30: First pictures from the test of the hot offshore racer

Gaining space on the Revolution 29

With the Revolution 29, David Roy followed up with a new and larger boat. And again designed by David Raison, who had surprisingly won the Mini-Transat 2011 with his revolutionary flat-bottomed boat "Magnum 747". Raison explains the advantages of the scow shape with a considerable increase in hull volume for more dimensional stability, more rigidity and less wetted surface when heeling.

Performance boats with scow bows have advantages, especially on fast half- and full-wind courses, because they float higher and the full hulls are better able to get over the waves. In the case of the Revolution 29, this is good to know, but remains mere theory. The boat, which is just under nine metres long but weighs around four tonnes (unladen weight), primarily benefits from a considerable increase in volume with the scow bow for significantly more space below deck. This is probably the actual, main purpose of the very special design. Possible advantages in terms of performance and sailing characteristics are ignored.

The Revolution 29 sails amazingly

Nevertheless, the Revolution 29 proved to be more lively and spirited in the YACHT test than the design, construction and technical data would suggest at first glance. Even in a light breeze of around six knots, the flat-bottomed boat gets underway quickly and, despite the double rudder blades, can be steered lively and with a good feeling on the tiller in the wind. That is astonishing.

And with a speed of 4.8 knots upwind, the performance is also fine. However, with a true angle of 50 degrees to the wind direction, the height sailed is below expectations. Any attempt to pinch height is penalised by the unusual hull shape with an immediate and marked drop in performance.

The Revolution 29 is made entirely of aluminium

David Roy builds the hull of the Revolution 29 with aluminium panels 6 millimetres thick for the area below the waterline and 5 millimetres thick on the freeboard. The panels are pre-curved and welded into the round bulkhead without tension. The deck and the cockpit tub are made of 4 millimetre thick aluminium panels. On the deck, the roof of the superstructure and in the cockpit, the bare metal surfaces are coated with a type of rubber granulate. The material not only provides excellent slip resistance on deck, but is also important as impact and noise protection.

If you wish, you can also have a real or artificial teak rod deck installed on deck and in the cockpit.

Versatile with swivelling keel

The Revolution 29 concept provides for either a swivelling keel or a fixed T-keel. The flexible hull annex costs extra and reduces the draught from a maximum of 2.60 to a minimum of 1.10 metres. This means the boat can easily fall dry, even regularly in tidal waters. Incidentally, the deep swivelling keel is moved by electro-hydraulics or at the touch of a button.

The voluminous bow section allows the rig to be positioned far aft. The two-saling mast is positioned approximately in the centre of the ship and almost exactly above the pivot point of the swing keel. This allows the genoa to be relatively large despite only a short overlap of 110 per cent. The Revolution 29 is also equipped with a fully battened mainsail and an extreme boom in the top area. The dimensions of the cloth are almost square and are reminiscent of the sail plans of modern performance catamarans. There is also no backstay.

Accordingly, the main is trimmed using the long traveller attached to the aft end of the boat. Winches are available on the side of the cockpit coaming for the genoa and gennaker. Halyards, trim lines and reefing lines run short distances over the roof back to the clamping batteries on the side of the companionway. Handling is easy and clear, even when manoeuvring. In the relatively short cockpit, the helmsman can access all functions himself from his position, making the Revolution 29 fully suitable for single-handed sailing.

A space miracle below deck

The real surprise, however, comes below deck. The voluminous hull forms and, above all, the flattened bow section allow a new, unusually generous utilisation of space. The perceived and actual volume inside corresponds to that of a much longer boat.

The special feature is the merging of the foredeck and saloon into one large space. There is no partition in the form of a bulkhead, even on request. Instead, the concept allows a flexible, well thought-out combination of seating areas and berths. This means that four adults can sleep comfortably in the extended saloon, which is not subdivided further. The seating areas of the sofa berths can be enlarged with fold-out elements, allowing the berths to be over one metre wide.

Not so in the aft cabin. The sleeping area at shoulder height is just 1.20 metres wide - only one person can sleep comfortably there.

The other side of the symmetrically separated aft section is designed as a large forecastle, which is unfortunately only accessible from the inside through the toilet room. This area also houses the fuel and fresh water tanks as well as most of the on-board equipment.

A success: David Roy has welded a continuous cable duct into the hull for the supply of electricity and water to the individual areas of the ship. Cables and pipes run through it, well protected, directly to the consumer and can be added to or replaced at any time.

YACHT rating

Exceptional and relatively heavy touring boat from France, built entirely from aluminium. The special feature is the scow bow. The additional volume at the front primarily benefits the living space.

Design and concept

• + Very independent
• + Robust aluminium construction
• + Lots of space gained with Scow-Bug

Sailing performance and trim

• + Attractive sailing performance
• - Little height on the wind

Living and finishing quality

• + Enormous volume below deck
• + Generous berth dimensions in the saloon
• - Unsightly workmanship in detail

Equipment and technology

• + Choice of fixed or swivelling keel
• - Inadequate insulation
• - Poor ventilation options

Technical data Revolution 29

• Designer: David Raison
• CE design category: A
• Hull length: 8.90 m
• Width: 3.50 m
• Draught: Swivelling keel 1.10-2.60 m
• Weight: 4.0 tonnes
• Ballast/proportion: 1.1 t/27 %
• Mainsail: 36.0 m2
• Furling genoa (110 %): 29.0 m2
• Engine (Volvo P.): 14 kW/19 hp

Hull and deck construction

Single-shell aluminium construction. Hull welded as a round frame. Keel and rudder also made of aluminium

Shipyard and distribution

AFEP Marine Evolution; 17000 La Rochelle (France); www.afep-marine.com