Even in light winds below 10 knots, the Sunbeam shows its potential. The boat from Austria starts well, quickly converts the wind into speed and is already fun to tiller and sheet. With a rollable gennaker measuring 60 square metres, 90 square metres of cloth are available in the wind on the beam sheet, which is a great pull. 15 knots of wind allow the log to reach speeds of up to eight knots. Back under furling gennaker, the boat proves to be stiff even in half wind and always under control thanks to the twin rudders. The deck layout is excellent. Halyards and outhauls are led aft through the roof and deck and can be operated electrically close to the helm seats if desired. Operating comfort is not reserved for large yachts.
Individuality through shape and colour
The colour? A provocation for some, a plus for others - and an option in any case. The standard colour is - as usual - plain white. The shape remains. And it is only slightly reminiscent of its big sister, borrowing slightly from it. The waves ran high when the shipyard from Mattsee near Salzburg presented a new product with a generational change in the shipyard's management, thereby moving away from the traditional, conservative corner it had previously successfully occupied. The Sunbeam 32.1 came across as downright provocative with a negative bow, the so-called flight deck protruding far above the fuselage and a diagonal stern as well as a cover over the superstructure. The calculation had worked out, the radical design language, to which Industrial designer Gerald Kiska The launch of the new shipyard by Andreas Schöchl caused a stir and a certain change in image. And indeed for a well-filled order book: the shipyard has already sold over 30 units.
Sunbeam with swivelling keel and double rudder
Now the second product from the fruitful Schöchl/Kiska collaboration is on its way. The technical design is again the work of Jakopin & Jakopin. The Sunbeam 29.1 adopts stylistic elements from the 32.1, but these have been toned down somewhat. And so the new daysailer comes across as a modern, visually equally independent yacht. The electrically extendable cockpit extension has been removed, but the huge cockpit and the twin rudder system, which is controlled by a tiller on the 29.1, have remained. New under water: the swing keel enables draughts of 1.85 to 0.85 centimetres. The shipyard wants to respond to the occasionally lower water levels on the lakes and offer owners more flexibility in their choice of sailing areas. The keel is raised hydraulically, which can optionally be done by an electric motor.
Technical data
- Hull length 8.99 m
- Width 2.49 m
- Draught 0.85-1.85 m
- Mainsail 30.0 m²
- Genoa 17.0 m²
- Gennaker 60.0 m²
- Weight 2.0 tonnes
- Electric motor, 4 kW; diesel optional
