It's a game changer: a dinghy whose hull is ready in 3 hours, virtually insensitive to knocks and scratches, and then easily 40 per cent cheaper than the competition made of glass fibre reinforced plastic.
However, for some years now, more and more of these roto-moulded polyethylene boats have been coming onto the market. While the first experiments with this manufacturing process were still considered to be mediocre in terms of quality and appearance, today's boats have made an astonishing leap forward.
Whether Laser Vago or RS-Vision, there are now around 20 types from different manufacturers on the market, making the purchase of a new boat more affordable than ever before. The manufacturing process is a departure from traditional boatbuilding: the material is processed as a powder in a mould using heat and the movement of machines, and the amount of manual work is negligible compared to GRP boatbuilding.
In the new YACHT 01/07 we compare the most successful and exciting dinghies in the 4 to 5 metre class, the Laser Vago, Topper Xenon and RS Vision. We also visit the RS boat production facility, which provides a fascinating insight into the modern boatbuilding technology of the rotational moulding process. If you have never seen one of the polyethylene boats sailing, you can find a short video of the most successful RS youth boat, the RS Feva, under the RS dinghy link.
More information about the boats at www.rssailing.com
