The market for dinghies that are not overly sporty for sailors who simply want to spend a nice day on the water with family or friends has been rather neglected in recent years. It is therefore all the more pleasing that the British company RS is presenting an interesting candidate in this class with the new "Venture".
The concept for the RS Venture differs above all from older designs in this market segment: huge open cockpit, gennaker instead of spinnaker (which is also available on request), relatively little storage space under the short foredeck, transparent foil sails as standard. Plenty of room to move around in the cockpit on day trips or for training in sailing schools.
Although the concept is not new, in recent years many manufacturers - including RS - have concentrated on somewhat smaller boats made of polyethylene in this segment. These can be produced very cheaply using the roto-moulded process, but have so far reached their limits in terms of material strength at around 4.5 metres and are more suitable for two or a maximum of three people.
That's why the new RS Venture is also a GRP laminate. Anyone standing in front of the dinghy for the first time will be amazed at the really enormously wide, spacious cockpit. The boat appears significantly larger than the almost five metres would suggest. This is also due to the very narrow side decks, which still have a slightly deeper seat recess on the inboard side. According to the CE approval, the boat can carry a payload of up to 640 kilograms and an incredible eight people. The latter sounds a bit like a battery, but the boat does indeed look spacious for a family of four or five.
Many details are typical for the dinghy manufacturer RS and have already proven themselves in practice in other boat types: A single-line gennaker system, good freedom of movement in the cockpit thanks to a raised mainsheet on a metal bracket and a boom vang instead of a gnav.
The dinghy also has an outboard motor mount at the stern and can be retrofitted with stowage pockets or compartments aft and under the foredeck. Even a bathing ladder is included in the equipment options list. The Venture is on the stand with a conventional Dacron sail, but importer Christian Brandt from Onsail promises that the modern transparent laminate sails found on most RS boats are available for the Venture at no extra cost. It is also worth noting that the underwater hull is protected with mouldings as standard, so that the laminate does not suffer as much when the boat is on the beach.
In terms of everyday usability and robustness, the shipyard has a lot more to offer: The boat is said to have a slightly thicker layer of gelcoat than usual so that (minor) scratches and damage caused by inexperienced crews can be polished out more easily. And a thick rubber rubbing strake is also available on request.
At 10,590 euros, the RS Venture is an attractive offer,
It can be seen in Hall A4, at the Onsail stand, Stand B 210
Technical data:
Designer: Phil Morrison
Length: 4.98 m
Width: 2.03 m
Mainsail: 11 square metres (reefed 9.1)
Furling jib: 3.8 square metres
Spinnaker: 10.5 square metres
Gennaker: 14 square metres
Hull weight: 198 kg
Draught: 1.15 m
Andreas Fritsch
Editor Travel
