Over eleven metres long, more than 3.30 metres wide and yet weighing just 2.2 tonnes, and with an impressive 56 percent ballast: the figures will fascinate some, but frighten others. The new Flaar 37 from Flaar Performance Sailing in Hungary is already being touted as the big contender for this year's long-distance classics Kékszalag on Lake Balaton, Rundum on Lake Constance, Bol d'Or on Lake Geneva and Centomiglia on Lake Garda.
Accordingly, the racer has been consistently optimised by sports boat designer and Flaar co-owner Attila Déry for use in light to medium wind speeds. The best results should be achieved in winds of between 2 and 15 knots. To achieve this, the racer is equipped with a 16 metre high carbon rig from Pauger and plenty of sail area. The sail load factor (sail area in relation to the total weight ready to sail) is an almost record-breaking value of 9.6. In comparison, a sail load factor of 5.0 or more is common for "normal" performance boats.
The first prototype of the Flaar 37 has already been built and was presented for the first time at the Budapest Boat Show in Hungary at the end of February. The boat is currently undergoing initial shipyard tests on Lake Balaton. Flaar Performance Sailing has used carbon fibre connections without exception for the construction of its new racer. The hull and deck are built as a sandwich construction with a foam core and epoxy, using a vacuum infusion process. The slim T-keel can be raised by 60 centimetres for mooring in the harbour. This reduces the draught from 2.20 to 1.60 metres. And the keel can also be completely removed for transport.
The Flaar 37 is equipped with two water ballast tanks, each with a capacity of 460 litres. In addition (or instead), buyers can also opt for a canting keel with additional centreboards. Lateral extendable DSS foils are also available to provide additional righting moment. It would appear that there is virtually no limit to what Flaar Performance can do.
The first price announcement is not uninteresting. The Flaar 37 will cost around 210,000 euros in the standard version with lifting keel and carbon fibre rig, including 19 percent VAT, but still without sails, electronics and built-in engine.
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