The Austrian company Championships Yachting has already built and sold more than 50 Lago 26 boats, in various versions as a sports boat with a lifting keel, as a modern dinghy cruiser with a ballast centreboard or as a highly slimmed-down and "airworthy" foiler with extendable side wings. Now, brand founder and master sailor Hans Spitzauer is further expanding the brand's programme and presenting another version of the Lago 26 as a pure daysailer.
The boat will be launched under the name Lago 26 Speedster. Construction number one is apparently already in production and should be ready in May. The official market launch is then planned for September 2024. The boats in the Lago programme are manufactured at the Mader boatyard on Waginger See in Upper Bavaria, which is known for building fast regatta boats (Star, FD, Finn, etc.). The original hull shape of the Lago 26 has been adopted for the new Speedster variant. However, designer Juliane Hempel has given her own design a new, almost flat deck, without the relatively high and distinctive cabin superstructure as on the sister versions.
The exciting details of the Lago 26 Speedster
The mast is also set further back on deck and the lifting keel is set back slightly. This is intended to achieve a longer J-measurement, which enables a self-tacking jib of a reasonable size. A backstay or backstays are not provided, but a sporty, fully battened mainsail with a wide square top can be set. Another new feature is a fixed bowsprit for a gennaker or code zero instead of the retractable boom as on the Sword, Keel and Foil versions. The Lago 26 Speedster is also powered by a 3 kW electric pod motor.
With the Speedster version, Hans Spitzauer wants to offer a boat that can be easily and comfortably travelled alone, in pairs or with a small crew. And: with two berths in the foredeck, the daysailer can also be used as a weekender. The low total weight of just 780 kilograms is also remarkable. Together with the lifting keel, an attached and therefore removable rudder blade and a width of just 2.50 metres, the boat is also very easy to trailer and can be easily launched and retrieved via the ramp.
Hans Spitzauer presented his new project to the public for the first time at the trade fair in Düsseldorf and is delighted with the high level of interest. The enterprising Austrian also gave YACHT an initial price estimate: the purchase price for the Lago 26 Speedster is expected to be around 120,000 euros, gross including VAT.
Technical data Lago 26 Speedster
- Hull length: 8.75 m
- Overall length (with fixed bowsprit): 9.55 m
- Width: 2.5 m
- Draught of lifting keel: 0.36-1.60 m
- Weight: 780 kg
- Ballast/proportion: 350 kg/45 %
- Sail area downwind: 26.0 m²
- Gennaker: 50,0 m²
- Motorisation: Electric pod motor 3.0 kW
