Sailing yacht design in 2020

Swift lines, sustainable materials and alternative propulsion systems - the shipyards and equipment manufacturers are offering a wealth of innovations in the sailing yacht market for the coming seasons. The large number of compact regatta boats in the range from eight to ten metres is striking.

This also reflects World Sailing's decision to make offshore sailing part of the Olympic program for 2024. A long list of the world federation currently lists various yachts, which compete as boats for the discipline Offshore Mixed Doublehand off Marseille. World Sailing will not decide which yacht it will be until the end of 2023. Until then, the shipyards will want to prove themselves in the offshore regattas.

Among this year's new releases, the Hanse-Group has achieved a particularly exciting result with the Dehler 30 OneDesign. The yacht would fit exactly into the Olympic criteria, can be sailed by a small crew (one-hand or two-hand) and should show good performance characteristics on all courses. The tiller and double rudder steering shows that the yacht is aimed at athletic sailors. The production process using mould construction in all segments enables the shipyard to guarantee a high degree of repeat accuracy - important for a uniform class. And the construction process minimizes weight to just 2.7 tons. However, the shipyard not only keeps an eye on the regatta sailors, but also turns to the cruisers. Among other things, it has a sufficiently dimensioned engine for this purpose. A clever detail about the drive: the shaft is completely folded in during sailing operation and thus ensures a hydrodynamically optimised underwater hull.

The J/99, like many other new releases, is also a fast traveller, pushing its way into the newly discovered market of yachts around ten metres. With its deck and sail plan, the addition to the J-Sport range can be sailed by a large crew as well as by one or two hands. Below deck, J-Boats also offer a fully-fledged interior to ensure comfortable cruising even on longer stages. This makes the 9.9 m long yacht also suitable for offshore classics such as the Fastnet Race or the Middle Sea Race, but it is also suitable for family crews and offers the comfort of full standing height below deck.

The Tofinou 9.7 operates within a similar environment: elegant flat deck and cockpit design, good sailing characteristics and below deck the possibility to spend a night or two on board. The French have a long list of extras for the almost ten-metre-long yacht, which can then be equipped with a lift keel and carbon fibre mast.

Sustainability in boat building is the central theme of Greenboats. Instead of glass fibres, the Bremen-based boatbuilding company uses flax fibres, which are supposed to develop similar properties to synthetic fibres in their fabric layers. Instead of epoxy resin, the Bremen company uses linseed oil-based resin, and the sandwich core consists of cork, paper honeycomb or recycled PET from disposable plastic bottles. In addition to kayaks and SUP, Greenboats is building the green Bente24 and, since this year, its own Flax27, designed by Judel/Vrolijk - an 8.2-metre-long daysailer with classic lines. The use of alternative materials certainly has its price, but according to the Bremen boat builder, it also ensures an 80 percent reduction in CO² compared to conventional GRP processing.

There is also growing potential for alternative propulsion systems. Torqeedo and Epropulsion have already established themselves in the field of outboard motors for dinghies. The greater performance of the batteries also means that trainer boats are already being equipped with electric propulsion systems, and even for yachts, electric motors are alternatives to conventional combustion engines. Torqeedo has just made the leap into the America's Cup with its powerful battery, in which the Power 48-5000 lithium battery is to take over control of the Foil-Cant system.