K6

Recently a group of members from American YC (Rye, NY) brought a couple of RSK6 keelboats over from England for trial as a possible new one-design keelboat that would be fun to sail and might also attract some performance oriented sailors from the sidelines.

The RSK6 is built by Rondar in the UK, and was introduced there about five years ago. The UK distributor is LDC a.k.a. RS Racing. Rondar is a major builder of 505s and the K6 was conceived as a keelboat that would satisfy the standards of a 5-0 sailor. The boat is 19’ long and 6’ wide with a total displacement of 616lbs, 275lbs of which is in a lifting bulb keel. Construction is epoxy foam core with carbon spars and mylar scrim sails by Hyde. A high aspect rudder lifts up and down in an aluminum housing. The boat can be launched from a hoist or a ramp and it sits on a nifty custom dolly/trailer. One person can step the light weight mast and the boat can be pulled by virtually any car.

We have had the two K6s for just a few weeks and are still learning, but the initial impressions have been good. The boat is fast and sweet to sail. As advertised it’s a performance dinghy with a keel so you can get the thrills without the swimming. Systems are well thought out and simple, and boat handling is a snap due to the self tacking jib and short footed assym that is set from a bow launcher. The K6 can be sailed by two or three with a target weight range of 350-450 lbs. There is no trapeze and the loads are light, so you don’t need a lot of technique or strength - the family doesn’t have to stay on the beach.