Boat

The Open 5.7

There is sailing, and then there is sailing with a bit of punch. These little Open 5.70's sure look like they have some punch, and here is a report on them from anarchist Jeromme. Oh yeah, he sells them too.. Enjoy.

The Open 5.70 came out in France 3 years ago. The boat was designed by French Naval Architects JM Finot (Finot Group) and is manufactured by Phileas Boats, La Rochelle, France. In 3 years, almost 200 Open 5.70 have been made and are now sailing and racing all across Europe.

Early in 2006, Sailing Sportboats decided to import the Open 5.70 to the USA and are hoping to achieve the success seen in Europe. The first 2 boats arrived this summer from France. By the end of October there will be four boats actively racing in Marina Del Rey, CA. We promised the fifth boat owner a bottle of Champagne to celebrate our first One Design Class! Two more boats has also found new owners in Albany, OR and Newport, RI.

The interest for the boat keeps growing. Every sailor that has tried the boat was impressed by how simple the boat was to sail and how stable the boat felt even when sailing fast.

The boat is Length-Over-All 20 feet, 8.3 feet wide and drafts almost 6 feet. The total dsiplacement of the boat is only 1,020 Lbs, of which 330 Lbs are in a Torpedo Bulb Keel. The Open 5.70 has twin rudders, a rotating wing aluminum mast, a spacious cockpit, a 380 sq. foot asymmetrical spinnaker, a retractable bowsprit, a mylar square top main sail and mylar furling jib. The boat has a lifting keel and the mast can be put up or taken down by one person making the boat ideal for trailering.

The boat is just simple, fast and very stable. The Open 5.70 cannot capsize and is totally unsinkable, even if the v-berth hatch is left open. The boat can be sailed double-handed but can also accommodate up to 5 crew for day sailing. Typically for racing the boat is crewed by three people. In light air, under 10 knots, you have to work hard to keep up with other 25-30 foot boats.

However, as soon as the wind picks up, the boat comes alive. Upwind and downwind, the boat is terrific and very fun to handle. Upwind, it is very stiff, the crew sits high on the side of the boat with a clear view of the boat, the sea and any traffic. Visibility to leward is aided by a clear window on the main and 2 on the jib. The boat is also fairly dry and loves to heel. The twin rudders give the helm person total control of the boat even at extreme heeling angles. Downwind, it's all about getting the boat on a plane. By positioning the crew towards the back of the boat the bow is lifted and the boat takes off - catching waves is a piece of cake. On the Open 5.70, you DO NOT wait for the next wave to catch you, YOU GO AFTER the waves and SURF them! We double-handed the boat in 25-30 knots of wind and had a blast!

This is truly a very well made boat. The hull is solid fiberglass and is very stiff. The deck is foam core-sandwich fiberglass. The boat is very well finished. The hull is available in 200 colors and the deck is always a light-gray color.

The boat with a full suit of sails (main, jibe, asymmetrical spinnaker) and a galvanized road trailer costs around $30K.

It’s a challenging boat and there is always something new to learn. It has only been two months since we had the 5.70 and already, even with new crew on the boat, every time we go out we have fun and get better.

For more information, you can visit the North American Class Association website or contact Jerome Sammarcelli or Nik Vale for more information

10/20/06!