Classic lines and easy care

There can be little argument that the prettiest yachts sailing on Port Phillip Bay or Sydney Harbour are the graceful old Square Metre class boats from the early days of the last century. Unfortunately, such it the time and money needed for their upkeep, many spend their days gathering weed on moorings and slowly rotting away rather than sailing.

But now Scandinavian Cruisers of Denmark has come up with a range of yachts that offer traditional lines and the ease of modern materials and construction techniques.

The first SC20, a delightful daysailer, made it’s debut at the Dusseldorf Boat Show in January and last Thursday the first SC20 in Australia graced Sydney Harbour on its first sail.

The yacht was designed with no regard for handicap, class or any measurement system -- simply to look beautiful and sail fast. Scandinavian Cruisers set out to build the fastest dayboat possible while keeping to beautiful, classic lines. The boat was also designed to fit into a 20 foot shipping container and onto a trailer for easy transport around the country or around the world.

The fast and easily-driven hull has a wave-piercing bow, a long and narrow waterline and long bow and stern overhangs that were inspired by the classic Skerry Cruisers of the early 1900s.

But rather than having wooden hulls and spruce masts that need constant attention, the SC20 and its big brother, the SC40, feature rotating carbon-fibre wing masts, self-tacking jibs, furling spinnakers and modern construction. The hulls are made with E-glass and VE resin over Navicell coring and are assembled at a new facility in Xiamen, China.

The SC20, with no name but an AUS 1 sail number, that took to Sydney Harbour last week was sailed by local distributor Philip Schoeffel and his son Nikolas and its performance blew both men away.

With an overall length of just 19 ft 3in and a beam of 4 ft 3 in, the SC20 is designed for a maximum load of two adults and a child, but the SC40 (a 40 footer) will feature a large cockpit that will hold half a dozen and a head and a double berth below.

Perhaps the best thing about the SC20 is the price. At a time when "inexpensive" sports boats can cost over $100,000, the SC20 is being sold in the US for just under $US25,000. The price for Australian buyers will be revealed when Schoeffel displays the yacht at local boat shows later this year.

Check out Scandinavian Cruisers.com for more details.