etap sailboat review

• New Sailboats
• Sailboats 21-30ft
• Sailboats 31-35ft
• Sailboats 36-40ft
• Sailboats Over 40ft
• Sailboats Under 21feet
• used_sailboats
• Apps and Computer Programs
• Communications
• Fishfinders
• Handheld Electronics
• Plotters MFDS Rradar
• Wind, Speed & Depth Instruments
• Anchoring Mooring
• Running Rigging
• Sails Canvas
• Standing Rigging
• Diesel Engines
• Off Grid Energy
• Cleaning Waxing
• DIY Projects
• Repair, Tools & Materials
• Spare Parts
• Tools & Gadgets
• Cabin Comfort
• Ventilation
• Footwear Apparel
• Foul Weather Gear
• Mailport & PS Advisor
• Inside Practical Sailor Blog
• Activate My Web Access
• Reset Password
• Pay My Bill
• Customer Service

• Free Newsletter
• Give a Gift

How to Sell Your Boat

Cal 2-46: A Venerable Lapworth Design Brought Up to Date

Rhumb Lines: Show Highlights from Annapolis

Open Transom Pros and Cons

Leaping Into Lithium

The Importance of Sea State in Weather Planning

Do-it-yourself Electrical System Survey and Inspection

Install a Standalone Sounder Without Drilling

Rethinking MOB Prevention

Top-notch Wind Indicators

The Everlasting Multihull Trampoline

In Search of the Snag-free Clew

What’s Involved in Setting Up a Lithium Battery System?

Reducing Engine Room Noise

Breaking Point: What Can Go Wrong With Your Yanmar?

Mildew-resistant Caulks for Boats

Can We Trust Plastic Boat Parts?

Repairing Molded Plastics

Mailport: Marine plywood, fuel additives, through bolt options, winch handle holders

The Day Sailor’s First-Aid Kit

Choosing and Securing Seat Cushions

Cockpit Drains on Race Boats

Rhumb Lines: Livin’ the Wharf Rat Life

Safer Sailing: Add Leg Loops to Your Harness

Resurrecting Slippery Boat Shoes

Tricks and Tips to Forming Do-it-yourself Rigging Terminals

Marine Toilet Maintenance Tips

Learning to Live with Plastic Boat Bits

The Ultimate Guide to Caring for Clear Plastic

• Sailboat Reviews

This Belgian-built sloop offers style and comfort—as well as a nice turn of speed—in an 'unsinkable' package, but its high freeboard and low lifelines give us pause.

Unlike the bastions of this industry that were founded by sailors interested in manufacturing boats, Etap, the parent company of Etap Yatching, was formed in 1948 by Achilles Daelmann, who initially operated out of a small shed. At the outset, Daelmann earned his living by manually rewinding electrical motors, eventually venturing into the manufacture of light fittings, which is still the company’s primary business.

The firm eventually entered the boatbuilding industry for the purpose of experimenting with the uses of fiberglass, which was then an untested, newly emerging material. The first Etap offered to the public was a 22-foot, trailerable sloop designed as an affordable, safe daysailer for families entering the sailing world. With surprising insight, Etap promoted her as speedy and lightweight, and safe, since blocks of foam were inserted between the hull and inner liner, which allowed the boat to be categorized as unsinkable. After producing 1,800 of that model, the company followed with a 28-footer in 1977, and 20-footer in 1980. The Etap product line now includes eight models ranging in size from 21 to 39 feet. With more than 6,000 boats built to date, the company’s boatbuilding division—100 workers strong—now produces 200 boats per year.

Design Still a family operation, the company is managed by a group of engineers who hire architects to convert their concepts into working drawings. The Etap 37s was designed by Mortain and Mavrikios, a European firm that has created several other models for Etap, as well as Dufour, Feeling and Locwind.

“The target was a fast, safe, comfortable cruiser for sailors seeking quality, safety and performance,” according to Dane Somers of Sail La Vie, the U.S. importer. “It will especially appeal to sailors who are committed to making extended passages.”

The hull presents a relatively low profile, especially since she is considered a pilothouse sloop. With a nearly plumb bow and flat sheer that leads to a reverse stern over which towers a high-aspect rig, the Etap 37s carries her beam well aft. In many cases “pilothouse” equates to an unsightly box sitting atop the deck; not so with this vessel, which sports three broad plexiglass ports on the front of the cabin. The boat’s underbody complements that by way of a rounded section with little chine and plenty of volume below the waterline, both of which contribute to headroom and storage capacity down below.

On paper, she ranks as a performance cruiser; her D/L is 161 and the SA/D 17.61 with a 100-percent foretriangle, placing her in the fast-to-moderate classification. Based on our test sail, we estimate she will sail to those numbers.

Deck Layout We give the company two gold stars for the manner in which the traveler system has been designed, but we also award one demerit for not making available on this model the innovative steering system that they do offer on their 32-footer.

It’s no secret that we prefer end-boom mainsail sheeting because it produces better mainsail shape. It’s also no secret that most manufacturers now place the mainsail traveler atop the cabin so that it won’t interfere with crew comfort, and makes it easier and safer to move about the cockpit.

In this case, the manufacturer offers end-boom sheeting as well as a fine-tune on the mainsheet that significantly reduces the muscle power necessary to trim the sail, and a solid vang, as standard equipment.

Etap also has designed a novel system that solves the traveler-in-the-cockpit problem: the traveler on the 37s can be removed by releasing two pins; it’s a one-minute exercise, whereafter you can secure the mainsheet tackle to a padeye in the cockpit sole. The traveler is then stowed out of the way in a lazarette. The result: the ability to trim the sail properly and a cockpit free of clutter, since the cockpit table also is portable. In most conditions, the combination of mainsheet and vang will offset the reduced flexibility when the traveler is stowed. Additionally, padeyes located on the toerails on both sides of the cockpit allow the boom and mainsheet to be secured out of the cockpit when at the dock—the boating equivalent of wide open spaces. It’s a wonder it took decades for designers to perfect and produce this sensible arrangement.

The yang of the cockpit is a 40-inch-diameter wheel that, like most, interferes with movement since it diminishes the space between the wheel and cockpit seats. Because the benefit of a large wheel is that it eases steering, and tillers on boats this size have proven to be unmarketable in the U.S., it is a mystery that more companies aren’t installing pivoting wheels (like Beneteau), or folding models like that recently introduced by Lewmar.

This is where the tiller installed on the Etap 32 and 34—a marvel of creativity—would come in handy (see photo and explanation on pg. 26). To the company’s credit, the emergency tiller on the 37 is secured close at hand under the helm seat, rather than buried in the recesses of a lazarette.

In Europe, where boats are often tied stern-to (“Med style”), cockpit access commonly takes place via boarding steps on the stern, as is the case with this boat. Swimmers use a stern-hung stainless steel boarding ladder that is standard equipment. However, in most marinas, the boat’s 48-inch freeboard may necessitate the purchase of a step that will ease loading stores when docked beam-to.

Once aboard, we found that the 16″ (wide) by 14″ (high) cockpit seats (with backrests sloping outboard) provide good support when heeled, though beyond 15°, when sitting to leeward, they are less comfortable. The seats are finished with solid teak recessed into the framework, a good idea since it eases housekeeping. The helm seat swings up to ease access to the stern. The propane locker is located in the transom aft of the helm seat, a plus when loading a full bottle from a dinghy.

Cockpit storage reflects the boat’s bluewater pedigree: the starboard lazarette is 36″ deep and 42″ wide, large enough to store a six-person life raft, seemingly a redundancy in an unsinkable yacht. An aluminum frame built into the lazarette houses hatchboards, an excellent idea since they invariably seem to end up under settees or berth cushions. The port lazarette has storage in a 21″ wide, 33″ long, 14″ deep area that is adequate for dock gear and miscellaneous spare lines.

Two other aspects enhance onboard safety: the high toerail and an aggressive TBS non-skid pattern that allowed our deck shoes to grip firmly when the deck was covered with dew.

The toerail on board the Etap 37s is constructed of long sections of extruded, brushed aluminum elevated two inches above the deck; making it high enough to keep the crew aboard while still allowing water to flow underneath and overboard. Cleats are built into these sections, which we think is a nice consolidation of function. Brushed aluminum grabrails on the cabintop are located where they are most needed, and 24″ wide decks amidships (more than most boats this size), proved to be a real plus on the day we sailed the boat. The one drawback of all this, however, is that the upper lifelines are only 22″ off the deck—five inches shorter than we prefer for optimum safety.

The mast is a Selden 9/10th rigfitted with double spreaders. It’s stepped on deck because the company believes that method produces a watertight seal without compromising on strength, since a stout compression post is laid on the keel. Deck-stepped masts have pluses and minuses, but are becoming more common on larger boats since chainplates are commonly glassed into the hull. Etap leads all wire cables through a stainless steel tube in the mast to protect connections from weathering. Standing rigging is stainless steel wire; and the backstay is tensioned mechanically with a winch handle.

Our test boat was equipped with an in-boom mainsail furler that operated smoothly; the Elvström mainsail carries two full battens in the top sections, and two partial battens farther down that produced good sail shape, especially compared to battenless furling mainsails. Like most furling mainsails, however, this one suffers a loss of some power as a byproduct of its small roach. The sail is built with three reef points, and the boat was commissioned with a continuous reef line running through blocks at each reefing eye.

Halyard and sail controls are led aft so they’re close at hand and operate easily. Sheet stoppers port and starboard of the companionway are Antal Grip 10, through which halyards are led to Lewmar 40 self-tailing winches.

Headsail track is located inboard at the base of the cabin, with sheets led to Lewmar 44 self-tailing winches that were large enough for easily handling the 135-percent genoa, which carries 427 square feet of Dacron.

Belowdecks Though the configuration of spaces belowdecks is typical of the genre, we found several attributes that stand out when compared to competitive models. For instance, the on-watch crew can sit atop the companionway step and have an fairly clear, 360-degree view through ports on both sides of the cabin, and the large Plexiglas ports on the front of the cabin. The solid cherry and cherry veneer wood surfaces below enhance the feeling of spaciousness, and handrails port and starboard in the saloon are an absolute necessity for an offshore passagemaker.

Standing headroom in the main salon is 6′ 6″, sloping down to 5′ 11″ at the forward bulkhead. The saloon measures 11′ 6″ on the centerline, with 86″ of clearance between port and starboard settee backs. Settees are 6′ 7″ long, and fitted with leeboards as standard equipment. Storage areas are beneath the settees, and outboard on the hull, which is lined with cabinets.

Perhaps the most clever—and sensible—design feature is splitting the galley into two sections, rather than constructing the typical L-shape. On the Etap 37, the Eno two-burner stove and a 24″ x 28″ counter over the refrigerator are located along the hull to port. A recessed cutout in the cabinetry provides space for a microwave; storage is offered in three drawers aft of the stove, and below the stove, where pots and pans will live.

Particularly interesting is an island at the foot of the companionway measuring 18″ x 38″ that is finished with a Corian countertop and two 12″ diameter x 8″ deep stainless steel sinks surrounded by wooden fiddles. The arrangement adds form to function since one end of the island houses storage and space for a waste basket, as well as providing access to plumbing manifolds. In this configuration crew can move fore and aft on either side of the island, which also serves as a support for the cook when heeled. This arrangement actually adds counter space, since the area between the countertop to port and the island may be spanned by dropping in a custom 17″ x 20″ cutting board. It’s a nice, novel arrangement, but we’d have to spend some time living with it before rendering a final opinion.

The dining table is a drop-leaf affair on the centerline that produces a 42″ long x 40″ wide surface, seating for four, and a cubby for wine bottles.

The nav station is located aft of the starboard settee, and fitted with a 24″ x 30″ chart table, large enough for a folded chart, and 25″ x 18″ seat for the navigator. Four drawers reside below the chart table. The electric panel has adequate space for VHF radio, chartplotter and repeaters, as well as a storage area outboard. On balance, it is more functional than nav stations we see on similarly sized boats designed for coastal cruising. And located under the navigator’s seat are a 70 AH starting battery and a 108 AH ‘house’ battery, both standard equipment—off the centerline, but handy.

A single head large enough for average-sized adults is a sensible arrangement on a 37-footer intended for bluewater passages. Located aft of the nav station, it is equipped with typical appliances, as well as an area designated for hanging wet gear near an opening hatch. Though a holding tank is an option on European boats, it is standard equipment on U.S. models. The builder located the tank aft of the head, which frees space to add a large closet in the head designated for the storage of tool boxes; the location of the tank also minimizes odors in the head and saloon.

The owner’s quarters are aft to port in a stateroom with 6′ 5″ of headroom, allowing the skipper to stand and dress comfortably, and space to bed down on a double berth measuring 6′ 7″ on the center and 5′ 6″ at the head., with lots of room for feet. Access to the steering quadrant is via a panel at the end of the cabin.

The forward cabin is smallish— just large enough for two adults—but it’s a sensible compromise because it increases space in the saloon, where most time will be spent anyway. Crew will bed down forward in a V-berth measuring 80″ on centerline, and 59″ at the head. The area below the V-berth is filled with foam and a water tank; fuel tankage is located amidships aft of the engine.

On balance, spaces down below combine a level of creativity while attaining the goal of producing comfortable living areas and adequate storage areas, plus water and fuel for the cruiser.

Construction The most unique aspect of the company’s construction methods is that it results in boats that are certified by the French Marine Marchande (merchant marine) as being “unsinkable.” The process involves production of a hull and liner bonded to the hull that stiffens the boat and provides the base for furniture and other attachments, a fairly standard method. However, in this case, the space between the hull, liner, as well as other voids, is large enough that it can be injected with closed-cell foam to form blocks of flotation.

The process involves spraying the outer skin of the hull with an osmosis-resistant, ISO-NPG gelcoat, followed by two layers of a 35-percent fiberglass roving and 65-percent resin blend that is hand-rolled to eliminate voids. Additional layers of woven roving are added to reinforce the bow, keel, and chainplate areas. Once the outer hull is constructed, the main bulkhead is installed, after which wiring runs and spare runs are installed in conduit. The liner, which is constructed in two pieces, is then sprayed with a two- part polyurethane closed-cell foam, and bonded to the hull. Additional foam is then injected into shaped cavities in the hull, all of which have exit holes through which excess foam can flow without adding pressure to the bond between hull and liner. Flotation, however, is not installed in the bottom to increase righting ability in the event of a capsize.

“The outer hull is as strong as a conventional boat,” Somers says, so, except as a home for the foam, the liner functions like those on most production boats.

Similarly, closed-cell polyurethane foam is laminated in the deck, along with plywood stiffeners. Hardware is attached to aluminum plates bedded in the deck areas, a solid method when executed properly.

The hull is bonded to the deck with resins and mechanically fastened with rivets and through-bolted on 4″ centers, then covered by a rubrail. The close attachment points produce a leak-resistant seam.

To receive French certification, the boat was required to pass four tests: a) when flooded, freeboard was not less than 3 percent of its overall length, so the water level was at the height of a settee cushion and the cook could work in the galley; b:) the flooded yacht floated in a near horizontal position; c:) the flooded yacht and a crew of eight righted itself from 90 degrees of heel; d:) the flooded yacht is capable of being sailed.

The company has added one more wrinkle to the purchase decision: the standard fin keel is a cast iron section with a draft of 6′ 5″. However, a tandem keel similar to that seen on some America’s Cup yachts is an option. In effect, two short keels are mounted to the hull and a wing-bulb is connected to each. The result is an improvement in performance produced by maximizing lift when sailing upwind, and a shallower draft. Priced at $1,604, the option isn’t cheap, but it will improve weather performance while reducing draft, and that’s a real plus. The downside is that it’s more prone to snagging something, and cast iron appendages require assiduous maintenance to avoid corrosion.

Performance With Somers at the helm, we tested the boat on Lake Michigan on an early spring day in winds ranging from 3 to 12 knots. We initially sailed with the mainsail only and found that she will go to weather at 3.75 knots in 8 knots of wind. The Selden-Elvström combination produced better sail shape than we are accustomed to seeing with furling mainsails.

With a full main and 135-percent jib, the boatspeed immediately increased to a steady 6.75 knots, the helm so well balanced we abandoned it while sailing hard on the wind into gentle, two foot rollers. Then, with the wind dying in advance of an approaching thunderstorm, we ghosted at 3.5. to 4 knots in 5 knots of wind. Though not nimble, she does not stick to the water in those conditions. However, one caveat: we sailed the boat when she was dry, so a potential owner should consider the effect on performance of full tanks and stores.

A practical option for the offshore sailor will be an inner forestay onto which can be hanked a non overlapping jib. In heavy winds and seas the smaller sail will produce a more comfortable ride, avoid beating a genoa to death or the need to change the sail on the furler.

At the end of the test, as we approached the marina we experienced several 50 to 60 knot gusts that caused her to heel to 40 degrees, despite having doused the sails. The Etap 37’s high freeboard adds windage while preventing the rail from dipping below the surface.

These gusts allowed us to test her performance while motoring with the Volvo 2030, three-cylinder diesel, with 28 rated horsepower at 3,600 rpm. She passed with flying colors. The boat maneuvered smartly in the marina under propulsion provided by a Volvo Saildrive with fixed, two-blade prop. One final unique feature among the mechanical aspects of this boat is an electric fan blower in the engine compartment that operates automatically when the engine is running; this is common on powerboats, yet we rarely see them on sailboats.

Conclusion Priced at $199,900 FOB an East Coast port of entry, the Etap 37 occupies a spot at the high end of the market when measured against most production boats of similar size. However, she is priced competitively compared to quality boats designed for offshore passages. Buyers will pay a premium for her unsinkability.

Somers explained that “this construction method adds 20 to 30 percent” to the cost of construction, which raises a question about a) the necessity of an unsinkable boat, or b) the veracity of CE category A. The CE certification (required of all recreational boats sold in the European Union) does not hold offshore cruisers to an unsinkable standard, or require construction methods as stringent as a Lloyd’s certification. Most sailors are aware of the risk of going to sea, but assume that a liferaft affords a great degree of protection in the event of a holing. Ultimately, then, a prospective owner may be forced to weigh the risks of an offshore catastrophe with the additional cost of an unsinkable craft. As with any monohull, if the keel falls off it will turtle, though this boat will be more buoyant than a conventionally constructed sailboat.

Ignoring that issue, this is a well-conceived boat that performs well over a broad range of wind speeds. It is also well-equipped, and user-friendly. The designers added some innovations that will improve performance and comfort (like the tandem keel and traveler arrangement), and features like the galley island that make sense.

The boat is targeted to experienced sailors with a bent for extended offshore passages. We think it’s a better candidate for that kind of buyer than the casual weekend sailor, or beginner. But even the experienced sailor will need a footstool to clamber aboard.

Contact – Etap Yachts, Sail La Vie, 207/865-1855; www.etapyachting.com .

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Log in to leave a comment

Latest Videos

Island Packet 370: What You Should Know | Boat Review

How To Make Starlink Better On Your Boat | Interview

Catalina 380: What You Should Know | Boat Review

• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell My Personal Information
• Online Account Activation
• Privacy Manager

Better Sailing

Etap 24i Review

The Etap 24i is the boat that will do whatever you want it to. It is small enough to trail, big enough to cruise for a fortnight, and fast enough to win races, the Etap 24i is as versatile as they come.

Back in 2007, I headed across to Holland to sail a new boat from neighboring Belgium. This was the Etap 24i, and she was well worth going to see. Introduced as a big sister to the popular 21i, she shared the same twin rudders, backstayless rig, unmistakable Etap styling, and, of course, the doubleskinned, foam-filled construction that makes all Etaps unsinkable. Today, I had the chance to sail with the same boat again and see how it help up after 14 years. 

A twist to this test session for Europe’s yachting journalists was that Etap had two boats on the water – one with a deep fin and one with a shoal-draught tandem keel developed by the designer, Marc-Oliver von Ahlen, in conjunction with Berlin University. We were not told which keel was on which boat: it was the testers’ job to work it out. 

Since this sail, Etap has ceased production. After building more than 5,000 boats in 38 years, the company was bought by Dehler in 2008. Then it all came to an end a few months later. Although the rights and the designs have been bought by another Belgian company, signs of the long-talked of reincarnation are still awaited. In the meantime, if you want an Etap, it will have to be second-hand. 

The good news is that Etaps tend to last pretty well. When I was sailing the 24i, the company claimed to have known about just five cases of osmosis – that’s 0.1% of the production. By all accounts, the hulls are pretty stiff, and, importantly, the foam injected between the skins means they will stay on the surface if the worst happens. On more than one occasion, it has. Etaps (and their crews) have lived to tell the tale following rather-too-close encounters with ferries and reefs, among other hazards of the ocean.

Refreshingly Different 

While unsinkability has been an influence for some buyers of Etaps, at most, it’s incidental. The boats wouldn’t have sold as well as they did had they not offered a good deal more than the ability to stay afloat if holed.

Take the 24i as an example. Here’s a boat that looks good for a start. Builders of cruisers in this size range have often tended to err on the side of volume, believing that compromising the accommodation as it would need to be compromised to achieve attractive lines would limit the appeal. Etap took a refreshingly different approach, setting out to make the boat sporty – not racy, just sporty – and well proportioned. Never mind standing headroom; the 24i was meant to be fast, fun, attractive, durable, and, of course, unsinkable. 

It’s a formula that appealed to a friend of mine, who was looking for a boat about eight years ago. The Etap seemed to do everything he wanted, so he found a nice-looking fin-keeled example at Hamble, UK, and trailed it back to Weymouth, UK, behind his VW camper van. 

Trailable though the Etap is, that hasn’t stopped him and his wife from treating her as a fully-fledged cruising yacht. They have done all sorts of things with the Echo 42i that many people would never dream of doing with a 24-footer, including crossing the channel most years to Brittany, France and, at various times, most of the Channel Islands as well, spending up to two weeks aboard at a time. 

Initially, they were surprised to find people on larger yachts raising an eyebrow and asking if they had really sailed ‘all the way from England on that?!’, but they soon got used to it. 

In the 1960s and ’70s, a 24-footer was a typical size for a cruising boat, and it was by no means uncommon to find one accommodating a family of four. While expectations have changed over the past 40 years – many owners and crews considering a boat unacceptable if it doesn’t have full standing headroom and a shower at the very least – the practicality of sailing a smaller boat remains the same. ‘It’s so useful to have a boat that’s small enough to trail yet big enough for proper cruising,’ says my friend. ‘We can tuck into corners of marinas where most other boats won’t fit, and on occasions, that has meant being right next to the shower block while other people have been stuck on pontoons in the middle of the river waiting for the water taxi’.

The early years with Echo were a steep learning curve. He recalls a trip to Dartmouth in what turned out to be a south-easterly Force 8. ‘Even with our limited skill levels at the time, we reckoned it was safer to keep going than to turn back. Some of the seas were higher than the boat was long, but she looked after us!’

As well as cruising extensively, they have made Echo a name to be feared in their local racing from Weymouth, last year managing a near clean sweep of the silverware despite often sailing two-handed or with an occasional third. 

Many Etap 24is have the tandem keel. Giving a draught of just 2ft 9in (0.85m), it allows the boat to sneak into shallow water and also to sit lower on the trailer than with the substantially deeper fin. It’s also pretty efficient for such a shallow appendage, with the benefits of being both cheaper and simpler than the lifting keel that Etap had offered on their smaller models until the introduction of the 21i. Also, extra cabin space is a bonus. 

As has been demonstrated time and time again, however, there’s no substitute for draught, so I was pleased to hear that Echo is a fin-keeler. The tip of the fin’s lead bulb plunges to just under 5ft (1.5m) below the waterline. It was a sensible decision for Etap: having given buyers a shallow alternative, why compromise with the fin? 

Despite the secrecy surrounding the two boats’ keel profiles in Holland all those years ago, it soon became abundantly clear which was which. A few yards of sailing and a couple of tacks was all it took to give the game away.

That’s not to say that the tandem keel doesn’t work well for its draught; just that a deep fin is better for stiffness, righting moment, speed, acceleration, and maneuverability. They have proved that it works, as did I during a pleasant early-season (pre-season for most people) sail from Weymouth. Portland Marina had lifted the boat for a scrub only a few days earlier, so she had a clean bottom despite having otherwise remained afloat since the beginning of 2013. Combined with the folding prop on the leg of the Yanmar 9hp 1GM saildrive (Etap offered an outboard as an alternative), it gave her no excuses. 

Thankfully she didn’t need any, reminding me that she’s a fun, fast, and responsive boat to sail. My friend says that she comes into her own when the breeze reaches 15 knots. He has a good deal of experience in fresh conditions, including having planned (not surfed, but planned) at 12 knots down the entire leg of a race a few years ago under spinnaker. ‘It was fine until we approached the leeward mark and had to take the kite down’, he remembers. ‘That’s when it all started to get a bit messy!’

We had gentler conditions for our sail, having to make do with between 8 and 12 knots of wind. It was noticeable how much more positive Echo became at the upper end of this range. In 12 knots, she felt alive and responsive, clocking up to 5.3 knots on the breeze and feeling fully powered up. A marginal lull was all it took for us to lose half a knot of boat speed. She came upright and needed a substantial change of gear – crew position and sail trim – to stop her sticking to the water. Many boats have these transitions at various wind-speeds; the Etap’s just happens to be more pronounced. 

Learning how best to tickle her along is all part of the challenge for a racing crew. At one stage, we were ambling upwind happily enough in 10-12 knots with all three of us in the cockpit – one to leeward – and the log showing 4.7-4.8 knots. Moving two crew up to the weather rail and the helmsman to the forward end of the cockpit brought immediate results, the speed increasing to 5.1-5.2 knots. 

Crew weight affects any boat, and the smaller and lighter the boat, the greater its effect, so this came as no surprise. Harder to assess without another boat to sail against is the optimum pointing angle upwind. Sailing as I was initially, we tacked through around 80°. My friend has found he does better by sailing a little deeper, the extra speed more than compensating for the increased tacking angle. I was in no position to argue, as Echo’s results suggest that whatever he has been doing has worked. Easy ways Lest all this talk of tweaking should give the impression that the Etap is an overly sensitive creature, I should make it clear that she’s not in the least. She’s an easy and forgiving boat to sail; just one that’s agreeably responsive, and that makes her fun to be aboard. 

After beating out through the breakwater and a little way into Weymouth Bay, we turned around, popped the kite up, and made our way back downwind at 6.5 knots. Reaching up as shy as we could, we brought the apparent wind to around 70° and the log to 6.9 knots. The helm loaded up at that point, but the twin rudders continued to grip tenaciously. 

In normal sailing mode, the helm remains comfortably light. If there’s any slop in the rudder bearings, it’s time for new bushes. My friend replaces them every year – it’s a simple enough job. 

The helming position on the coamings is pretty good. If you find it a bit too close to the guardwire for comfort, the answer is to dip your torso underneath. 

The standard boat-testing ‘circuits-and-bumps’ routine showed up with no surprises. Trimmed normally and left to her own devices on the wind, Echo rounded up, tacked, tacked back, rounded up, tacked again, and continued this routine until we interrupted her to carry on sailing. Hove to, she sat almost dead in the water but could still be gybed round with the main pinned in to resume her original course. Making upwind under either just the main or the headsail on its own presented no challenges. She could even be put into the ‘hove one’ position, as I call it – heaving to without the jib. 

Control of the mainsail is helped by the full-width traveler, which can quickly and easily be removed if you want to open up the cockpit for picnics or to socialize. There’s no backstay, however, so you have to use alternative approaches to flatten and depower the wellroached mainsail.

Hardware throughout is up to spec and from well-known names such as Lewmar and Seldén. Most of the aluminum extrusions apart from the spars came from Etap’s own factory. 

>>Also Read: Fin vs Full Keel

Accommodation 

Etap was clever in the way they managed to incorporate enough foam to keep the boat afloat, habitable, and able to sail if flooded without restricting interior space or stowage to an appreciable extent. In fact, the stowage is remarkably good, which is one of the reasons why my friend and his wife were struggling when they eventually started to look for a bigger boat. The question they most often found themselves asking was, ‘where are we going to put everything?’ 

Etap’s trick was to hide the bulk of the foam in the ends, using space that would otherwise be mostly wasted. Side effects of the double-skinning and foam injection are the smooth, wipe-clean insides to the lockers and good thermal and acoustic insulation. Etap’s use of resin-transfer techniques means that every molded surface is smooth gelcoat. 

Accommodation is good for a spirited 24-footer. There’s no double aft cabin. Instead, you have plenty of cockpit locker space on each side and, below decks, generous settee berths in the saloon whose backrests can be removed and clipped alongside to extend their width for sleeping. Also, multitasking is the door to the hanging locker to starboard, forward of the main bulkhead. It doubles as a table in the saloon or the cockpit. 

The galley is split either side, abaft the bulkhead. Moving forward, you find the heads to port and then a V-berth in the bow. Compression loads from the rig are taken by an aluminum arch molded into the deck and by the bulkhead beneath. 

On Echo, the woodwork, finished in beech laminate, has worn well – as has the whole interior. It’s still clean, fresh, and showing no signs of having been lived in extensively.

Etap 24i Review – Verdict

After sailing the Etap twice, once when it was pretty and another one now, my conclusion is that she was out of the ordinary sailboat then and still is now, offering a combination of qualities that simply can’t be found in any other boat, old or new.

She offers a sporty yet easy-going nature combined with unsinkability, a choice of keels, and an interior that, while less roomy than some, is appealing, comfortable, and eminently practical. Although a boat of this size can’t be considered a trailer-sailer, her beam and weight make her trailable behind a suitably robust tow-vehicle.

The 24i confirms that Etap’s reputation for producing cleverly designed, attractive, and soundly engineered performance cruisers with a difference is well deserved.

Etap 24i Specification

Peter is the editor of Better Sailing. He has sailed for countless hours and has maintained his own boats and sailboats for years. After years of trial and error, he decided to start this website to share the knowledge.

Related Posts

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Fishing Line for Trolling

Lagoon Catamaran Review: Are Lagoon Catamarans Good?

Best Inboard Boat Engine Brands

Are O’Day Sailboats Good? A Closer Look at a Classic Brand

• Buyer's Guide
• Destinations
• Maintenance
• Sailing Info

Hit enter to search or ESC to close.

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Trying to sink an unsinkable boat

• Chris Beeson
• July 2, 2015

It’s every sailor’s nightmare: holed and taking on water. For Chris Beeson, the unsinkable Etap turned this sinking feeling into an unusual spa session

The Etap 21i sailing with her normal freeboard, before we opened the seacocks and attempted to scuttle her Credit: Lester McCarthy/YM

I thought it would feel stranger than it did, wading knee-deep through a flooded boat. While we were being towed out to the Needles, where we’d planned to founder, I was half expecting some mental switch to trip as the water started gushing in, overwhelming me with primal panic. Corporal Jones from Dad’s Navy, I thought. In the event, it was no more alarming than wallowing in a strangely shaped bath with several other men. Scary enough, but some way short of a crisis.

The bunk locker lids were barely awash when the water ingress stopped

The drama was limited first by the fact that we weren’t allowed to whack gaping holes below the waterline. The new owners of this boat, Grahame and Janine Mason, were understandably reticent about that. They did, however, kindly allow us to open the seacocks in an attempt to send their pride and joy to the bottom. And they did, sensibly, specify that we did so before they took delivery. The UK West Country broker of this yacht, Yachts of Dartmouth, set the wheels in motion.

We were towed out to the Needles by the SeaStart RIB. SeaStart was there to act as a photo-boat but aboard the Etap, I felt a good deal more comfortable knowing that there was something powerful, inflatable and fast nearby should anything go wrong. Once in position – and with nobody having said: ‘Actually, this is a daft idea. Let’s go back, eh?’ – we opened the seacocks.

We expected the seacocks to gush, but they merely dribbled

I was expecting something akin to ‘Old Faithful’ to erupt from the valve, bringing chaos with it. I had imagined the engine room scene from Noel Coward and David Lean’s wartime classic In Which We Serve . The reality was, frankly, disappointing, more like someone spilling a glass of water. This was the second drama limitation. When boats are holed and sinking, the hole is much larger, usually hidden behind joinery, and the ingress much faster.

It took a good 15-20 minutes for the flares canister to start bobbing about

Having established that we needed to slow to a stop to get any decent ingress, the flooding began. The boat took a while to fill up, even with both the sink and the larger heads seacocks open. It was a good 15-20 minutes before the flare canister started bobbing around. Within half an hour the lids of the bunk lockers began to open and shut with water pressure as the boat rolled in a gentle swell. After 45 minutes, the seacocks were no longer letting water in. We were as low as we could go.

The boat took a long time to fill up – even with all three seacocks open

We had a quick bash at sailing but the lack of wind prevented us finding out how her performance was affected by the extra load. Gert, the Etap representative onboard, has done this a few times, most notably in a 24ft Etap, crossing the Channel twice in a day with the boat flooded. He estimated that flooding slows the boat down by 1 knot, not bad considering he reefs to reduce strain on the rig.

Even flooded to the waterline, there was still plenty of freeboard thanks to the closed-cell foam that fills many of her cavities

Once we had all the photos we needed and the novelty of sinking had worn off, the seacocks were closed and the bailing began. We used a 14-litre bucket, scooping on average 8-10 litres each time. The last 30 buckets, filled using a bailer, were brim-full. We emptied 260 buckets in 40 minutes then mopped up the remainder with a sponge. A quick, approximate calculation suggests there were over 2,000 litres of water inside.

A rough calculation of the number of buckets we bailed suggested we took on 2,000 litres of water

Other than the fact that Etap does indeed make unsinkable boats, I’m not sure what we learned. I was hoping to vaccinate myself to the shock of a boat flooding so that, should the nightmare ever strike, I’ll be clearer headed. As it turned out, the height of the drama was a slightly damp mobile phone.

Tech Specs -Etap 21 i (Hull no. 549)

LOA: 6.56m (21ft 6in)

LWL: 6.10m (20ft)

Beam: 2.49m (8ft 2in)

Draught: tandem keel: 0.7m (2ft 4in); fin keel: 1.3m (4ft 3in)

Displacement: tandem keel: 1,230kg (2,712lb); fin keel: 1,180kg (2,601lb)

Ballast: tandem keel: 350kg (771lb); fin keel: 300kg (661lb)

Sail area: 23.9m 2 (258sq ft)

RCD Category: B/C

Price: £30,000 (new, in 2007)

Website: www.etapyachting.com

BUILDING THE UNSINKABLE

Spaces between inner and outer skins of hull and deck are packed with closed-cell polyurethane foam

Etap is the only builder of unsinkable yachts and is currently (2007) seeking a Lloyds certificate to that effect. Sadler Yachts used to have a claim to this title before it ceased production but, according to the only standard of unsinkability (that of the French Merchant Marine), unsinkability means that freeboard is reduced by less than 3% of LOA when flooded. Sadlers, though they wouldn’t actually sink, would flood close to deck level.

‘Unsinkable’ means freeboard is reduced by less than 3 per cent of LOA when flooded

The secret lies in the construction. The whole Etap range, from 21-46ft, uses double-skinned hulls and decks. The spaces between the two skins, and several other pockets throughout the hull and deck, are packed with closed-cell polyurethane foam.

This Etap 38i struck a reef and stuck fast while sailing in the Red Sea

Even if the hull is breached, only the foam damaged by the impact will absorb water. The rest of it, even when exposed to water rather than protected by GRP, has a maximum moisture absorption of 2% after 24 hours.

She was hauled off the reef and remained afloat, though flooded, as she was towed to safety

The result is an unsinkable boat, but there are other benefits. The boat is much stiffer as a result. Also, the foam acts as excellent insulation. It’s warmer below in winter and cooler below in summer. You can leave bedding on an Etap all winter and it will be condensation-free when you return in spring.

Of course, the extra design, materials and labour that go into building an Etap make this a fairly expensive 21-footer but, it you want to, you can buy peace of mind.

DISASTER-PROOFING

Watertight bulkheads

All new ocean racing yachts are fitted with watertight bulkheads. These are sealed, internal bulkheads with a lockable, watertight hatch and as few cable ducts as possible placed as high as possible. To be effective, at least two are required, dividing the boat into roughly equal volumes so that, should one area flood, there is sufficient volume left unflooded to maintain buoyancy. It’s rare for cruising owners to request watertight bulkheads but the more expensive boatbuilders can fit them during build.

Flotation bags

This is a well-established, relatively inexpensive and very effective method of creating buoyancy. These durable bags are easy to store when deflated and can be inflated with carbon dioxide from a SCUBA tank and secured either to anchor points inside the hull or to slings beneath the hull using webbing strops attached to the bags. As GRP supports 25% of its own weight in seawater, you need enough bags to support at least 75% of the boat’s displacement.

PUMPING POWER

A good engine-driven bilge pump will shift about 40 gallons per minute under ideal conditions. The average hand-operated one will only pump half that quantity.

Bilge pump ratings in the manufacturers’ claims are usually for 60 pumps per minute against no resistance, and with no need to lift the water (to a particular height above sea level) before discharging it. A head of 7ft will halve the output.

Any length of piping will rapidly reduce the efficiency of the pump, as length of pipe plays an important role in generating the resistance against which the pump is working.

Just to depress you further, you cannot pump faster than the time it takes the pump to fill and empty. Otherwise the pump loses efficiency. The classic ‘frightened man with a two-gallon bucket’ will shift about 20 gallons a minute. That involves lifting and throwing 20lbs of water every six seconds.

GOING DOWN: FACTS AND FIGURES

The flow of water through a hole is directly proportional to the fourth power of the radius of the hole. A two-inch hole will let in four times as much water as a one-inch hole.

If the hole letting in the water is bigger than the smallest part of the bilge pump pipework, you will surely sink unless you can make the hole smaller.

At a depth of three feet, a hole just one inch in diameter is estimated to pass 34 gallons a minute. Over an hour, that amounts to 2,040 gallons.

Explore our extensive listings of new and used boats for sale

The new Yacht and Boat has thousands of new and used boats for sale online.

Yes, you'll find boat sales but boaters also can find a variety of news, boat reviews, information, boat buying tips and other boating resources.

Buy boats online using our new boat sales search or browse boats for sale by make, type and location.

Create your personal yacht or boat email alert and be sent the latest boat classifieds as they come on the market. You may also like to read the latest boating articles or find the latest boats for sale below...

LATEST BOAT LISTINGS

FEATURED BOAT LISTINGS

Quintrex 520 fishabout + yamaha f115hp 4-stroke - pro pack for sale online prices, quintrex 520 fishabout + yamaha f90hp 4-stroke - pack 1 for sale online prices, quintrex 520 fishabout + yamaha f90hp 4-stroke - pack 2 for sale online prices, quintrex 520 fishabout + yamaha f115hp 4-stroke - pack 3 for sale online prices, quintrex 500 fishabout pro + yamaha f90hp 4-stroke - pro pack for sale online prices.

• Forum Listing
• Marketplace
• Advanced Search
• About The Boat
• Boat Review Forum
• SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

ETAP- any good?

• Add to quote

been researching and ETAPs seem perfect due to unsinkability, smart features geared towards sailors (not just lounge chair skippers), etc.... Anyone have any experience with ETAPS or heard of anything good or bad?  

h20ski, Email me directly and I''ll put you in contact with a fellow I know who owns a very recent vintage Etap 34. His boat was in the Annapolis show a couple of years ago. Etaps are not for everyone but they are one of the few builders out there trying some new things -- check out there EVS steering system for example. It works like a tiller but steers like a wheel (sort of a joystick in some ways.) I really like the boats and would''ve bought an Etap 39s a couple of years ago if I had hit the lottery. You''re about the 3rd person lately I''ve come into contact who''s interested in Etaps. The east coast dealer needs to give me a finder''s fee.  

ETAP is a Belgium builder, not the place you would expect to find a boat so full of the innovation & technology. However, the larger boats are more viable as cruising boats since a fair amount of hull volume is consumed when installing the foam between the hull and interior liner. In addition to the innovative EVS steering system, they now offer a shallow draft version that is a tandem keel. The Practical Sailor review of the 37s (last year?) was favorable but seemed to lack a full appreciation for the boat. ETAPs are quite a different boat but IMO very worthy of consideration if they meet your needs. (BTW don''t forget that boats which can''t sink can still have a fire or suffer a collision; there are still some reasons to carry a raft if crossing an ocean...) Jack  

Jack, My friend with the Etap 34 has the tandem keel. It''s perfect for the Chesapeake for gunkholers. Etap does put a lot of thought into their boats. The marina I''m at now commissions all the Etaps that come in through the Port of Baltimore and the marina owner is very high on the boats also, and he gets to see parts of them none of us can see at boat shows.  

Blue Water Sailing Magazine chose the Etap 39 as one of the boats to be in his short list of " 2002 Annual Gallery of blue water boats". They have said: "In a 400mi sea test of the 39... BWS encountered conditions that ranged from banal to furious. Our observations of the boat''s behaviour offshore were generally positive". ... "We came away suitably impressed with the Etap 39s. She scores high in the usual categories - performance, livability, style- and stands mastheads and shoulders above any other production boat in the realm of safety". Paulo  

The truth is there is nothing particularly unique about ETAP boats. In fact I am not convinced that in the USA they hold their value either. Other boats notably Saddlers in the UK have "unsinability" - it really is not hard to engineer into a boat. But if it is something that appeals to you then go for it. These days there are not too many "bad" boats around. Ultimately you buy what YOU want.  

Johnno said: I am not convinced that in the USA they hold their value either. Click to expand...

I have a 39S and have been nothing but impressed. She has been across the pond twice and performed beautifully in all types of weather and conditions. ....and unsinkable in case the worst happens.  

• ?            
• 173.8K members

Top Contributors this Month

• CLASSIFIEDS
• NEWSLETTERS
• SUBMIT NEWS

Whatever happened to the award-winning ETAP?

Related Articles

Review of Etap 23

Basic specs..

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.70 - 0.80 meter (2.30 - 2.60 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case Etap 23 will typically require a power of 3 - 4 hp, alternatively 66 - 80 lbs thrust if you prefer an electrical motor. Electric outboards are becoming popular for sailboat owners who want clean instant power with less noise and no exhaust fumes.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Etap 23 is 2.19, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Etap 23 is about 114 kg/cm, alternatively 638 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 114 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 638 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is a Ballast Ratio?

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio) Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind: - Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15 - Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20 - Racers have ratios above 20 - High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24 Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 20.95

Maintenance

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Etap 23 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

• BOAT OF THE YEAR
• Newsletters
• Sailboat Reviews
• Boating Safety
• Sailing Totem
• Charter Resources
• Destinations
• Galley Recipes
• Living Aboard
• Sails and Rigging
• Maintenance
• Best Marine Electronics & Technology

4-Pack of Vintage Pocket Cruisers

• By Jeremy McGeary
• Updated: May 5, 2005

While many cruising sailors today jump with both feet and a hefty money clip into a big boat, chockablock with gadgetry, the traditional sailing evolution begins with small craft and ends with the ultimate cruiser. That first boat might be a dinghy or a one-design racer, and trading up from boat to boat usually accompanies changes in family situations and growing wealth. But no matter how big that überboat may be, cruisers with sailing in their blood usually find small craft compelling.

Small is usually simple. Getting off the mooring, the dock, or the dolly takes just minutes, allowing a spontaneous response to the siren call to savor a delicious, breezy fall sunset after work or a cool, still, summer dawn before joining rush hour.

But how big is small? That, of course, is relative. To establish “small” in terms of a cruising boat, as distinct from a daysailer, we chose as our guideline the European Union Recreational Craft Directive’s “Design Category C–Inshore (significant wave height up to and including 2 meters and wind forces up to and including 6 Beaufort).” A handful of new boats fell into that category, mostly candidates for Cruising World’s Boat of the Year 2005 contest that didn’t get nominated because they weren’t considered suitable for ocean passages.

The U. S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, offered the best opportunity to take a look at some of them conveniently close to one of the largest contiguous bodies of Category C water in North America: Chesapeake Bay.

A Compact Cat

Even though, at 32 feet, the TomCat 9.7 was the biggest vessel in the group, builder Ted Strain makes no bold claims about its capabilities. “I expect to see this boat on lakes, inland waters like Chesapeake Bay, and on inshore cruises,” he says. “It’d be an ideal boat for the Abacos.” Although the hulls are only three feet wide at sole height, artful use of the interior and the bridgedeck creates the generous accommodations typical in catamarans. Head (to port), galley (to starboard), and sleeping quarters (in both sterns) occupy the hulls, which are stepped aft to accommodate 48-inch-wide double berths. A large athwartships playpen berth and an adjoining “dining booth” make full use of the “house.” Aft of the dinette is a vestibule with full standing headroom that’s open to the cockpit but can be closed with a set of detachable panels. The builder, Strain Associates Ltd./TomCat Boats, offers a choice of woods for the interior finish and also entertains modifications to the interior layout to accommodate customers’ preferences.

To simplify construction, to avoid having daggerboard housings take up space in the narrow hulls, and to make sailing easier, Strain designed the TomCat with a centerboard deployed from the bridgedeck. Neatly tucked under the saloon table, its housing ties into the massive structural focal point of mast step and main beam. When raised to the draft of the hulls, the board still has some bite in the water, which helps when sailing to weather in shallow water.

Although Strain deliberately kept the sail plan small to assuage safety concerns about catamarans that he says still persist in the general sailing community, it’s adequate to push the boat along in as little as 7 knots of wind. The TomCat also tacked handily in this light air, as long as the skipper was paying attention and had the boat moving before turning the wheel. Auxiliary power is provided by outboards mounted on each transom, and rather than develop a unique helm system for the twin rudders, Strain adapted outboard-motor steering controls that have been in use for many years and are available off the shelf in marine stores everywhere.

A roller-furling jib and lazy jacks on the main simplify sailhandling, and the stainless-steel arch keeps the traveler aloft and out of the way. Backseat drivers can observe and critique the helmsman’s work from a bench seat beneath this arch.

I found the side decks too narrow for even small feet and would happily trade a little interior headroom for an inch or two more footing. You can go forward across the cabin top; however, that enterprise would be easier and safer with a grabrail on the house.

Strain, who runs TomCat Boats with his son Tom, came late to boatbuilding–he’s a physicist and electrical engineer by profession–but he’s familiar with the pros and cons of catamarans because, he says, the Iroquois he’s owned for 34 years has its share of both. Strain is full of praise for the Iroquois’ designer, Rod McAlpine-Downey. “He was years ahead of his time,” he says.

For the Road and Ramps

Slipping in at the low end of the size spectrum comes the Eclipse from Com-Pac Yachts/The Hutchins Company, long a favorite builder of neat, compact cruisers. The Eclipse, 21 feet LOA, is a rare new model in its lineup. In a break from tradition for a firm that does much of its development work in-house, Hutchins sought input from naval architect Bruce Bingham. The move seems to have paid off. Bingham helped with the boat’s styling, contributing the plumb stem and a stretched-out waterline, making the most of the boat’s short length for both speed potential and interior volume.

While some folks will happily gunkhole in even smaller craft, the Eclipse, at just over 18 feet on deck, is about as large a boat as you’d want to trailer behind a midsize car but as small a one as will still accommodate civilized living. Making such tight quarters livable requires deliberate and careful design of every corner and component. Lift a cushion here, you reveal the galley sink; lift another, and there’s the stove; flip the countertop between them and set the stove into the braces on its underside, which is now on top.

Most of the Eclipse’s interior consists of cushioned horizontal surfaces, so the feeling is reminiscent of being in a playpen. While there’s ample room for sprawling or sitting comfortably, thanks to the centerboard trunk being under the sole, headroom is elusive. If you want to stretch your legs, stand in the hatch. But it’s really cozy in the cabin, and I can envisage being tucked up a shallow creek and burrowing into a good book while gentle rain patters on the deck and an aromatic stew simmers on the stove.

When the clouds blow away, the Eclipse is ready for action, which it takes seriously. The rudder kicks down, and the centerboard drops out of the shallow molded keel to a weatherly draft of 5 feet 2 inches. The boat has a very flat bottom and soft chines that carry the waterline beam well outboard for added stability. The mainsheet is raised above the cockpit on a stainless-steel arch, which also serves as an attachment point for a bimini, as boom gallows, and as mast support for trailering. The mainsheet leads forward along the boom, then back to the cockpit to a cleat on the cabin top. An optional outboard motor can be mounted on a transom bracket, while the gas tank stows neatly away in the starboard cockpit locker.

Taking its cue from the big charter boats, the Eclipse’s open transom provides easy access from cockpit to creek and easy egress up a fold-down stainless-steel ladder.

The transition from sailer to trailer is simple and can be accomplished singlehandedly, if necessary. Key to that is the trademarked Mastendr system, which includes a pinned mast hinge just above the furled mainsail, quick-release levers for de-tensioning standing rigging, and a stainless-steel gin pole that provides the lever for lowering the spar. Once it’s resting on the stern arch, the mast can be unpinned from its hinge and slid forward to balance the overhangs on the trailer.

Even as access to the water becomes more scarce for larger boats, ramps still provide a way in for boats on wheels, and those boats are usually of light enough draft that they can sail in the less deep and less crowded waters. Looking at this Eclipse, the light of this approach is almost blinding.

Fair and Fast

While the Eclipse is unabashedly small, the Etap 24i has pretensions to sailing in a bigger pond with bigger fishes. With the standard 4-foot-11-inch keel, the boat is European Union certified for Category B.

Like all the Etaps, it’s unsinkable, which means the unthinkable won’t happen even if the big pond turns nasty or things go terribly wrong. However, the 24i approaches the business of sailing with considerable pluck and instills confidence that it can handle boisterous conditions. It’s the kind of vessel in which British or French sailors would cheerfully cross the English Channel on a weekend.

For those who sail in Category C waters on this side of the Atlantic, the Etap 24i has another great advantage: Its optional tandem keel draws less than 3 feet while it still helps the boat sail well to windward, making the vessel doubly attractive to sailors in shallow-water venues. On our afternoon outing on Chesapeake Bay, in a gentle fall breeze, we sailed five miles closehauled from the Eastern Shore root of the Bay Bridge to the Severn River, posed there for the photographer, and reached back all in well under three hours. The Etap 24i evidently has the legs for serious coastal cruising.

The crew’s body weight is important trimming ballast on a small cruiser like the Etap 24i. Using the tiller extension and sitting on the artfully angled cockpit coaming not only gives you better visibility and more comfort but it also puts you farther out on the rail to give the boat more power. The twin rudders have plenty of bite and permit the outboard to be mounted on centerline. An inboard 10-horsepower Yanmar with a saildrive is a good option if you’re concerned about weight distribution or your aging back’s capacity for handling a hefty four-stroke on the stern.

Belowdecks, too, the 24i reveals big-boat aspirations–a plumbed-in toilet and holding tank suggest it’ll go beyond a portapotti’s operating radius. It also has a stainless-steel sink and surround for the two-burner Origo alcohol stove. The forward cabin can be closed off, though that might make it a little claustrophobic and a little too intimate with the head. The saloon has a lot of cushioned areas, and removable backrests convert the settees into real berths.

Abovedecks, the emphasis Etap places on thoughtful design is evident in the simple sweeping transition from coachroof to cockpit coaming and in the aluminum toerail extrusion. Another clever detail is the removable mainsheet traveler that opens the cockpit for more après-voile leisure space.

With its beam a smidgen under 8 feet 3 inches, the Etap 24i is legally trailerable, which expands your cruising options from Category C to category lake, or river.

The Hunter in the Pack

Even if you can’t have–or don’t want–a big boat, you can have big-boat stuff. At least that’s the message Hunter Marine is sending with the new Hunter 27, especially when it’s tricked out with the Deluxe Package.

Right down to the shore-power supply, the half-electric/half-butane two-burner stove, the microwave, and the 12-volt cooler that you load at home and stow in a specially built drawer in the galley, this boat is equally well equipped for life at the dock and for sorties to nearby cruising grounds.

The Hunter design team came up with a boat that fits the niche of a 27-foot sailboat for novices who want stability, ease of operation, and value. With leisure time being a rare commodity for most folks, a Category C venue is about as far as most will get on the spur of a moment before it’s time to head back. The Hunter provides a means to enjoy such moments in comfort.

For anyone whose experience in 27-footers is determined by boats like the Bristol 27 of the 1960s–me, for one–the Hunter 27 offers a new yardstick. Thanks to its plumb stem, long waterline, broad beam, and high freeboard, there’s elbow room everywhere the older boats lack it: in the V-berth (in this layout, essentially an extension of the saloon), the saloon (with comfortable seating for at least six around a central table), the head (complete with shower), and the galley. In addition, the Hunter provides an aft cabin complete with a hanging locker, a seat, and a huge athwartships berth under the cockpit–all wrapped into a package with crisp and attractive lines.

An inboard engine, a 9-horsepower Yanmar, is standard, and access to it is generous, particularly from the front: The companionway steps hinge up, their weight taken by gas struts, to reveal most of the maintenance points and a water heater for the shower.

The Hunter 27 is also quite nicely equipped for sailing. The mainsheet is double-ended–one end with a 3:1 purchase for quick trimming, and the other with a 6:1 ratio for fine-tuning–and the cockpit is laid out for easy singlehanding. The standard rig is a fractional B&R arrangement with optional in-mast furling.

Another big-boat feature is the wheel steering. At 27 feet, the boat is at the margin between the practicality of a tiller and the comfort of a wheel, but Hunter insists the market has embraced wheel steering, so a wheel it is. The optional Lewmar folding wheel further improves access to the walk-through transom, but it’s pushed so far aft to open up the cockpit that the stern lifeline interferes with the helm seat. As on all Hunters, back-seat drivers can second-guess the skipper from perches in the corner pushpits, but they’d better not be too critical, as guest spots on this boat will be easy to fill.

Given the trend among builders in recent years to bring out ever bigger boats, it’s encouraging to know that the market for pocket cruisers remains vibrant enough to produce such a variety of practical, fun, and versatile craft.

Jeremy McGeary is Cruising World’s senior editor.

Com-Pac Eclipse

LOA 18′ 5″ (5.61 m.) LWL 18′ 1″ (5.51 m.) Beam 7′ 4″ (2.23 m.) Draft 1′ 6″ /5′ 2″ (.46/1.57 m.) Sail Area(100%) 200 sq. ft. (18.6 sq. m.) Ballast 700 lb. (318 kg.) Displacement 2,200 lb. (1,000 kg.) Water 5 gal. (19 l.) Fuel 6.5 gal. in portable tank (25 l.) Engine Outboard (optional) Designer Com-Pac Yachts Price $23,000

Com-Pac Yachts (727) 443-4408 www.com-pacyachts.com

LOA 23′ 11″ (7.30 m.) LWL 22′ 0″ (6.71 m.) Beam 8′ 2″ (2.50 m.) Draft (Standard/tandem keel) 4′ 11″/2′ 9″ (1.5/.85 m.) Sail Area(100%) 277 sq. ft. (25.6 sq. m.) Ballast (Standard/tandem keel) 1,100/1,144 lb. (500/520 kg.) Displacement (Standard/tandem keel) 3,960/4,004 lb. (1,800/1,820 kg.) Water 13.15 gal. (50 l.) Fuel Optional; 8 gal. (30 l.) Engine 10-hp. Yanmar inboard diesel (optional) or outboard Designer Marc-Oliver von Ahlen, Etap Yachting N.V. Price $60,000

Etap USA (866) 382-7872 www.etap-usa.com

LOA 27′ 4″ (8.33 m.) LWL 23′ 7″ (7.19 m.) Beam 9′ 11″ (3.02 m) Draft (Shoal/deep) 3′ 5″/5′ 0″ (1.04/1.52 m.) Sail Area(100%) 298 sq. ft. (27.6 sq. m.) Ballast (Shoal/deep) 2,052/1,901 lb. (930/861 kg.) Displacement (Shoal/deep) 7,656/7,505 lb. (3,480/3,411 kg.) Water 20 gal. (76 l.) Fuel 15 gal. (57 l.) Engine Yanmar 9 hp. (base); 18 hp. (deluxe) Designer Glenn Henderson and Hunter Marine Design Team Price $51,000 (base), $57,000 (deluxe)

Hunter Marine Corporation (386) 462-3077 www.huntermarine.com

LOA 32′ 0″ (9.75 m.) LWL 31′ 6″ (9.60 m.) Beam 16′ 0″ (4.88 m.) Draft (Board up/down) 1′ 6″/5′ 0″ (.46/1.52 m.) Sail Area(100%) 417 sq. ft. (38.8 sq. m.) Ballast NA Displacement 4,800 lb. (2,182 kg.) Water 35 gal. (133 l.) Fuel 24 gal. (91 l.) Engine Two Yamaha 9.9-hp. four-stroke outboards Designer Ted Strain Price $130,000

TomCat Boats (905) 584-1236 www.tomcatboats.com

• More: 2001 - 2010 , 21 - 30 ft , Boat Gallery , Coastal Cruising , com-pac , day sailing , keelboat , monohull , multihull , Sailboat Reviews , Sailboats , under 20 ft
• More Sailboats

Sailboat Review: Tartan 455

Meet the Bali 5.8

Celebrating a Classic

New to the Fleet: Italia Yachts 12.98

Grenadines Boat Hijacking Suspects Charged with Murder

13 Hours in a Life Raft

• Digital Edition
• Customer Service
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Email Newsletters
• Cruising World
• Florida Travel + Life
• Sailing World
• Salt Water Sportsman
• Sport Fishing
• Wakeboarding