This is a new category to SAIL’s annual Best Boat’s award, and one we are happy to promote, given the state of the world’s environment and the fact that no other boat has ever gone so far to be “green” as the Eko 6.5. This 21-foot Classe Mini production boat is built using a new resin made from recycled soda bottles. Instead of gel coat, an eco-friendly paint keeps moisture out of the laminate below the waterline. The keel is cast by a Texas supplier who recycles the sand used in the process, and the bulb is made from lead removed from boats that were destroyed by Hurricane Ike.
Katie Amback sailed the first of these production boats to Bermuda in this year’s Bermuda 1-2, proving that going green is both ecologically responsible and a smart way to build ocean-going sailboats. For more information, visit thirdcoastcomposites.com
SPECS
LOA: 21ft 4in
Beam: 9ft 10in
Draft: 6ft 6in
Displacement: 2,040 lbs
Sail area: 401 sq ft.
Design: Pierre Rolland
