Daysailer
Corsair Pulse 600
It was heartening to see a whole crop of new daysailers at this year’s fall shows, including boats with one, two or three hulls. But in the end the judges decided the real standout in the group was the Corsair Pulse 600.
The Pulse 600 is a 20ft folding trimaran from the company that pioneered the genre. This new model has the same well-engineered structure for folding the amas as the original Corsair, as well as a ginpole and tackle to raise the mast. In 20 minutes, one person can get the boat from folded on the trailer to sailing across the water. The boat is also stable enough to be left afloat folded up, which many owners do in between sailing sessions to make getting underway that much easier.
Then there’s the boat’s performance. In moderate winds, the Pulse 600 is slippery and a joy to knock around in. In strong winds, the boat will be a veritable adrenaline generator, with speed to burn. Both a standard jib and an asymmetric chute are rigged on roller furlers.
Aft, there’s a genuine cockpit, so you don’t have to sprawl out on the trampolines (unless you want to). There’s also a nice little cuddy where you can toss your cooler and other miscellaneous gear, or perhaps let one of the kids take a nap if they happen to run out of gas during a long day on the water.
The amas have rather full sections to prevent burying the bows when the boat is driven hard in a strong wind. While this may reduce the ultimate speed a bit from that of a pure racing design, daysailing crews will appreciate the reduction in drama.
Corsair is cranking out the boats from its factory in Vietnam at a good rate and has started promoting a one-design class for racing. The Pulse 600’s combination of performance, handling, simplicity and trailerability should appeal to those who want fast, fun sailing without a lot of effort. corsairmarine.com
