The SB3 (stands for sportboat for three people), hugely popular in Europe, made its American debut at the Annapolis sailboat show earlier this month. It seems to have hit the elusive target that sportboat designers shoot for—a fun, fast, durable, and reasonably affordable raceboat. To that end, there’s some carbon used in the bowsprit and foils, but the rest of the boat uses tried-and-true materials—durable fiberglass for the hull and aluminum for the rig.
But don’t be fooled by its conservative look; it’s got a deep torpedo bulb keel, plenty of sail area, and a hull that will plane. Maybe its best feature is that it can be easily launched at a trailer ramp. The keel retracts with a simple winch post similar to that of the Melges 24.
It looks like a fun three person boat, and time will tell if the class catches on here as much as it has across the pond.
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