TOP TEN LA ROCHELLE. We reveal 10 boats that couldn’t be more different

We returned today from the La Rochelle boat show is one of the must-attend events for sailors, but also for the world’s leading shipyards. It is also an opportunity to see several models on the dock that along our shores have never peeped (and some are unlikely to). We have selected ten boats that differ in square footage, style, and market. Which one is your favorite?

1. Django 12.70

Managing to make a 12.70-meter with a “disproportionate” deckhouse and not make it look clumsy. Here is the gamble won by the French shipyard Marée Haute, which on this its model gives the owner a choice between fixed keel and lifting keel. All aimed at conducting with a small crew. www.maree-haute.fr

2. Dehler 42

Without any doubt, a true Dehler capable of combining a sporty line with solutions suitable for cruising. Interiors are available in two or three cabins. Of interest is the patented Dehler UNI Door, which is a door that divides the bathroom from the living room or, by rotating, separates the shower room from the toilet. www.dehler.it

3. Bali 4.3

No doubt about it, the legendary French shipyard Catana has won its bet, which is to launch a range of catamarans dedicated to the purest cruising. A choice that made purists doubt two years ago. Instead, the special solutions adopted on these models, such as the aft bulkhead that opens completely joining the cockpit and the saloon, appealed greatly to the public. www.adriaship.it

4. Solaris 42

Designed by Soto Acebal, it impressed French shipowners with its attention to detail: Hull and deck are made of Airex sandwich of PVC, E-glass fiber and Vinylester, are vacuum laminated and bonded during lamination as well as the reinforcing latticework found on the hull and the 40 mm composite main bulkheads. At the points of greatest stress, lamination occurs in unidirectional and bidirectional. www.solarisyacht.com

5. Ikone 7.50

Espace Vag is a Breton shipyard that has chosen to take a well-defined path: to rig its models in “cat” style, that is, with a mast without shrouds and very bowed and without the presence … of the jib! A widely used rig in the past, which the French shipyard has chosen to re-present modernized and with extensive use of carbon. www.espace-vag.com

6. Dufour 512 Grand Large

They liked the changes in this latest evolution of one of the transalpine shipyard’s most successful models, the 510 Grand Large, which has had a makeover, especially internally, focusing on streamlining space and even greater attention to detail. Thus it could not miss, for example, the cockpit barbecue, now a real “must-have,” launched by Dufour itself. www.dufour-yachts.com

7. Mojito 8.88

We had already told you about it, but we can only repeat ourselves: the boat that is depopulating in France really has striking solutions. At 8.88 meters long and 3.45 meters wide, it has a movable drift that brings the draft down from 2.25 to only 0.95 meters. The hull design, with very pronounced edges, leads the Mojito 8.88 to glide under asymmetrical spi above fifteen knots. Plus-it has a garage for the tender! www.idbmarine.com

8. Boreal 52

It is not easy to enter the market for “adventure boats,” those ready to face any sea and any weather condition. This latest model from the Breton shipyard, named last year among the European boats of the year, has all the makings of one, having added to the solid construction also interior comfort solutions that its predecessors somewhat lacked. www.boreal-yachts.com

9. Troll 26

A “fantasy” name for an eight-meter born from an Italian pencil, that of Paolo Bua. Elegant, built entirely by master craftsmen, it was made possible by a crowfunding operation that followed the fire that destroyed the site last year. In its first sea outings it also demonstrated great marine qualities, not just aesthetic pleasantness. www.chantierdesileaux.com

10. XO Classic

Thin, inverted prow and water lines that flatten toward the stern, following the dictates of the sportiest boats around, albeit with a more “genteel” style. The 50% ballast ratio makes it a rigid boat to canvas. Its minimal wetted surface gives it agility to maneuver even with little wind. www.xosailers.com

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