Classic Boat – The masterpieces of the late 1980s and early 1990s

We told you about
Classic Boat
and presented you with the most significant ones, brilliant projects that deserve to be celebrated and considered for their value(HERE). To explore the topic as it deserves, Contextualizing each project and each boat to its time, here is now a series of in-depth articles, brief analyses of design canons, their evolutions and the Classic Boats themselves, period by period. On the heels of the previous episode (HERE), devoted to the second half of the 1980s, we now look at the transition period between these and the early 1990s, an era of change in so many ways.

Classic Boat – The masterpieces of the late 1980s and early 1990s

With the advent of the 1990s, design is definitely approaching a new season. The advent of the new system of rating, the IMS, is beginning to become more and more encumbered, and design standards are increasingly disrupted by the use of digital technologies, the adoption of “exotic” composite materials, and the introduction of new drifts, bulbs, and ballasts. We are on the cusp of one era as it mixes with another, producing boats that perform better and better and closer to our contemporary standards.

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Classic Boats 1989-1992 – The end of a design decade.

With 1989 came a turning point. The year before, Beneteau shocked the landscape by introducing its
First 35S
, signed by a designer more than a stranger to the sailing world and opening it wide to the “land-based” pop market. Now the two Slovenian brothers Jacopin are at it, designing for Elan one of the most distinctive boats of the period, a forerunner of so many to follow: the

Elan 431

, distinctive for its innovative stepped stern and very low retractable deckhouse.

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Also joining in innovating is Jeanneau, which introduced as many as 3 different models in the same year. While in fact launching the Sun Fast 39 e Sun Charme 39, basically the same, although used for different purposes, it is, however, with the Sun Odyssey 51 signed by Farr and J&J that leaves the Paris Motor Show audience in awe, strong with performance lines and, above all, double rudders in the cockpit.

True to the shipyard’s line and family feeling, however, the Pardo instead introduces the beautiful

Grand Soleil 42

(image above), signed by the great hands of Frers that continues in the line of its previous success, the
G.S. 52
. Also by Frers, a great Scandinavian classic is also coming out at the same time, a boat that doesn’t look anyone in the face, be they regulations or proven racers. It is the

Hallberg Rassy 36 MKi

, a bluewater of excellence whose supremely elegant lines are defined by a clear and secure deck.

The “frenzy” of the end of the decade did not touch Frers, however, who, in keeping with the shipyard’s tradition, churned out a resounding success here, with no fewer than 606 hulls produced. She was joined by only one other major bluewater in 1989, the

Super Maramu

by Amel, a globetrotting boat by definition, a 16-meter ketch produced in over 400 examples.

Classic Boats 1989-1992 – The Turning Point of 1990

1990 opened with a striking project. No one had ever dared so much. Vallicelli studio signs the

Genesis 43

, a break with every previous pattern, a design never seen before. Every on-board component is specifically designed for her, the solutions are ingenious, unique, and Comar thus gives her clean slate to the past, defining for all the opening of a new decade.

Similarly does X-Yachts, which with Jeppesen at the pencil signs a hull totally free of IOR influences, and indeed designed to meet IMS handicaps as best as possible. Thus was born the very popular

X-412

, an unparalleled trendsetter that set the standard for so many designs to come. The bow is narrow, fine, the maximum beam is abundant and remains so almost to the transom. Much of the wetted surface is thus shifted behind the shaft, as is the center of drift, whose turbulence is also improved to the maximum.

At the same time, Frers is back in the news by signing yet another Hallberg Rassy, here reaching its apotheosis. It is the

Hallberg Rassy 42 (F)

, the pinnacle of the globetrotting boat, the very image evoked by the shipyard’s name. Here, the innovation is not in the upheaval, but in the constant self-improvement: the boat is a success, it is safe, and it goes everywhere, all the time.

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Classic Boats 1989-1992 – Smaller and faster

If part of the 1980s gave us some of the most iconic and greatest fast cruisers ever, the early 1990s set the decade with a more restrained formula. The fast cruiser remains, but it is taken to its extreme, both in terms of performance and accessibility. Thus, “big” boats decrease and the trend stops at 10 to 12 meters. Of the most significant, there are three Classic Boats that perhaps remain most in memory, all signed by some of the greatest archistars of the period.

• Discover all Classic Boats of Historical Value by Giornale della Vela

The smallest, at 9.99 meters, is a great homegrown classic, the

Fax

by Jezequel, designed for Zuanelli. It is the shipyard’s big attempt in the world of fast cruising, and it is a success. Indeed, it turns out to be an agile, solid and safe boat, and features futuristic solutions, starting with the design of the deckhouse, which we will see appear again and again in later designs.

Also Italian is a big hit from ’92, the

Este 39

(11.95 meters) signed by Vallicelli, a perfect example of a cruiser/racer with clean lines, without excess, joined by another big hit, this time by Jeppesen, the

IMX-38

, destined to become an icon among offshore monotypes. It is indeed a design as aggressive as it is intelligent, another success story of X-Yachts. Produced in 92 examples, it was immediately considered a great boat, not only performing well under the new IMS racing rules, but also pleasing and concretely beautiful.

Three “tidbits” about Classic Boats

• Want to learn more about the world of Classic Boats (1967-1998), the iconic boats of the period, the legendary designers, the stories and races of the “golden age” of sailing? Check out our section dedicated to Classic Boats!
• Want to find out what Classic Boats of Historical Value by Journal of Sailing are? Find them all HERE!
• Do you have a Classic Boat to sell? Put it (for free) on our classifieds market!
• Do you have a Classic Boat? Participate in the SAIL CUP with your boat. There is a special ranking for you! Find out which stage is right for you!