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Boat test SB20 restyled Rupert Holmes takes a spin in the latest SB20 and discovers the class has lost none of its old appeal… s many readers will know, last Concept summer the Laser SB3 sportsboat – a runaway success for many years When taking over production it would have – was given a makeover as the SB20. been possible to make a large number of AThe move came after designer Tony Castro, improvements and at one stage a list of almost who had retained the original rights, awarded 100 possible changes was mooted. However, Sportsboat World the worldwide license for the many of these had the potential to signifi cantly supply and service of new boats and spares. out-class existing boats and Alan and Jerry The company was formed by Alan Hillman, were keen that, apart from being stiffer (as whose specialist SB20 business Rigging Gurus a consequence of being new) the new boats had a 10-year history of supporting the class, should not offer a performance advantage that and Jerry Hill, a former world champion and could not be easily replicated on existing boats. international class chairman. As a result, in conjunction with the At the same time production of the boats – international class association, the list was which had been sub-contracted to a company whittled down to half a dozen simple changes, in Malaysia since 2003 – was brought back all but one of which is easy to retrofi t to to the UK, in the hands of Rob White’s White existing boats, with none detracting from the Formula boat builders in Brightlingsea, Essex. strict one-design ethos of the class. Perhaps the White already knew the boat well, having most immediately noticeable change is the more been involved with the class at the outset as contemporary styling, including the option of he built the fi rst 55-60 boats, which remained black sails, developed in conjunction with long- in demand compared to later boats, even as standing class sailmakers Hyde; black anodised they aged. The fi rst new SB20 was completed Selden spars and a choice of hull colours. in August 2012 and since then roughly two per month have been completed. Deck and rig 1 SPECIFICATIONS A huge amount of effort and experience went into planning the original layout of the boat. LOA 6.2m This was a key reason for its original success D r a u g h t ( k e e l d o w n ) 1.5m and means little needed to be changed. The Displacement 685kg cunningham, for instance, has been reworked Max crew weight 270kg so that it’s easier to adjust on both tacks and Sail area: Mainsail 18sq m the main halyard cleat changed so that it Jib 9.3sq m won’t catch on the lazy jib sheet. Windsurfer- Asymmetric 46sq m style foot straps have been added to help keep the helm on board when powering downwind in a big blow. There are also sail detail improvements, including a top batten adjuster and much stronger tack sliders. More signifi cantly, as well as new moulds for the hull and deck, the moulds for the foils have been re-tooled with CNC-cut aluminium. As a result the foil section comes straight out of the mould with much greater accuracy, and requires little or no refi nishing, which translates to reduced costs for these items. Increasing the carbon content and ensuring the insertion of a tube in the leading edge of the rudder blade have addressed the production issue that caused a number of rudders built in the Far East to fail. Another important change is to the top of the keel, which is 4mm wider than the foil. It’s not 2 a big difference and makes no change to 58 Yachts & Yachting September 2013 www.yachtsandyachting.co.uk 1665 Test SB20 (4).indd 58 23/07/2013 11:13 Signifi cantly, the moulds for the foils have been re-tooled with CNC-cut aluminium 4 3 MIddle crewman controls the main. Helm can adjust backstay to depower Crew sits inside the rail upwind Maximum crew 1 2 3 5 weight enables four medium to small, or three large to race evenly 4 The rudder has been strengthened 5 Hiking downwind September 2013 Yachts & Yachting 59 1665 Test SB20 (4).indd 59 23/07/2013 11:13 The SB20 class Some 700 boats had been built when Sportsboat World took over responsibility as the class supplier and there was already an active worldwide class association. The company is continuing to work with and support new markets for the class, including sourcing second-hand boats to help kick- start new fl eets in emerging markets. There are now strong fl eets in UK, Ireland, Australia, Portugal and big growth in Singapore, France and the Middle East. The last two years has also seen very rapid growth in Russia, especially in St Petersburg, where there are now 60 boats. Much of this is down to the enthusiasm for the class of Oleg Zherebtsov, the man behind the Russian entry in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, who has been a big driver of the St Petersburg SB20 fl eet’s growth. New events for 2013 include three European Grand Slam events that take place over a long weekend – the fi rst two were at Hyeres in the South of France and Italy’s Lake Garda. The third is at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, where the class will have two races per day over the fi rst four days of the regatta. Long-term a programme of 6-10 such long weekends per year is planned, plus a world championship that will be in Hyeres next year and in St Petersburg in 2014. ABOVE The black sails are new from Hyde RIGHT Foot straps for the helm to prevent man overboard in fast downwind conditions performance, but it prevents particles of grit fi ve knots of wind, which would have been and allowing the focus to switch as much to from scratching a newly-faired keel. enough to easily take off at speed. tactics as boat speed. Upwind the balance and feel in the helm The long-standing weight limit of 270kg Under sail could only be described as perfect – a very has proved successful, allowing for teams light touch in the benign conditions we of three medium-to-large or four small-to- From the start the ethos was always that the enjoyed, but with lovely balance and plenty medium people, while ensuring major events stainless steel bar on the gunwale would prevent of feedback. Throughout the test she had the are not won by a crew of ultra-heavy sailors crews hiking upwind, but that you could do so precise and relaxed feel of a thoroughbred. that leaves no-one else with a decent chance. downwind, when weight needs to be moved aft, behind the bar. A key reason for this is that it was recognised from the outset that the dynamic on board becomes very different if everyone Apart from being sti! er, new boats should sits inboard. You can talk about strategy and tactics with everyone involved all the time – it’s very different to many larger sportsboats (and not o! er a performance advantage that yachts) where the crew hikes with legs over the side, leaving the helm alone to drive, trim the mainsail and worry about tactics. could not be easily replicated On the SB20 the effective mainsheet and traveller is controlled by the middle crew member, while the helm can use the powerful One criticism of the class that is sometimes Jerry says that, while it’s important to be backstay to depower the mainsail in gusts. aired is that the blisteringly fast downwind close to the weight limit, there’s no great Our test was off Hill Head in the Solent in a performance comes at the price of long performance advantage to be gained from the south-westerly wind averaging around 10-12 upwind legs – after all there’s a limit to the fi nal 15-20kg – selecting crew for their sailing knots, with occasional slightly stronger puffs. speed that a 20-footer can make upwind. In ability is more important than their weight. In the lighter airs downwind the boat was some classes this can be a tiring slog, with dropping into displacement mode, but picked energy-sapping hiking needed throughout to Verdict up readily in the puffs, quickly accelerating maintain position in the fl eet. However, this to speeds touching 10 knots and occasionally is where the gunwale bars come in – they Sportsboat World’s involvement with the class more. It was a real shame not to have an extra prevent hiking, so conserving physical energy goes well beyond building new boats – the 60 Yachts & Yachting September 2013 www.yachtsandyachting.co.uk 1665 Test SB20 (4).indd 60 23/07/2013 11:13 time, knowing you can get exactly the items you need from a reliable supplier is invaluable. It also helps to have people in charge who actively sail the boats, know what can break and understand the disappointment associated with losing out on racing if a part cannot be supplied – it’s much bigger than the value of the broken component. Unlike many alternative sportsboats, the overall running costs of an SB20 are relatively modest – a medium saloon car is all that’s needed to tow the boat long distances, an expensive mooring is not required and even sails are not prohibitively expensive.

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