The Phobos 22 was tested recently by yacht.de and they had posted some nice pictures and a movie:
They found it fast, interesting and able to sail with gusting winds. the max speed registered on the test was 8.5K downwind (with Spi) and that is just great for a 22ft boat that costs 25000 euros, but it is good not to forget that this is a boat not much different from the Viko 22s even if with less freeboard.
These boats are practically dinghies assisted with some ballast and boats that upwind, except in very light winds will need the weight of the crew for counterbalancing heel. Not properly the ideal type of stability for a cruising boat, even a small one. I doubt this one will have a better final stability than the 22s. Strictly a lac or a protected water boat an even so, boats to sail with care in gusting situations. This type of boat is inexpensive to build and have in their price their biggest advantage. They may be the right and possible boat for many. Certainly will be much better than nothing on in land waters...and 8.5k speed seems fun to me ;-)
http://www.boatshop24.com/en/dalpol-yacht-phobos-22-sport-year-2013-/Sailboat/357766#THE SAPHIRE 27
Both boats have in common to be easily trailerable and they have a not a very different weight but the similitude stops there. The Sapphire is not only bigger as it is a true sports boat with an adequate stability for a weekend cruiser due to a bigger draft, almost all ballast on a bulb (on the Phobos 22 most of it is on the bottom of the hull, inside the boat) and a bigger B/D ratio. The price is also completely different with the Saphire costing in excess of two times more. It is a boat thought for sheltered waters even if will not have a problem in coastal waters if not in very rough conditions.
Here you can see a Safier 27 going downwind and probably some of you are thinking: Another maximized boat to go fast downwind, well, not this one, quite the opposite. This is an upwind boat with a good performance downwind too. This was the boat elected this year as European boat of the year (special category) and it surprised all with its incredibly good performance in very light air, being faster than other much bigger performance cruisers. This is a relatively narrow boat (2.5m) with a lifting torpedo keel (0.45/1.70M) and a big B/D ratio (39%), a boat that is not designed to be solo sailed (even if it can be) but to be sailed in optimal conditions by a very small crew (2 or 3).
This is one of my favorite small boats and I find it perfect for racing, for weekend cruising or day sailing, specially in protected waters. Lot's of sailing fun and enough interior space for a family with two small kids. The other favorite is the Seascape 27, a completely different boat that has in common with this one the size, speed (with different strong points), the pleasure in what regards sailing and to be trailerable. On one of the next posts I will do a comparative between the two. It will be interesting since they are very different boats with different hulls and keels but both with a great sailing performance (even if with different strong points).
More movies and information here:
http://www.saphireboats.com/
http://de.saphireboats.com/system/files/60/50193ea976.pdf
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