Sailing Yacht Manufacturers | FREE-SPIRITED?
More and more people are taking up sailing as a hobby, and sailing yachts are becoming more sought-after every year. Sailing is simply something for all ages. According to the Forschungsvereinigung für die Sport- und Freizeitschifffahrt e.V. (the German research association for recreational boating), there are well over 500,000 boat owners in Germany alone. People have always been highly inventive when it comes to devising new ways of getting around on water: they built rafts, boats and eventually discovered the fascinating possibility of harnessing the power of the wind, building sailboats and sailing yachts. But where exactly is the difference?
Below, we would like to look at the differences between the various types of sailing yachts and introduce you to 10 of the most popular sailing yacht manufacturers in Europe.
The Difference Between a Sailboat and a Sailing Yacht
A sailboat exists purely for sailing and relies solely on the power of the wind. A sailing yacht, on the other hand, is much more: these days it has a permanently installed engine and offers amenities such as a toilet, a galley and even sleeping quarters.
But not every sailing yacht is the same: manufacturers distinguish between them in terms of construction, so that there are both keelboat yachts and dinghies.
What Distinguishes a Sailing Yacht From a Dinghy?
A sailboat that is longer than 10 meters and has a keel is generally referred to as a sailing yacht. Sailing dinghies have a centerboard instead of a keel, which means that their construction includes a plate that slides lengthwise and vertically through the hull into the water, preventing the boat from drifting sideways. Sailing yacht manufacturers use very different types of keel in their designs. A centerboard is considerably lighter than a keel and has the added advantage that it can be raised in shallow water. A keel, on the other hand, is heavy, but it can withstand steeper angles of heel.
Typically, sailing yacht manufacturers use short keels, also known as fin keels, or long keels. Classic yachts and older models are mostly built with long keels, which run along almost a third of the hull. Modern, newer yachts, by contrast, mostly have a short or fin keel with extra weight added at the so-called keel bulb. Sailing yachts used for racing are generally fitted with a canting keel. It can be swung at a right angle to the length of the boat. This greatly reduces overall weight and keeps the yacht optimally balanced at steep angles of heel.
The Most Popular Manufacturers at a Glance
To give you a quick overview, we have put together the 10 most popular sailing yacht manufacturers in Europe below.
The list of the most popular manufacturers
- Atlantic Yachts from the Netherlands
- Contest from the Netherlands
- Dehler from Germany
- Hanse Yachts from Germany
- Bavaria from Germany
- B-Yachts from Italy
- Jeanneau from France
- Outremer from France
- Elan Yachts from Slovenia
- Faurby from Denmark