LIVE FROM PARIS BOAT SHOW: HERE YOU ARE SOME INTERESTING “FLOATING” ITEMS

Nautic Paris Boat Show is held at year-end as the last among the international boat shows. Consequently, it can offer no emotions in terms of genuinely absolute news (except from ribs). However, it is always an interesting source of exciting extraordinary boats, extravagant projects and ideas we probably will never in the sea but which are able to pique our curiosity anyway.

Let’s start from Gazelle des Sable, a small fiberglass boat replying the lines of the old typical vessels of Vandea region, in France. She’s 2-7 m long, 1.22 m wide, with a draught of 45 cm and a 50-kilogramme-water tank which makes her more stable.

She can be provided with a simple lug mainsail (in the classic Cat Boat configuration) or even with a Bermudian sloop,  a gaff topsail and spinnaker. The boat is also equipped with a small standard wheel, located under the keel, to ease haulage and launch, in addition to an optional electric engine integrated into the keel and solar panels. Prices are from 6,960 euros. The yard also proposes boats up to 3.9 m.

Small and interesting, but certainly not real boats, are Elva Sport Finboards. A rich catalogue of boards to surf and enjoy sea. They are available in many versions, included a carbon one, but what we particularly liked is that provided with a sail and a small long keel. Thanks to a small detachable carbon mast, the sail raises in an instant ensuring an a really exciting experience. Prices are from 890 euros (fiberglass basic model) up to 1350 euros for the carbon top version.

Finally, Black Pepper Code# is a 7-metre vintage boat designed by Marc Lombard and made of carbon and epoxy resin. 8.2 m long, 2.55 m wide, she weights 1400 Kg, half of which are in the mobile fin (draught: 0.8-2.2 m). Sail area is 45 square metres and can reach 110 square metres when sailing at high speed. Below deck, there’s enough room for two berths. The boat is pushed by a standard 10 HP inboard motor. Despite the vintage style, performances promise to bee charged-up. Prices are from 150,000 euros. Following the same philosophy, the yard produces boats up to 17 m.