The RS K6 is another option that was brought to my attention by the guys down at American Yacht Club in Rye NY. They were looking for a new small ~20′ sportboat for one design racing at the club. They didn’t care what anyone else had because they would be purchasing enough for an instant fleet anyway. I had gotten in touch with Jim and he invited me down for the test sail when they had a few RSs there but before they had decided it was the boat for them. Justin Scott also brought his Viper down so it was my first opportunity to see that boat as well.
The RS is a very neat little boat. It has EVERYTHING I want in a 20′ sportboat. It has a self tacking roller furling jib. It has a chute tube with a 1 line hoist and douse system. It also has enough of a bulb that you don’t need to hike if you’re out cruising. The boat is very easy to rig alone as it has a carbon rig that is very light (and very similar to the vipers). But I have one major issue with the boat. It feels like an overgrown 420 to me. I guess the designers were trying to make it similar to a 505 and basically a modern 505. So there is a centerboard like trunk in the middle of the boat. The boat is also quite narrow in comparison to the other’s we’re considering.
Basically when it all comes down to it, the boat should be perfect, but it’s size and cockpit layout wreck it for me. I did have a great time sailing them with Jim down at AYC though. They are awesome little boats and perfect for what they wanted. They take off quite easily downwind and have adjustments for everything. Here’s the specs:
- LOA 19 feet
- Beam 6 feet
- Draft ~5 feet (unsure)
- Displacement 616 Lbs
- Ballast 275.5 Lbs
- SA (upwind) 210 sq. ft.
- SA (downwind) 520 sq. ft. (with all 3 sails)
- RS’s K6 website
- Class Association
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