Tuesday, November 18, 2014

RS Elite Keelboat





Designed by Phil Morrison for members of the Hayling Island Sailing Club in 2003, the RS Elite Keelboat has become popular at several clubs, including the Royal Burnham Yacht Club, where fifteen Elites entered the National Championships held between 14th and 17th July, 2014.*

RS stands for Racing Sailboats, which business manufactures and markets a wide range of racing dinghies, keelboats and a catamaran.

I am not normally interested in racing sailboats, but the RS Elite has attractive sharpie lines that remind me somewhat of the Star class Olympic boat that Phil Morrison campaigned in 1983/4.

Phil is a very successful designer of racing dinghies and keelboats and an equally successful helmsman who has won many trophies.

If you like the look of an RS Elite Keelboat, she’ll set you back £29,150, and that’s without a road trailer! There is a second-hand one advertised at Noble Marine for £9,995:  http://www.noblemarine.co.uk/class/RS-Elite/ , and there’s another at Clark and Carter for £8,000: http://www.clarkeandcarter.co.uk/brokerage-boats/searchfullspecs.php?DocumentID=4743586

Links

RS Sailing.com


RS Elite Keelboat


RS Elite Class Association


RS Elite


RS Elite Sailboatdata.com


*RS Elite 2014 National Championships


RS Elite National Championships Results


Phil Morrison


Phil Morrison


Phil Morrison


Phil Morrison Boat Designs


2013 Crewsaver RS Elite Stadium Cup


Line Drawing of the RS Elite


Royal Burnham Yacht Club RS Elite Events


Hayling Island Sailing Club – RS Elite News


Star Class


Sharpie

4 comments:

Brian said...

Hi Bill, I test sailed an Elite at Lymington. Wonderful boat, sailed like a witch. Oddly, I felt she sailed almost too well, didn't need me at all! My little Scow needed immense input too go well, the Eleite never seemed to slow down below 5 knots even though we were sailing in light winds. I was on the mooring list, but did not yet have a mooring on the River, so did not go ahead. Not long after a mooring was offered but the chanvpce had gone. There is now a good fleet at Lymington, people moving over from the X Boats. The boat was not designed to plane, proper displacement hull, but she will,actually plane, they think she is getting lift from the flat bottom of her lead keel. Great boat.

Bursledon Blogger said...

Bill lovely boat, but £29k for a new one v's £9k for a 9 year old, that's serious depreciation for a boat.

William Serjeant said...

Thanks for the input Brian.

There's no doubt in my mind that the Elite is fast. I would be more interested in a cruising version with reduced sail area and a cuddy. RS do a cruising boat, the Venture Keel, but she's far too open for me.

Cheers,
Bill.

William Serjeant said...

Max,

She is a lovely boat, and I don't say that often about 'plastic' ones.

You are right about the horrendous depreciation. As she is a one-design boat, I wouldn't have expected this to be the case.

Cheers,
Bill.