Boat Review: Malbec 18 Plenty modern, but also a throwback to the classic trailersailers of the 70s and 80s
From 2010 until 2016, Ken Lange owned and operated International Marine, the Southern-California company famous for building the West Wight Potter line of sailboats. Ken’s ownership tenure saw many changes, perhaps most signifi- cantly the addition of the Sanibel 18 and Voyager 20 designs to the International Marine line. But aſter five challenging years in the
production boat business, when a for- eign investment group came knocking, Ken was content to sell the business and move on to other pursuits. As it turns out, those “other things” didn’t hold his interest long. It was during his brief semi-retirement that Ken stumbled upon an intriguing 18-foot sailboat being built down in Argentina. “It caught my eye,” Ken says, “because
in addition to being nice-looking, it had some definite similarities to the Potters— most notably the hard-chine.” Te Argentinian-built Ruesch 5.5, as
it was called then, with its hard chine, sloop rig and centerboard beach-ability, did seem Potter-ish, only sleeker, with some of the boxiness rounded off. The nascent South American builder had only produced about 14 boats, but Ken could imagine the design catching on in the United States market. Before long he was on his way to Argentina for a test sail. “She sailed great,” he says. “Plenty
stable, and faster than the Potters. And the bigger cockpit will handle four or five aboard comfortably.” With the foreign investors failing to
do anything with the Potter line (ap- parently no boats have been built since the sale), Ken formed a new company named Ventura Sport Boats, and made arrangements to begin U.S. production of the Ruesch 5.5. “All of the sudden I was back in the
business,” he says. As much as he liked the new design,
there were plenty of things he wanted to change, not the least of which was the name. Recalling the pleasant flavors of the Argentinian wine variety, Ken decided to call new boat the “Malbec 18.” Drawing on his decade of experience
building similar boats, Ken decided to both upgrade the interior, and to change
60
the cockpit so it would accommodate gas-tank stowage aſt along with a series of new hatches. But maybe his biggest changes were to rig and centerboard. Where the original Ruesch 5.5 had a
heavily weighted centerboard requiring a winch, Ken and his crew—remembering the configuration of their Sanibel 18— opted for an easily-hoisted lightweight board, and 325 pounds of fixed internal ballast down below the mast compres- sion post. The resultant setup is more user-friendly and reportedly offers similar overall stability. Te rig also saw changes. “Argentina is a tougher place to build
a boat,” Ken says. “In the U.S. we have access to the best of the best.” As part of the design upgrade, Ken went with the higher-aspect, more substantial, and very familiar, Potter 19 rig on the Malbec, adding a little sail area in process. “It ended up being a perfect fit,” Ken says. Fortunately for us, one of the first Mal-
bec 18s sold went to sailor Sue Bamford, who lives in the San Juan Islands. Since the San Juans are practically our front yard, we decided to buzz up to the islands to meet both Ken and Sue during the week her boat was delivered.
PERFORMANCE: “I have only sailed on one of these once and slept one night on it, but I was impressed with its quality and sailing characteristics;
So impressed that I purchased one I hope will be ready in early October.” Dana Cole
“Have had it out in all conditions now and it points very well.” Sue Bamford, 2018 Blubird.
When we arrived in Friday Harbor, Ken was working with Sue on the last few rigging details, but the Malbec looked well-outfitted and ready for adventure. A short time later we motored from the slip and were headed out toward busy San Juan Channel. Our first impression—beyond noting
the boat’s better-than-expected looks— was that the Malbec felt quite stable ini- tially. With three of us aboard in the light air there was no concern about where to sit to balance or trim the boat. Aſter hoisting the main and unfurling
the jib we were off on something like a triangle course, trying to get a feel for the Malbec on all points. With the light and fluky winds—not to mention the strong currents swirling between the islands—it was a tricky day to draw many perfor- mance conclusions, but a few things were readily apparent. First, the Malbec had a perfect helm, with just a touch of weather,
ABOVE—The Malbec charging along on the Pacific Ocean. Courtesy Ventura Sport Boats
RIGHT—Sue Bamford’s new 18 in Friday Harbor. SMALL CRAFT ADVISOR
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
