ABOVE—Another color scheme, David Brown’s boat Windlass. RIGHT TOP—The handy lazarette with beefy backing plate for outboard. RIGHT BOTTOM—The Malbec logo.


shore boat, we thought the Malbec felt plenty safe for her intended purpose of sailing lakes, bays and near-shore coastal cruising. Maybe most important was the 450-pounds of fixed ballast, but there were other more subtle features that inspired confidence as well. A fairly deep cockpit with stout stainless side rails, 7-inch wide non-skid side decks with 2-inch toe-rails, stainless cabintop grabrails, and a stainless bow pulpit, will help keep crew aboard. The boom is fairly short and sets quite high, meaning it


doesn’t interfere with crew at all, and sail controls are easily accessed and operated—all things that will be appreciated during challenging conditions. Te cockpit is self-draining and features a 17.5-inch-high


companionway sill to shield the cabin from potential flooding. And as a last line of defense, the Malbec includes enough foam to keep her afloat even if the worst should happen. The Malbec does well on our SCA Seaworthiness Test,


scoring 174.


ACCOMMODATIONS: “While there may literally be room for four below deck, I can’t imagine more than two sleeping there with even a modicum of comfort. Similarly, the cockpit would be very crowded with its advertised room for six. Four people, however, were comfortable. Tere end up being a lot of lines underfoot on the cockpit, which could use a couple more cleats.” David Brown


We thought the Malbec cockpit was comfortable and well 64 SMALL CRAFT ADVISOR


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