The SKAW [A]: A New Take on Fast Cruising
At the start of September, Lorient-based start-up SKAW Sailing, led by Benoît Marie and Caroline Boule, launched its first yacht: the SKAW [A], a radical new cruising yacht that brings offshore racing know-how into the world of performance cruising.
The SKAW [A] is the first foiling scow conceived for the cruising market. It is aimed at owners looking for genuine speed on the water without compromising on comfort, simplicity or interior volume.
For SKAW Sailing, the launch marks an important milestone. For several years, the company has been working to transfer the experience gained in offshore racing into a new generation of cruising yachts.
The SKAW [A] is currently in Lorient, while the first images of the yacht were unveiled today at the Cannes Yachting Festival, where the SKAW Sailing team, specialists in bespoke yacht design, can be found on stand Sail 183.
Benoît Marie, naval architect of the SKAW [A], explains the thinking behind this unconventional yacht.
Scow
“This is the future. The scow hull form brings a whole range of advantages. It is faster, more comfortable and creates considerably more volume. In many ways, it is a monohull 2.0.
The scow hull pushes the water downwards, helping to keep the deck dry while providing excellent stability upwind, reaching and downwind. A conventional pointed bow cuts through the wave and tends to send water over the deck.
That is why the SKAW [A] was designed from the outset with a rounded bow. It also reflects the experience Caroline and I gained sailing our 6.50-metre prototype, Nicomatic – Petit Bateau.”
Foils
“Foils are also part of the future of cruising. That is why we wanted them on the SKAW [A]: they increase the yacht’s power and improve lateral stability.
We have kept the system deliberately simple. The foils work much like retractable centreboards. If you want to sail flat, you simply deploy them. Because they retract completely, they also make manoeuvring and coming alongside much easier. The yacht is no wider than its hull.
The foils also allow you to carry less sail, reduce heel and still maintain performance.”
Aerodynamics
“Aerodynamics are fundamental to the work we do at the SKAW Lab design office.
With the SKAW [A], we wanted to create a very clean, streamlined shape, both above deck and through the hull. The lines of the yacht had to express the idea of speed that lies at the heart of the project: reduce drag and sail fast with less sail area rather than relying on ballast.”
Fun
“For me, that is essential. The aim is to create a yacht that is genuinely enjoyable to sail, delivers real sensations and makes it possible to share the experience with as many people as possible.
The SKAW [A] was designed to make sailing fun and to help owners enjoy every moment on the water.”
Safety
“To enjoy sailing properly, you need to feel safe. I have done a lot of cruising with children, and one of the priorities offshore is knowing that they are protected without having to worry about them constantly.
The cockpit is enclosed and protected, while the scow hull and the foils provide additional stability. We applied the same level of safety thinking found on Vendée Globe yachts.
Thanks to its deep keel, the SKAW [A] also has a very high righting capacity. The idea is to combine multihull-like speed with the stability and offshore capability of a Category A monohull.”
Fast
“The objective is to maintain an average speed of around 15 knots without pushing the boat, while sailing flat and comfortably.
That kind of speed changes the possibilities for offshore cruising. It allows owners to cover much greater distances and rethink what is achievable within a given sailing window.”
Simple
“Two winches, furling systems forward, a self-tacking mainsail and jib, and only two sails in use around 80% of the time: it is difficult to make sail handling much simpler.
With the keel raised, the draught is only 1.20 metres, which also makes the yacht very versatile. Owners will be able to access shallow anchorages and get remarkably close to the shore.”
Spacious
“The amount of interior volume is exceptional for a 12-metre yacht. It feels much closer to what you would expect from a significantly larger monohull.
Twelve people can sit around the table. Virtually the entire internal volume can be used, and we are particularly proud of the two aft cabins and the two additional convertible cabins.”
Comfortable
“Volume naturally brings comfort. The living areas are very generous and there is a real sense of openness inside, with constant visual contact with the sea.”
Clément Bercault
“Clément was my design partner throughout the project. We immediately found common ground around the SKAW [A] and shared the same ambition: to design the yacht we would both dream of owning — something genuinely different, innovative and high-performing.
With this scow, we are challenging a lot of established ideas.
I focused primarily on the overall naval architecture, calculations and systems, project management and production. Clément concentrated on the exterior styling, interior design and accommodation plan.”
What they said
Caroline Boule:
“It is the boat of our dreams.
It brings together everything we were looking for in a fast cruising yacht: comfort, speed, performance, safety and ease of use.
We offer a standard version without foils, with a range of options — including the foil package — allowing us to tailor each yacht to its owner. Fully bespoke yachts are very much part of SKAW Sailing’s DNA.”
Clément Bercault:
“Disruptive, forward-thinking and inspiring: those are the first words that come to mind when I think about the SKAW [A].
My work focused mainly on the exterior and interior design. We wanted to give the scow an elegant identity. Scows can often look quite boxy, but on the SKAW [A] we worked carefully on the hull and coachroof to create a more refined silhouette.
Inside, the accommodation plan was designed to make the most of the unusually generous volume, with a strong emphasis on light and views to the outside.
The layout is also unconventional, with a saloon forward, the galley and main living area amidships, and flexible cabin spaces.
The overall impression is of being aboard a yacht considerably larger than its actual length.
The interior itself is contemporary, light and highly functional. The furniture is built using foam-core composite structures to reduce weight.”
Technical specifications
Length: 11.95 m
Beam: 4.87 m
Draught: 1.20–3.50 m
Light displacement: 6 tonnes
Air draught: 19.05 m
Maximum righting moment: 19 t/m
Freshwater capacity: 150–400 L
Fuel capacity: 80–200 L
Inboard engine: 38 hp
Sail plan
Mainsail: 64 m²
J1: 45 m²
J2: 29 m²
J3: 12 m²
Gennaker: 93 m²
Medium asymmetric spinnaker: 135 m²
Maximum asymmetric spinnaker: 184 m²
