An electrically operated swing keel carries 200 to 220 kg of lead and changes the draught from 63 centimetres to 1.80 metres. It requires neither a crane nor manual effort to raise or lower, allowing the boat to dry out, travel on a trailer, and explore weedy shallows that would be inaccessible to a bulb-keeled boat.
Construction and Design
Almost the entire Flaar 24 is built from carbon fibre. The hull and deck use elaborate foam-sandwich laminates, vacuum-infused with epoxy resin. Solid laminate is reserved for the keel area, and the keel housing is deliberately compact. Flaar describes the structure as a carbon/epoxy composite hull made by vacuum infusion technology.
Even the storage covers beneath the forward berth are made from feather-light carbon. The keel fin is a dimensionally stable, double-skin carbon structure with a 220 kg lead insert at its lower end. Its electric actuator works through a carbon weight bracket, and the keel can be secured in any intermediate position.
The twin plug-in rudders aft are retractable, double-sided carbon structures. The mast, boom, rudder blades, and keel shaft are also made from high-strength carbon. Only the gennaker trunk and the extendable bowsprit are aluminium.
The Flaar 24 weighs 730 kg in measurement trim without engine and cushions, or 750 kg according to a documented empty weight. That is exceptionally light for a boat with a 2.50 m beam and 7.20 m waterline. Her ballast ratio is almost 40 per cent, a figure more typical of a racing boat than a pocket cruiser.
Rig, Deck Gear, and Handling
The fractional sloop rig is built around a diamond-stayed mast from Pauger. The carbon mast has one pair of narrow spreaders, no lower shrouds, and upper shrouds braced well aft.
This arrangement leaves the foretriangle clear for an overlapping genoa with 4.7 m² more sail area than the strong-wind jib. A fixed carbon bowsprit carries the Code Zero, while an extendable aluminium gennaker trunk flies a 72.8 m² asymmetric spinnaker furled on a 1.40 m wide boom.
Harken supplies nearly all the deck hardware. The arrangement includes two winches and separate deflection blocks for the gennaker and Code Zero sheets. Gottifredi Maffioli supplies the running rigging.
Writing in YACHT, test sailors reported that the Flaar 24 planes readily from a true wind angle of 60 degrees in 3 to 4 Beaufort. She surfed at around 9 knots on a half-wind course and, in a force 4 to 5 swell, could be driven at 13 or 14 knots.
The twin rudders provide ample grip, though they offer little feedback. The lateral centre of gravity can be moved aft to prevent windward lift. With the keel fully lowered, the boat can recover from a 110-degree knockdown.
Cockpit and Accommodation
For her length, the Flaar 24 has a bright, spacious interior. The berth plan accommodates four adults comfortably, with two berths forward and two amidships. Quoted crew capacity ranges from one to six.
In the cockpit, the floor has angled footrests set high enough for the crew to brace against when the boat heels. Seat height is a generous 97 centimetres.
The low empty weight and retractable appendages also make the Flaar 24 practical ashore. She can be stored out of the water without a mooring and trailered without a route permit, giving owners more options than they would normally expect from a performance-oriented hull.
Propulsion and Ownership
Propulsion options include an inboard electric unit or a 3 to 5 HP outboard. The keel’s electric linear drive was observed completing a cycle in less than half a minute. An LCD panel behind the companionway displays battery state and keel position.
The clear separation between fixed and moving rigging, together with the Harken and Gottifredi Maffioli equipment specification, means wear items are standard and replaceable rather than proprietary.
Known Issues
The only criticism from period testing was a tiller judged slightly too short for the boat’s length. Testers also found that the twin rudders provided plenty of grip but little feedback.
The Verdict
The Flaar 24 is a genuine carbon cruiser-racer that can still be kept on a trailer. Her vacuum-infused sandwich structure, electrically operated swing keel, and diamond-stayed rig put 9-knot surfs and 14-knot slaloms within reach, while remaining inside CE category C coastal limits.
She’s light enough to haul home, and with the keel fully down she can recover from a knockdown. The short tiller and limited feedback from the twin rudders are the main prices paid for the concept.
Pros
- Near-all-carbon, vacuum-infused construction
- 37–40% ballast ratio
- Electrically operated swing keel requiring no crane
- Draught adjustable from 0.63 to 1.80 m
- Diamond-stayed Pauger rig
- Overlapping genoa and 73 m² gennaker
- Planes and surfs in modest wind
- Recoverable from 110° with the keel down
- Trailerable and storable ashore without a route permit
- Interior berths for four adults
Cons
- Tiller judged slightly short in the test review
- Twin rudders provide grip but little feedback
- CE category C limits use to coastal and inland waters
