Kelt 7.60 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Kelt's hull measures 24 ft 11 in on the waterline within a 27 ft 3 in overall length, with a beam of 9 ft 5 in and a displacement of 4,500 lbs anchor. The shallow bilge, narrow fin keel, wide beam carried far aft, and high freeboard give the hull a distinctly European profile, and there is no teak on deck anchor. The hull and deck are molded with interlocking flanges bonded together using a lightweight polyester, then bolted every six inches and finished with an anodized aluminum toe rail anchor. The builder claimed the joint is strong enough that the boat can even be suspended by it, and the deck itself is a Divinycell sandwich with wire mesh reinforcing the stress points anchor. The iron keel is given two coats of coal-tar epoxy and fixed into a hull recess with 11 1/2 inch studs and 2 inch by 2 inch stainless washers to spread the load anchor. The French-built version had a wooden rudder, but the Canadian boat received a molded fiberglass air foil rudder that adds lift and eliminates vibration anchor.

Rig and Handling

As a masthead sloop the Kelt carries Isomat spars with internal halyards, Easy-Lock halyard stoppers, and a stainless steel handrail on deck, with cleats recessed into the coaming for comfort anchor. The mast step has integral sheaves for halyards and lifts, and three halyards plus the pole lift and downhaul run aft to stoppers. The keel model draws 4 ft 3 in with 1,765 lbs of ballast, while the centerboard version carries 1,950 lbs and draws 2 ft 5 in board up or 5 ft 3 in down anchor. Testers found an extremely sensitive helm, and because the small keel has little lateral area, the boat is very fast with the right direction and sail trim anchor. That speed depends heavily on the skipper's know-how; she is so sensitive to weight placement that she can just as easily be slow anchor. A PHRF rating of 225 places her with the C&C 25 and Tanzer 26, and Kelt owners proved the racing pedigree with a season overall win in the 200-plus class at the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club and a first-and-second sweep in a 19-boat fleet at Bronte Harbour anchor.

Accommodations

Below, the Kelt is surprisingly roomy for her length, with a forward cabin kept apart from the main saloon, a galley, and a compact head along with generous stowage anchor. The Canadian review describes a V berth, main saloon, galley, and enclosed head aft, with four to five berths and a maximum headroom of 6 ft 1 1/2 in anchor. The interior is finished in light-colored Aframosia trim that is oiled rather than varnished for a warmer look, set off by a soft short-nap carpet headliner anchor. Four-inch foam cushions on the V berth and settees are plusher than the usual three-inch, and fittings such as the stainless steel weldments on the saloon table bracket are impressively solid anchor. A 15 imperial gallon water tank serves the cabin anchor.

Refits and Ownership

The most significant factory-level refit distinction is the rudder: the European wooden blade gave way to a molded fiberglass air foil on the Canadian-built boats, a change that owners of the later version inherited as standard anchor. The builder limited production to a maximum of two boats per week, a deliberate pace that one report tied to securing supplier confidence anchor. Period reviews noted the boat's rugged French-market origins and the North American version's character, though the precise aims were left unfinished in the source anchor.

The Verdict

The Kelt 7.60 is a small cruiser-racer with a genuinely French attitude: light, beamy, and quick when sailed with attention, but demanding in trim. Her construction is thoughtful for the class, with a bolted hull-deck flange and cored deck, and the interior is warmer and better finished than the price point suggests. She rewards an engaged skipper and punishes a careless one, which is exactly the character a Berret design built in some numbers for both sides of the Atlantic would advertise.

Pros