Over its two-decade production run, approximately 2,000 hulls were built, securing its legacy as one of the most successful small cabin-boats of its era in Central Europe. Philipps embraced a "backdecker" (flush-deck) profile for the Kim AR, utilizing a hard-chined hull form with a wide, flat transom to maximize both interior volume and planing potential. Although earlier models in the Kim lineage experimented with straight, vertical bows, the Kim AR returned to a classic raked "Yachtsteven" bow, which improved aesthetics and helped the bow lift over chop. The interior cabin is remarkably functional for an 18-foot boat, featuring two full-sized berths and two narrow quarter-berths under the cockpit coamings, which are best suited for children.
Variations & Configurations
The Kim AR was highly adaptable, designed to meet the varying safety and handling preferences of inland sailors. The primary variable across the production run was the weight and design of its folding centerboard. The builder offered a lighter 50-kilogram (110-pound) centerboard alongside a heavier 80-kilogram (176-pound) option. The 80-kilogram version, often marketed as a lifting keel or "Hubkiel," consists of a heavy steel plate encapsulated in fiberglass and fitted with an integrated lead bulb at its tip.
Draft varies significantly depending on centerboard position: with the board fully raised, the boat draws a meager 0.35 meters (1.15 feet), allowing it to sail into shallow marshlands, beach easily, or glide onto a trailer. With the board fully extended to its maximum draft of 1.0 meter (3.28 feet), the deep, ballasted foil transforms the boat’s stability profile. The rig is a fractional 7/8 sloop configuration utilizing a 6.4-meter mast, which is easily stepped by a two-person crew without mechanical assistance.
Sailing Performance & Handling
On the water, the Kim AR’s technical specifications translate into a remarkably lively and responsive ride. With a displacement-to-length ratio of 73.68, the boat sits squarely in the ultralight displacement category, enabling it to accelerate rapidly in light puffs and plane easily when running downwind under spinnaker. Its sail area-to-displacement ratio of 27.48 is exceptionally high, signaling a potent, high-performance sail plan that keeps the boat moving smartly when heavier pocket cruisers are left becalmed.
However, this performance comes with a need for active helm play and weight positioning. With a low comfort ratio of 9.89, the Kim AR behaves much like an open racing dinghy in a blow, transmitting every wave and wind shift directly to the crew. It lacks the dampening effect of a traditional keelboat, meaning that the crew must use their body weight to keep the boat flat in gusts. Despite this heel sensitivity, the capsize screening ratio of 1.86 highlights a hull form with solid ultimate stability. If knocked down, the combination of the ballasted centerboard and watertight buoyancy tanks in the bow and side decks prevents sinking and assists the boat in righting itself. Under sail, the wide transom provides substantial initial form stability, allowing the boat to carry its sails longer than its light displacement would suggest.
Market Snapshot & Economics
Decades after the end of its production run, the Kim AR remains a highly sought-after model on the European brokerage market, particularly in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It occupies a steady market niche, trading at a stable value because of its low cost of ownership and ease of transport. Owners can easily tow the boat behind a standard family hatchback, eliminating the recurring costs of marina storage and professional hauling. Because the build quality of the fiberglass hull was generally high, well-maintained examples command a modest premium. The primary economic variable for prospective buyers is the condition of the trailer and the sails, as replacing a custom mast-stepping system or sourcing new sails can easily approach a significant fraction of the boat’s overall value.
Known Issues & Triage
The most critical area requiring inspection on any vintage Kim AR is the centerboard lifting mechanism and the centerboard itself. The lifting mechanism relies on a manual chain-driven hoist or cable winch mounted on the centerboard trunk in the cockpit. Over decades of exposure, the internal winch gears can strip, and the lift cables or chains can corrode and snap. Sourcing or fabricating a replacement for the custom centerboard or its hoist can be difficult and expensive. Furthermore, the fiberglass-encapsulated steel centerboard is prone to water ingress, which causes the internal iron to rust and swell, jamming the board inside the trunk. Drop-testing the centerboard and inspecting the pivot bolt and hoist assembly are mandatory triage steps before purchasing.
Another area of concern is deck flex. While the solid fiberglass hull is generally robust, the balsa-cored or plywood-reinforced cabin top and deck areas can suffer from delamination if moisture has penetrated the deck hardware fittings. Soft spots around the chainplates, mast step, and cleat mounts indicate compromised coring that requires localized epoxy injection or recoring.
Modernization & Upgrades
Many current owners are actively updating the Kim AR to align with modern sailing preferences. The most popular modification is the transition from heavy, noisy two-stroke outboard motors—such as the classic 6-horsepower outboards originally paired with the boat—to modern, lightweight electric outboards. Outfitting the transom with a 1-to-3-kilowatt electric pod or shaft motor, powered by a small lithium iron phosphate battery bank housed securely in the cabin, improves weight distribution and complies with the strict environmental regulations of European lakes.
Rigging upgrades are also common. Retrofitting a modern single-line reefing system and converting the classic hank-on jib to a low-profile roller-furling system allows for safer, easier single-handed sailing when the wind picks up. Owners who frequently launch from public ramps often install customized mast-pivot brackets (tabernacles) to make the mast-raising process even faster and safer.
The Verdict
The Kim AR is an outstanding compromise between a sporty sailing dinghy and a weekend cruiser. For sailors looking to explore inland waterways, camp on the water, and enjoy high-performance sailing without the logistical headaches of a larger keelboat, this German classic remains a premier choice in the sub-20-foot class.
Pros
- Highly responsive sailing performance with excellent light-wind acceleration.
- Extremely shallow draft with the centerboard raised, making it ideal for beaching and trailering.
- Built-in flotation tanks ensure the vessel remains buoyant even if swamped.
- Lightweight design allows for easy towing behind compact passenger vehicles.
- Efficient cabin layout provides dry, lockable storage and sleeping accommodations for weekend trips.
Cons
- Very lively motion on the water with low physical dampening in heavy chop.
- Heavy centerboard is difficult to remove, repair, or replace if jammed or rusted.
- Quarter-berths are cramped and only practical for children or equipment storage.
- Requires active crew weight placement to control heeling in gusty conditions.
