Design and Construction
The hull is fiberglass, and the boat carries a drop keel of iron, which lets the draft vary from about 2.26 to 2.56 feet depending on load — shallow enough to tuck into marinas that would ground a fixed-keel boat of similar size anchor. The beam of 8.17 feet against the 22.25-foot length gives a length-to-beam ratio of 2.72, a narrow-ish proportion that keeps the hull lean. With 1,950 pounds of displacement and 850 pounds of ballast, the ballast ratio sits at 44 percent, and the displacement-length ratio of 176 places the design among what reviewers term "light racers" rather than cruising tugboats. The wetted surface of the underwater body is about 172 square feet, a modest footprint that helps the quoted theoretical top speed of 5.5 knots for a displacement hull of this length.
Rig and Handling
The fractional sloop rig is paired with a sail area of 240 square feet on the reference sail, yielding a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18.1; hoist a 135 percent genoa and that figure rises to 21.9, giving the boat a noticeably livelier turn of speed in breeze that would leave a heavier hull rolling. The capsize screening value is 2.62, a number that by the reviewing standard would bar the design from ocean racing — a clear signal that this is a sheltered-water craft, not a bluewater contender. The motion comfort ratio of 9.8 and an immersion rate of 483 pounds per inch describe a boat that responds quickly to crew weight and loading, and sits lightly in the water rather than plowing through it.
The Verdict
The Limbo 6.6 is a purpose-built small racer-cruiser of the mid seventies, light on its feet and able to dry out or sneak into shallow slips on its lifting iron keel. Its numbers describe a nimble, low-comfort coastal dayboat whose sail plan rewards a genoa in light air, and whose capsize screen keeps it honestly in the day-sailing pond.
Pros
- Shallow variable draft from the drop iron keel suits marina access
- Light displacement and 135% genoa sail plan give sparkling close-reaching performance
- Fewer than 200 built, a tidy small design from Andrew Stewart
Cons
- Capsize screening of 2.62 excludes it from ocean racing
- Motion comfort ratio of 9.8 indicates a stiff, busy ride
