Design and Construction
The hull is fiberglass, as is the deck, both solid rather than cored, and she carries a fin keel with a spade rudder. At 850 pounds displacement with 400 pounds of lead ballast, her ballast ratio comes to 46 percent, and the displacement-length ratio of 65 places her firmly among what reviewers call "ultra light racers." The beam of 6.2 feet gives a length-to-beam ratio of 3.51, a narrow section for her length that suits the racing intent. Carl Schumacher's hand is evident in a boat that weighs less than many trailered dinghies yet carries a lead keel and a fractional sloop rig.
Rig and Handling
The fractional rig is the headline. The Pyramid 660 carries more rig than 100% of all similar sailboats, which the review characterizes as significantly overrigged for her size — a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 35.4 with the ISO reference sail, rising to 39.8 with a 135 percent genoa. That power-to-weight relationship, paired with the ultra-light displacement, explains the 5.7-knot theoretical hull speed for a displacement hull of this length: she is built to plane and accelerate rather than to carry ballast through a seaway. The capsize screening value of 2.61 means she would not be accepted for ocean races, and the Motion Comfort Ratio of 6.1 confirms a stiff, quick, uncomfortable-in-a-chop personality rather than a passage-maker's ride.
The standing and running rigging dimensions are precise and worth knowing for any owner. Mainsail, jib-genoa, and spinnaker halyards are all 20.4 meters (66.8 feet) with 8 mm diameter; jib and genoa sheets run 6.6 meters (21.8 feet) at 10 mm, the mainsheet is 16.6 meters (54.5 feet) at 10 mm, and the spinnaker sheet is 14.6 meters (47.9 feet) at 10 mm. The cunningham, kicking strap, and clew outhaul are each 8 mm, at 3.2, 6.4, and 6.4 meters respectively.
Dimensions and Performance Envelope
Draft runs about 3.90 to 4.20 feet depending on load, shallow enough to tuck into modest marinas, and the wetted surface of the bottom is approximately 139 square feet. Her immersion rate of 390 pounds per inch means she sits lightly and responds to crew weight and payload. The combination of the 46 percent ballast ratio and the low immersion rate gives a boat that is easy to trail, quick to accelerate, and sensitive to loading — every cooler and battery counts against that 390 pounds per inch.
Refits and Ownership
With only a few hulls built from 1982 onward and no stated production end, the Pyramid 660 remains a rare sight. Ownership is less about refit programs and more about preservation of a lightly built racer: the solid glass hull needs no core-dryout, and the fractional rig's known line lengths let an owner reorder running rigging without measurement. The simplicity of the boat keeps ongoing cost low for an owner content with day sailing and club racing.
The Verdict
The Pyramid 660 is a Schumacher oddity: a trailerable ultra-light racer with a fractional rig that outpowers every peer in its class. She rewards a sailor who wants acceleration and shallow draft over comfort or offshore range, and the tiny production count makes any surviving example a curiosity.
Pros
- Ultra-light displacement with a 46 percent ballast ratio for a stiff, quick hull
- Significantly overrigged fractional sloop for strong sail-area-to-displacement performance
- Shallow 3.9–4.2 foot draft dependent on load for easy marina access
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck with no cored structures to fail
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.61 excludes her from ocean races
- Motion Comfort Ratio of 6.1 makes for a harsh ride in a seaway
- Only a few built, limiting spares, class support, and resale liquidity
