Design and Construction
Chantier Mallard built the Start 7 in France as a solid-hull fiberglass monocoque with a transom-hung rudder and a fin keel fixed to the hull construit par le chantier Chantier Mallard en France. The 1,500 kg displacement and 2.64-meter beam yield a beamy little hull for the 7.20-meter length, and the 340-unit production count tells you this was a volume design aimed at the casual cruising market rather than a bespoke one-off. The boat is a monocoque habitable — a single-skin livable hull — consistent with the solid fiberglass construction of the class.
Rig and Handling
The masthead-sloop rig is the simplest sane choice for a boat this size, putting the genoa and mainsail loads in a familiar place for short-handed crews. With a fin keel and transom-hung rudder, the Start 7 belongs to the free-standing-small-keel lineage that trades a little directional stability for maneuverability in tight harbors. The 1,500 kg displacement keeps the sail plan meaningful without demanding a large crew to trim, and the 2.64-meter beam gives the hull initial stability that a narrower 23-footer would lack. The rig-and-keel combination is exactly what you want for a coastal cruiser that gets sailed on weekends.
Accommodations
The Start 7 is a habitable monocoque, confirming the design was conceived as a livable cruiser rather than a daysailer with a cuddy. Beyond that classification there is no further interior detail to draw on, so the interior must be judged on a specific hull rather than from the class summary. What the dimensions do tell you is that 7.20 meters of hull with a 2.64-meter beam gives a compact but usable footprint for two people coastal cruising, and the 1,500 kg displacement suggests a modestly appointed interior rather than a weighted-down liveaboard.
The Verdict
The Start 7 is a small, well-defined Harlé design built in meaningful numbers by a known French yard, with a simple rig and a fixed keel that make her an approachable entry to coastal cruising. The eight-year production run and 340-boat total give buyers a reasonable pool of candidates, and the light displacement keeps handling within reach of a couple. The thin record on interior specifics means any purchase decision should rest on the individual hull rather than class-wide claims.
Pros
- Designed by Philippe Harlé and built by Chantier Mallard in France
- 340 built across an 1978–1986 production run
- Simple masthead-sloop rig with fixed fin keel
- Light 1,500 kg displacement for easy handling
Cons
- Limited documented detail on accommodations and interior layout
- Small 7.20-meter hull limits liveaboard capability
