Extraordinary boats: Sam Manuard foiling mini 6.50

Xucia is Mini 6.50 #1081, a radical Sam Manuad foiling mini and hydrofoiling iteration of the popular single-handed class. In Yachting World, Rupert Holmes looks at the accelerating pace of change in the Mini 6.50s:

The past few years have seen an explosion of activity in the Mini 6.50 class, with qualifying races for the iconic Mini Transat race oversubscribed by up to 100% and two-year waiting lists for new Series-built boats.

Yet, the front of the fleet is no longer an economic place to go racing. Typical fully equipped prices for new Series (production) builds are around €150,000 ($186k USD), while the bill for new one-off Protos (custom) is well over double that figure, reflecting the costs of full carbon one-off boats that incorporate build knowledge gained from America’s Cup campaigns, plus in some cases the enormous cost of foils.  – Full report