N Fun 30 Yachts & Yachting test
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BOAT TEST NO FRILLS, JUST THRILLS uncomplicated Polish yacht with the potential to upstage many established performers he N Fun 30 is the pet project of match racer Marek Stanczyk, a notable performer in 2014 who surprised some of his more established rivals. He plans to do the same with his new yacht. Marek was one of the key men behind successful Polish boatbuilder Nautiner Yachts and, when he was persuaded to sell his share in this company, he had one stipulation; that he was allowed to keep the mould of the N Fun 30, designed by fellow Pole, Eugeniusz Ginter. How much do the Polish know about boatbuilding, some may ask? Well think on this: every third sailing yacht constructed in Europe is built in Poland. CONCEPT 9/10 On the match racing circuit, Stanczyk is an amateur among professionals and the David/Goliath parallels can also be drawn with his yacht. The N Fun 30 is, first and foremost, a racing boat and in her simplest format you can draw a comparison with the J/88 in terms of concept if not design. Yet N Fun is a small company and wants to use this to its advantage by offering a yacht completely tailored to personal requirements. Thus, the options for fitting out are extremely diverse. You can have her with inboard or outboard engine, choose vacuum-infused or hand-laid-up construction, wheel or tiller steering, Yachts & Yachting September 2015 twin rudder or single shaft, while the accommodation can be completely stripped out or positively plush. The key factors behind her design are a light displacement and hydraulic lifting keel. With her foam-cored GRP hull pulling the scales to 2,100kg, there is no question that the first of these criteria has been met. That’s 700kg lighter than a Pogo 30 and 164kg lighter than the J/88. The design strikes a compromise between those huge flat aft sections of yachts like the Pogo 30 and the softer bilges and narrower aft sections of yachts which follow the J/88 school of design. She’s almost plumb-bowed and sharp forward with plenty of flare. There’s considerable deadrise rounding up into slack bilges and her maximum beam is a modest 2.92m which is carried well aft where her hull terminates in a vertical open transom with a narrow deep rudder hung off the stern. There are modest chines carried about one-third of a hull’s length forward to add stiffness on the wind and control when planing downwind. The other notable feature is the T-shaped lifting keel featuring a narrow chord that gives her a maximum depth of 1.8m. The ballast ratio is high at 33 per cent, indicating a stiff yacht. DECK AND RIG 8/10 One glance at the N Fun 30’s stripped, sparse decks and tiny outboard mounted on the transom and you sense that this is no-frills yachting. The cockpit feels very empty and angular with no coamings and only the mainsheet traveller and tiller to really intrude. The mainsheet is in just the right place forward of the helm and there are handy foot blocks for the helmsman to brace against, but there aren’t too many handholds in this big, open space and refinements such as fine-tuning for the mainsheet and tweakers for the headsail are eschewed. There’s ample space for the 1. 100sq m of asymmetric 2. The N Fun 30 is almost plumb-bowed 3. Beam is a modest 2.92m 4. Deck lay out is simple and minimalist helmsman to move around and, with the cockpit running well forward, plenty of space for a dedicated mainsheet trimmer if required. Storage space is modest, with two reasonable-sized lockers right-aft under the helmsman’s feet providing enough room for a few fenders and mooring lines. A pair of winches on either side of the coachroof and another set of primaries are set well forward in the cockpit for the asymmetric kite. The teak decking in the cockpit is about the only concession to aesthetics and the yacht has a utilitarian simplicity which translates into very easy, uncomplicated sail handling. As standard, the boat is fitted with an aluminium deck-stepped doublespreader four-fifths rig with adjustable backstay – a carbon rig is offered as an option. The standard sail area is tall and narrow and offers a high-aspect ratio. This, combined with the relatively short boom and non-overlapping headsail creates the impression that she’s a little under-canvassed, although this is partially balanced by her lofty mast and fat-headed mainsail. The asymmetric is a substantial 100sq m set on a retractable carbon bowsprit. Our boat featured roller furling on the headsail. UNDER SAIL 9/10 Our test took place off the coast of Barcelona and although the Med is not noted for big waves, that is exactly what we got: massive swells which led to hundreds of surfers crowding the shore and about 15 knots of wind which eased down to 10 as the day wore on. We powered out of the marina using the tiny 4hp outboard which, due to the extremely light displacement of the yacht, was perfectly adequate. Given the conditions, we carried full sail and the yacht was perfectly manageable for two people. Part of the reason for this was due to the N Fun 30’s stiffness meaning that she was quite forgiving and you didn’t have to jump to every puff of breeze. The tiller steering was light and responsive, but the boat was not twitchy and, in the light conditions, there was negligible weather helm. The simplicity of the yacht and her forgiving nature means she would be a good yacht to race double-handed. Upwind, the N Fun 30 handled the heavy swells with confidence and in the puffs was going at around 6.5kts and pointing a little under 30 degrees to the wind which was good going. September 2015 Yachts & Yachting

the interior to whatever level of comfort you wish and there is a decent amount of room down here, so plenty of potential. VERDICT 8/10 Acceleration was excellent and there was a real immediacy about the way she handled which puts a smile on your face. The asymmetric kite is hoisted and lowered through the forehatch, which gives this boat a feeling of size compared to smaller sportsboats and with this 100sq m sail up, the N Fun 30 really began to fly, planing off the big swells and making life very difficult for the chase boat. The highest recorded speed was 10.5 knots. In the afternoon the...