Sonar Reviews

When asked why the Sonar class works and thrives, Sonar sailors did not point to groundbreaking thinking in class management; nor to a boat that wows you with technology or rockstars in its fleet ranks. Sonar sailors love this boat with the big cockpit and the 100 percent jib; they love the fact that you don't need heavies on the rail and a boatload of world-class sailing minds to win.

In their own words, this is why a handful of racers make the Sonar their one-design of choice:

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"One reason this class works is there is not a set number of bodies or crew weight. I sail with five crew. We all have different levels of experience; you don't need four hotshots to win. They don't have to have lots of experience, and they will still enjoy it...This is a good boat for families, and for women. Lots of couples sail them; the wife steers, or the husband steers...

This class is competitive, but Sonar sailors can come in off the water and relax. That is the great thing about people in this class."

- Dru Slattery, Marblehead, MA

"I sail on Lake Geneva; Scow lake. The scows are fun and they are great, great sailing. But they are more physical to sail...When you get older, you thinking game gets better and your physical game declines. That's where I am (but I am not old enough to be a judge!) Quite frankly--and this is true for me--the Sonar is like an old man's E-Scow. These boats are indestructible. If you take care of your boat, take care of the bottom, put new sails on, you are competitive. No one skates away because they are that much quicker. It's a tactical boat, and it gets down to a chess game and sailing well."

- Ron Frankel, Lake Geneva, WI

"When you are doing things right on a Sonar you can feel it. The boat will tell you. It is such a sensitive boat. It's like a Laser. When you're bad, it dumps you. When you're good, it tells you you are doing it right...The Sonar is a kind boat. It has a civilized-sized spinnaker, a 100-percent jib. I can trim it in 30 knots of wind, with no winches."

- Hugh Elliot, disabled sailor, Alexandria, VA