In 2020, with COVID restrictions in full force and not much work on my plate, I decided to leap into the world of trailer-sailing. Scouring through various trailer-sailing groups, I decided that a Siren 17, a popular Canadian 17′ trailer-sailer last manufactured in 1987, would be a good start. After years of sailing on mid-sized cruising sailboats, it took a bit of time to adjust to this much smaller craft, but I found the freedom of trailering the boat to explore new bodies of water quite compelling.By the end of our first season of trailering and sailing, I felt that the Siren 17 lacked performance and thought we would enjoy a boat with a bit more cabin room. I stumbled upon the Flow 19, a stunning design built in La Rochelle, my hometown in France. In 2019, Voile Magazine, one of France’s leading sailing publications, named the Flow 19 the “Trailer-Sailer of the Year,” so I figured it had to be a good one. The Flow 19 has a generous sail area with a square-headed 151 sq ft mainsail and overlapping 91 sq ft genoa.
Photographs by Thierry Humeau
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This ticks a lot of my boxes in a trailer sailor. Curious if the rather flat bottom and relatively light weight make a rougher ride in 2′ wind waves.
The boat has a high, narrow and voluminous bow which helps cut well through the chop, even when going upwind at 20 knots. The bottom is indeed flat but narrow from the bow for the first 6′ or 7′. A scow type hull with a large rounded bow is more prone to slamming in the waves.
I see the spirit of the Corsair in this boat. Awesome.
Fiche technique du Corsaire
Matériau : CP ou polyester (Originally plywood)
Chantiers : Morin, Meulan, Naviking etc…
Architecte : Jean-Jacques Herbulot
Longueur coque : 5,50 m
Longueur flottaison : 4,92 m
Largeur : 1,92 m
Tirant d’eau : 0,55/1,00 m
Tirant d’eau JOG : 1,10 m
Poids lège : 560 kg
Lest : 150 kg
Surface de voile : 18,30 m2
Surface de voile JOG : 16,00 m2
Moteur : hors-bord 2 à 4 ch, parfois sans
Good guess! Antoine, the architect of the Flow 19 and owner of Atelier Interface had a renovated Corsair in the factory backyard when I ordered the boat.
Hello Thierry,
Great article and I really enjoy your You Tube videos and recommend them to the other readers.
Very cool new boat. It appears as if the designers borrowed from the 6.5-meter mini-transat boats, without the keel of course.
As we all know, it’s great going 55 knots upwind on our local highway.
Thanks Bill,
Yes, the Flow 19 has been inspired by 6.50 Minis, Seascape (now Beneteau First) planing hulls designed by Sam Manard and also as a reader mentioned above some classic French wood/epoxy designs such as the Corsair and Muscadet.