Etap 20 wanted - and views

[Guest]

I am looking to buy an Etap 20 for single-handed coastal sailing and general pottering. Does anyone know of one for sail, and has anyone any views or experience on the Etap and its suitablity for this sort of use?

 

[JAKEPAD]

I have had an Etap 22i for 2 seasons now and I use it to potter up and down the east coast. I find her a very amenable yacht to sail single handedly and she is a very safe boat. the interior is neat and well fitted out and it is great not to suffer from the condensation that used to plague my previous boat. She handles very well under power and mine works off a yamaha 6 engine. The boat is very dry in choppy seas and I would thoroughly recommend her as a single hander. I will be selling to move up in two years time but not at present
i hope you find one
Jakepad ( keith Miller)

 

[Colinh]

I have an Etap 22i, which is used as a trail-sail boat around British and North European waters. An Etap dealer told me that they gave up making them, because they could not keep the cost down - which does not surprise me, as the boat is as solid as a BBSH in places you can't usualy see, as well as those you can.

We were in Gravines in August, and saw an Etap 20 for sale on it's trailer, so being interested in Etap boats, walked over to have a look at it. The boat was sadly neglected. However, I got the impression that the aft bilge support rollers of the trailer were bending the hull inwards. The boat's interior could not be viewed, so it could have been full of water, for aught I know. But, if not, I would wonder why the hull seemed to be flexed upwards over the rollers. Is it weaker than the Etap 22i, I asked myself ?

Colin H