Design of the Aira 22

We had been thinking for a few years that there should be a replacement to the more than 50-year-old designs of the previous generation of boats, but at first we didn’t know which way to go.

A starting point was also that it had to be a well-priced boat. The boat had to be designed in such a way that it is easy to build. And with a good price we can build many, which in turn keeps the construction costs acceptable.

After much thought and looking around, we found the solution in a boat with comfortable benches combined with the lines of a modern sports boat. Design agency Simonis-Voogd was called in to make a good design.

The boat had to be self-draining, sufficiently stable and without an open transom. It had to be a boat that has a soft character and is friendly around you.

For six months we built full-size wooden models to get the interior right, with the right bends in the seat and back of the benches and the right rounding in the cockpit edge to be able to sit on deck and hang if necessary.

The first wooden p the benches inside and on the deck created a boat with a lot of freeboard, so that no water gets into the cockpit over the side.

We started working with a good mechatronics engineer to develop our own electrically retrievable system for the Aira. It had to fit in the back and be easy to use. We eventually succeeded and became our current system with a 1.5 kW electric motor.

We ensured a lot of stability through the increased width, also to the rear, of a sports boat. The choice for a lead bulb keel made the stability even better. We now have a lot of stability of shape and a lot of stability of the weight of the lead bulb keel.

Due to the great stability, we were able to put a large sail area and a large gennaker on it so that the boat runs excellently.

We chose to raise the boom so as not to bump your head, but even more so to always be able to see all the boats on a leeward side, even on a slope.

In consultation with the designer, we opted for a modern sail plan with a square top mainsail with loose trousers and a short jib that remains in front of the mast and can be pushed in considerably for good sailing close to the wind. With the sailmaker we opted for 4 battens in the mainsail for a better profile and a quieter behavior when flapping.

With many small steps it eventually became the new generation open sailboat and Daysailer.