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The new RM Yachts 13.70 hits water

• October 15th, 2017
• Sailing Yacht

It has been some months since I´ve visited the RM Yachts production site in an industrial outskirt of La Rochelle (read about my yard-visit here ) and I can remember very vividly the occasion of a big hull fresh from the painting being towed through one of the production halls – Justine, my guide, reacted a bit nervous when I got aware of it and raised my camera. She asked not to publish any pictures of this new boat until a certain deadline (afterwards I did, see it here ). As it happens, I was witnessing the birth of the brand new flagship of RM Yachts, the all-new RM 13.70.

Now this boat has been finished and undergone extensive sea trials and when I was roaming the jetties of Cannes Yachting Festival 2017 I was delighted to both meet Justine again and see the RM 13.70 afloat in the nice green waters of the Cote d´Azur. “Welcome aboard”, Justine waved and proudly offered a private tour through the new boat: “This is the very boat you have seen in the yard.” Let´s jump on board and see what a complete RM 13.70 looks like.

Focus on the Essence: Sailing is having fun

RM Yachts is a French brand putting an emphasis on the very essence of sailing. Just like Pogo Structures – but eventually not as racing-oriented – RM seeks to make easy to handle, fast and fun yachts capable of offering plenty of comfort even on long cruises. As RM´s naval architect Marc Lombard puts it in an interview: “We want to create very nice looking, sexy and fresh yachts. The yard is always open for new ideas: Take the inverted sheer and the chines of these boats. We have been the very first company to re- introduce them in a modern way of design, first on racing, then on production boats.“ (read full interview here )

“Fresh and sexy” is what an RM indeed is. The design is very modern: Wide sterns capable of eventually planning, fresh colors and new fabrics. As I enter the saloon I am overwhelmed by the sheer amount of light that is coming through the large almost deck saloon-like windows. Especially the front windows are huge and remind me of a sportscar. It must be awesome to be underway, laying down below during off-watch and look through these onto a bright wind-filled sail! Wooden fittings or classic ceiling-style is rarely seen on this RM. All surfaces are lacquered in white, somehow cooling down the heat of this day in Cannes just by color.

Furniture and joinery makes a solid impression. Again, it is all painted in a matte blue color, something I´ve never seen on a yacht. I must say I like this approach as just by the choice of colors this RM yacht somehow forces me to re-think sailing. This may be the exact opposite alternative draft of what the Hallberg-Rassy 64 stands for, a yacht I visited a day before (read it here ). This RM Yacht should appeal to young vivid people, a family with kids, seeking fun and adventure, seeking the sunny side of sailing and putting away the grave and serious thinks in life.

But the materials and fabrics, although no classic ones are used, do not appear “plastic like” nor cheap. This is all high quality and hand made joinery – as I was lucky to observe when I was given a tour through the yard. An RM Yacht is made of Epoxy and plywood and that makes her special. And expensive: And Epoxy/plywood-made hull is around 20 per cent more expensive than a traditionally GRP-moulded hull. So don´t be fooled, just because we don´t see any Teak nor Mahogany it doesn´t mean that there is no quality inside.

The concept of this cruiser is coherent. It´s a modern yacht with a very clean interior styling. With RM Yachts, a future owner is completely free when it comes to applying his or her taste and fondness of colors: Back in La Rochelle I´ve seen screaming-green hulls, dark black, shiny blue … everything is possible. An RM Yacht not just brings the fun of fast sailing to a cruiser, but may be the most individual of all current yacht brands when it comes to fit your personal taste and translate it into a very boat.

Cabin size on the RM 13.70

As I am right now in the midst of refitting my own Kings Cruiser 33 sailing yacht, I am every time very keen on seeing solutions for the various spots I am currently working on. For now, it is the fore cabin . In the RM 13.70 first of all the cabin is very roomy. That´s of course because the hull itself bears hard chines and a relatively wide stern which of course has its impact starting at the bow: The cabin size of the master cabin is therefore huge.

The bed is wide enough to offer plenty of space for two adults to find a very pleasant good night´s sleep. Stowage all around the bed for things needed when getting up or falling asleep, overhead stowage and large cabinets are customary. Again, the cabin is mostly kept in plain white lacquered wooden surfaces with blue painted accents. Even smallest colourful dots, like the two pillows, have a huge impact in the way this room appeals to me. Fantastic!

The aft cabin offers a similar big XXL-sized double bed, plenty of stowage and a nice little porthole for natural light. There´s not much design bling-bling here and – as everywhere on the boat – one can see the bare screw heads of outside fittings like winches or other installations many a time. This is a French sailing boat. I often find it very funny and refreshing, when pointing toward this fact: Why covering things that are needed to sail? Why hiding everything behind panels and veneers? I find this attitude somehow refreshing.

Cockpit, layout and roping on the RM 13.70

Again, the way I got to know French sailing culture (read about it here ) it´s about going as fast and as fun from A to B. This is how I got to know Pogo-sailing and that´s essentially the same with RM, although with a different emphasis. Standing in the cockpit I first of all notice – again – that there is nothing apparent that isn´t really needed: No Teak deck flooring, no bling. Just bare anti-slip surface, plain white and that´s it. All lines are directed back aft, the layout is special in some way and – for me – something new.

There are two winches at the read coaming, probably for operating the Gennaker or Code-sails, two winches on the roof next to the entryway down below – I guess these are utilized for operating the main, kicker and stuff, and two massive winches just behind the cabin bulkhead near the sitting benches. There´s a traveller for the main sail between the double steering and the cockpit area as well. I guess I need a third time on the RM 13.70 – this time underway – to get familiar with this particular layout as I was standing a bit clueless before this configuration.

Nevertheless, I can imagine that this layout really works with a good at least double handed crew as one can work all the lines on the classic mainsheeter-position at the entryway: Four winches all around as well as the mainsheet traveller lines in reach mean that this person can virtually operate and trim all sails from this position. The helmsman can also reach for a pair of aft winches and the traveller as well. I particularly loved the compartments for lines in the cockpit floor where surplus lines will disappear under Teak-gratings.

Proceeding forward I stand on the bow and admire the nice shape of the whole boat. It´s truly a fast and fun boat optimized for reaching points of sail and should go nice and fast. The negative stem in the bow is a nice design feature, the hard chines are very prominent and should add a portion of dynamic stability when sailing heeled. No question, this yacht bears a double rudder blade-configuration. Look again at these huge front windows!

In the end I think RM has done a fantastic job again with this RM 13.70. It´s really a fresh, modern and very appealing boat, sticking out of the majority of all the other boats and – above all – sticking to the RM-motto of offering a sexy approach to sailing with fun. I jump off the boat and thank Justine for the invitation – and secure her promise to invite me in the near future to get to see and experience by myself how fresh-sailing by RM Yachts really feels when underway.

All articles related to the Cannes Boat Show 2017 may be seen by clicking on the hashtag #cannesyachtingfestival

You may also like to read:

At RM Yachts in La Rochelle: Performance Cruisers made of Plywood.

Building a Classe Mini racing yacht from Plywood ( Part 1 and 2 )

The cruising Pogo: 12.50 revisited.

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

First look: RM 1380 – largest new yacht from the French marque

• Toby Hodges
• December 28, 2022

The RM 1380 is set to be the biggest boat this popular French brand has produced and could well suit bluewater cruisers

Product Overview

I like RM 1380 and I’m clearly not alone in appreciating these (typically) brightly coloured plywood epoxy fast cruisers – with over 500 hulls launched during the La Rochelle yard’s 30 or more years in production. It describes this latest (now its largest) 45-footer as ‘the perfect balance of style, velocity and bluewater cruising.’

The RM 1380 includes many of the features that have made the RM name what it is, including the combination of plywood hulls and foam sandwich glassfibre decks, deep cockpit coamings and inboard winches sited forward in the protection of the coachroof. Then there are the light, open interiors, and the versatile draught options for lift or twin keels. The latter are bolted to a galvanised steel structure.

The Marc Lombard hull shape features his characteristic reverse sheerline, together with a sizable coachroof that blends well with these lines. The powerful shape, which is angular and chined to suit its plywood construction, creates a stiff result on the water. A light displacement of under 10 tonnes for this model, combined with beamy aft sections and twin rudder control, should prove fun off the breeze.

RM 1380 will feature a bright interior with plenty of natural light

Piaton Design has styled the bright interior, which looks like it has bountiful natural light. It is offered as a three cabin version with forward master, or alternatively this can be split in half to create a fourth cabin.

The 1380 is billed as a bluewater cruiser , but for those considering long voyages, the tankage may be a limiting factor at just 150lt for fuel and 270lt for water. However, there are options to upgrade these to 300lt and 400lt respectively – a watermaker will top the ‘to add’ list for many.

Each RM looks unique because each comes with the owner’s choice of paint finish. This new flagship model is due to make its debut at the Paris and Düsseldorf boat shows in December and January.

RM 1380 specifications

LOA: 14.40m 47ft 3in Hull length: 13.30m 43ft 8in Beam: 4.50m 14ft 9in Twin keel draught: 1.95m 6ft 5in Lift keel draught: 1.45m-3.35m 4ft 9in-11ft 0in Price: €393,600 ex VAT Builder: rm-yachts.com

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

RM 970 review

• Chris Beeson
• November 12, 2017

How many luxuries would you be willing to give up for a cracking sailing boat? Graham Snook tests the RM 970 in La Rochelle to find out

Few boats are as fun to sail as this one. The helm feels great even in light airs

Product Overview

Manufacturer:.

See the Summer 2017 issue of Yachting Monthly for the full test

What’s she like to sail?

She’s a real sailor’s boat and a joy to helm. Even with twin rudders she was ever so responsive and light on the wheels She feels like a bigger boat, partly due to the helm position being perched on the transom and the large, well thought-out cockpit ahead of you. There are plenty of control lines for those who love to tweak, but it’s not necessary to constantly play them. Her hull is light and easily driven, and getting over 5 knots to windward in 10 knots of apparent showed her speed potential (although she was without a typical payload of cruising kit).

She is more than a tonne lighter than a GRP cruiser of the same size

Her deck layout, with the genoa winches flanking the companionway, works really well for a short-handed crew. One person can handle both sheets while tacking without even moving their feet or leaning over the coaming. They can also take a step forward and up to tend the coachroof winches while standing upright.

What’s she like in port and at anchor?

Our test boat had a single keel and twin rudders, but the opposite is available too and using the twin keels and single rudder she can take the ground with ease. The foredeck is flat, broad and ideal for sunbathing or inflating dinghies. The foredeck anchor locker is vast and ideal for fenders, which is just as well, as getting kit in and out of the technical area, aft of the heads, on a daily basis would soon lose its appeal – and scratch the paintwork.

She has a single bow roller integrated into the optional bowsprit, which houses the bower anchor. You’d need to rig a bridle to use a swinging mooring.

Like nearly all twin-rudder yachts, she lacked propwash over the rudders when manoeuvring in tight spaces.

Would she suit you and your crew?

The RM970 isn’t your normal family cruiser and RM isn’t your normal boatbuilder. Everything is a little bit different: hard chines, plywood construction, multicoloured hulls. About the only ‘regular’ thing on board is the GRP deck, which is lined with wood! Not everyone will like her reverse bow; from some angles she looks low and sleek, from others she can appear slab-sided and boxy, but all this matters not when you start sailing her. Put aside any reservations and have a go at what she does best: sailing.

She might appear basic – an argument bolstered by the lack of a solid door to the forepeak – but she displays many features lacking on more expensive yachts: soft closures on locker doors, Antal deck hardware, Dyneema halyards and fine-tune adjustment on the mainsheet led back to the helm. You may want more space and privacy, or more headroom if you’re over 6ft tall. If so, check out the RM 1070. But if you’re willing to forego a little luxury for a cracking sailing boat, this one should be on your shortlist.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Price €189,859

LOA 10.57m (34ft 8in) Including bowsprit

LWL 8.95m (29ft 4in)

Beam 3.70m (12ft 2in)

Draught 1.98m (6ft 6in)

Displacement 3,900kg (8,598 lb)

Ballast 1,235kg (2,722 lb)

Ballast ratio 31.7%

Sail area 63.3m2 (681sq ft)

SA/D ratio 26

Diesel 65 litres (14 gal)

Water 140 litres (31 gal)

Engine 20hp

Transmission Saildrive

RCD category B

Designer Marc Lombard

Builder Fora Marine

UK Agent Parkstone Bay Yachts

Tel +44 (0)1202 724917

Website Parkstonebayyachts.com

RM Yachts are “composite”, as much as the best materials are carefully selected for each part of the boat.

Price not available

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Our sailing boats

Since its launch in 2013, the RM890+ never stopped to surprise and seduce. The goal was to conceive a true cruiser, with loads of living space, comfort yet performance, at ease for both coastal cruising and port-hopping. In her different versions – twin-keel or fin keel – this fast 30ft sailboat is easy to sail, and quick to set up.

The ideal 32ft yacht for family cruising. With the RM970, you’re entering the serial cruiser category! Conceived as the perfect family liveaboard, this 32-foot sailboat will be your best companion to create great memories.

With the RM1070+ we wanted to create a 35ft sailboat suitable for all navigation plans, including long-range cruising. She is available in three appendage versions: twin-keel, fin keel, or lifting keel.

Should you be looking for a fast, elegant cruising yacht, capable of crossing either oceans or the next bay nearby, solo or with your family, the RM1180 will satisfy all these expectations. Just add charm and seduction on top.

Designed by Marc Lombard and developed by our internal engineering team, this fast and modern 39ft sailboat is one of a kind monohull, representing the perfect synthesis of our definition of a transatlantic (or any other ocean!) sailing yacht: breathtaking lines, remarkable performances, non-to-second comfort, not to mention environment-friendly construction in plywood and epoxy.

The bluewater sailing yacht you’ve been dreaming of. For the past 30 years, Marc Lombard Design team and the RM Yachts engineering team have been conceiving legendary and head-turning sailing yachts, all contributing to the French shipyard’s reputation. The RM1380 is, somehow, the culmination of our efforts, and probably our most remarkable achievement.

A 45-foot sailboat made of plywood-epoxy, the RM1380 is exceptionally elegant and racy, and capable of long cruises, such as a circum-navigation or a transatlantic ocean crossing in the best conditions of speed, safety, and comfort.

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