What is it?

The Mini 6.50 is a class of boat built to a box rule specifically designed to race single-handed across the Atlantic Ocean in a race called the Mini Transat. The race itself consists of two separate legs starting on the coast of France and heading to the Canary Islands, allowing the fleet to regroup. The second leg is the big crossing from the Canary Islands to a finish line in the Caribbean, totaling 4000 nautical miles of racing.

Back upon its conception in 1977, the Mini Transat was supposed to be the average person's entry into the offshore sailing scene. With rules to govern the types of materials used and what type of systems were allowed, the boats were kept at an attainable price. Even today between the two classes many of these regulations are maintained, however prices for boats and campaigns have continually gone up with some proto boats coming in at upwards of half a million dollars with the addition of the program running them.

Box Rule for Series Boats

The Boats

The class is broken up into two sub-classes: Series and Prototype

Series 

These vessels are rather heavily regulated, lacking the canting keels, daggerboards, and water ballast common in the prototype class. They are typically slower than their prototype counterparts. Some of the requirements of the series boats include:

  • Fiberglass construction except tiller extensions, instrument panels, and solar panel davits
  • Aluminum spars
  • A production run of 10 or more boats

Prototype

Commonly shortened to "Proto," these boats get much more leeway in regards to their design and systems. The proto boats are where much of the modern bits of technology seen in larger classes such as the Class 40 and IMOCA 60 originates, such as scow bows and foils. Identifying factors of Proto boats include:

  • Carbon fiber construction 
  • Water ballast
  • Canting keels
  • retractable/swing rudders
  • Carbon spars
  • Hydrofoils and/or daggerboards

There are also adjustments to the box rule for these boats including:

  • Longer sprits, from 2.4 meters to 4 meters
  • Deeper keels, from 1.6 meters to 2.0 meters
  • Taller masts, from 11 meters to 12 meters