Many of the world’s best ideas result from visionary individuals with a dogged determination to see their projects come to fruition.

François Tissier is one such person. His passion is to make sailing as easy as possible and therefore accessible to as many people as possible.

Yet he believes much of the marine industry is looking in the wrong direction.

Tissier argues that so many people today are time-poor that a boat that’s hugely enjoyable to sail – whether alone or with the whole family – but that can be rigged and de-rigged with the minimum of effort is long overdue.

He even extends this thinking to the skills needed to be competent and safe on the water.

Weighing just 162kg/357lb means the IZIBoat can be trailed by bike. Credit: IZIBoat

Chatting over a beer after we came ashore from the test, off the Ile de Ré near La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast of France, he said that maybe only three out of 1,000 people on the island take part in sailing or watersports.

Yet if it was possible to create a boat that’s genuinely easy to sail, the time commitment needed to learn could be reduced dramatically and huge numbers of additional people would be able to get afloat.

This is the background behind the 4.8m (15ft 9in) IZIBoat, a catamaran that’s the result of a two-decade quest by this former competitive windsurfer turned cruising sailor to create a vessel that can be safely sailed with a minimum of expertise whether single-handed or with the family.

In the past that has arguably been achieved with dayboats that have relatively small sail areas that enable families to get afloat, but at the expense of speed and excitement.

The hinged mast makes the IZIBoat easy and quick to rig. Credit: IZIBoat

By contrast, the IZIBoat is a lightweight design, with low wetted surface area, enormous stability and a generous 270kg (595lb) payload.

It’s therefore capable of carrying enough sail to provide an exciting ride.

Tissier claims a total of 14 innovations that have previously not been seen on a boat of any kind.

These range from the removable wheels on short axles that eliminate the hassle of a separate launching trolley, to the wide transverse bench seat that makes for easy family sailing.

The rig, rudder, mainsheet and joystick steering are also important factors – more on these later.

IZIBoat: Easy sailing

The concept is a tall order, but one this boat stands a high chance of being able to pull off.

My test was in 12-18 knots of cross-shore wind, with occasional stronger gusts on a gloriously sunny shoulder season day.

This was definitely at the top end of conditions the boat is optimised for, which provided an excellent opportunity to assess the safety aspects in potentially challenging conditions.

Nevertheless, Tissier envisages these boats will be used mostly for comfortable family sailing in 6-12 knots of wind, but it’s reassuring that it’s also designed to be safe in more breeze.

Even despite a slightly onshore short chop, sailing away from the slipway was easy and we were soon powering away upwind with reefed genoa and full mainsail.

The boat also proved impressively stable in the gusts – so much so that, in a move that goes against deeply ingrained instincts of most dinghy sailors, François was happy to keep the mainsheet cleated.

The boat can easily be set up – ultimate hassle-free sailing! Credit: IZIBoat

The steering proved light and positive at all times, with little sense that the joystick reduces feel in the helm, even though it doesn’t have a direct connection to the rudders.

Many older beach-style catamarans struggle to tack cleanly, but that was never an issue and the bows paid off cleanly each time, with the boat then quickly accelerating back to speed.

The biggest revelation, however, in manoeuvres is a result of the wide four-person bench seat that substitutes for a conventional cockpit or the ubiquitous trampoline of dinghy-sized catamarans.

One of the most awkward – and potentially hazardous – elements of a manoeuvre when sailing with a family can be shuffling everyone around the boat so that it stays balanced.

In some cases, this can require carefully choreographed high-stakes action.

But not with this boat – everyone just stays in the same position on the athwartships bench seat aft.

With its shallow draught, the IZIBoat can be beached, before being easily packed away. Credit: IZIBoat

Eliminating the need to coordinate moving around the boat every time you tack or gybe will be a game changer for many and will undoubtedly be a big factor in reducing the amount of time required for a beginner to learn to sail this boat.

Equally, it enables you to sit next to even a very young child and give them the helm, while keeping a close eye on progress and be able to intervene either with gentle advice or by taking over if the situation demands.

While this seat is perhaps the biggest single factor that visually sets the boat apart from any other, it didn’t look out of place among the various generations of Hobie, and other more powerful cats, in the Ile de Ré’s Rivedoux-Plage boat park.

Placing so much crew weight aft on most small boats would result in a marked stern-down trim, however, there’s enough buoyancy aft in the hulls, each of which has a total volume of 510lt, to compensate for this.

Granted, that will make the boat a little slower than it otherwise might be, but the objective was never to produce the fastest boat possible.

Instead, the goal was to produce one that’s impressively quick, while being extremely easy to sail.

The joystick steering is light and positive and doesn’t reduce the feel in the helm. Credit: IZIBoat

The big roller reefing genoa means there’s no need for a separate gennaker, which further simplifies sailing and helps to keep setup times to an absolute minimum.

Bearing away to a broad reach and fully unfurling the genoa the boat accelerated quickly, into what felt like speeds comfortably into double digits, though unfortunately, technical gremlins meant we weren’t able to measure them.

Gybing downwind, from broad reach to broad reach, with the apparent wind still well forward of the beam, proved to be a lot of fun.

Yet if the dose of adrenaline risks becoming too large you can return to a more docile pace just by bearing away.

This reduces the apparent wind so much that the boat slows markedly, giving time to think, or simply more opportunity to relax and admire the surroundings.

Disaster proof?

Five prototype boats were produced for feedback last summer and I sailed one of these.

It was always envisaged the final product would have almost bulletproof foam sandwich fibreglass rudders.

However, as part of the development process, the prototypes all had plywood rudder blades, which allowed several different profiles and shapes to be trialled to optimise the steering response of the final design.

The only downside is that to be thin enough for maximum efficiency they are inherently quite a bit weaker than foam sandwich.

The conditions I sailed in put greater strain on the plywood blades, one of which broke.

This could be a disaster for many boats, but not in this case.

The IZIBoat comes apart in five pieces; no tools are needed for assembly or disassembly. Credit: IZIBoat

Even though the remaining windward rudder was partially out of the water, it provided enough control to continue on our previous course as though nothing had happened.

We then successfully executed a couple of tacks and gybes towards the shore, before approaching the slipway under complete control, despite the gusty conditions and a testing sea state.

It was certainly impressive that we still had control of the boat, even at speed, with only one rudder, albeit with occasional judicious use of sail trim to help steering, and this should be reassuring to owners.

Returning to the slip was as easy as leaving, with one person jumping out to hold to boat roughly head to wind, while the other retrieved the wheels from the stowage pouch behind the bench seat and threaded the short axles in place, ready for recovery.

Although I had only a short afternoon sail, a total payload of 270kg opens up the possibility of dinghy cruising at high average speeds in suitable waters.

In that context having wheels that are easy to fit and remove opens up many more options than are available to boats that must rely on a conventional launching trolley.

The wheels are removable, making it easy to launch. Credit: IZIBoat

Ease of handling on shore is as important a part of the concept as the easy, safe sailing.

The entire boat is designed to come apart into five pieces, without the use of tools, in only a few minutes.

To leave it in the dinghy park all we needed to do was to furl the sails, though sacrificial strips added to the leech of main and jib would make sense for a boat left with sails furled for extended periods.

The steeply-raked mast allows for vertical mainsail battens that support a square top sail.

This increases the sail area, giving more power while keeping the centre of effort low and therefore reducing the risk of capsize, yet the mast still rotates Laser style to furl the sail away after use.

However, instead of using brute force to lift the rig out vertically, it hinges forward, using the mainsheet for control, which allows the mast and both sails to be taken off the boat in one go for longer-term storage.

It’s just a 60-second task for two people. The whole boat is also quick and easy to put on a road trailer.

Alternatively, for those lucky enough to live near a launching site, it’s even possible to tow the IZIBoat behind a bike, though at 162kg (357lb) total weight a lengthy uphill stretch might be a struggle after a long day on the water.

Verdict on the IZIBoat

More than any other boat I’ve tested in the past 25 years, this one is bound to provoke similar reactions to Marmite.

In many cases, the detractors will be right. However, the IZIBoat was not developed for enthusiasts who are already lucky enough to spend considerable amounts of time afloat.

Indeed it’s to be welcomed as a great way to enable more people, especially the time-poor, to get afloat.

The steeply-raked mast and square top sail provide plenty of sail area; the mast still rotates Laser-style to furl the sail away after use. Credit: IZIBoat

Short of a permanent beach club holiday, where staff rig and de-rig boats at the beginning and end of each sail, the IZIBoat is the nearest most of us will get to hassle-free sailing.

It’s also ideal for families with children of an age where there’s minimal spare time for extra activities.

In that context, this vessel offers the opportunity to spend time afloat on a boat that’s faster than most others, yet is also safe and easy to handle.

Will it achieve Tissier’s objective of creating a boat for the masses? Only time will tell in sales figures, but the IZIBoat certainly has all the necessary elements.

In particular, the idea of maximising time on the water through ease of rigging and packing up the boat, while avoiding producing a craft that’s so simplified it compromises the sailing experience, ought to have wide appeal.

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