- From 1 500 euros for a Flirt with engine and tired sails.
- 3,500 euros for a refurbished model ready to go to sea.
- 1,743 copies from 1976 to 1983
Designed for family sailing, this boat without any racing pretensions has been a great success in both keelboat and ballasted dinghy versions. The first version is a little more efficient when sailing close to the wind and stiffer under sail than the dinghy, whose strong point is easy beaching. The accommodation is sufficient but sober: double berth in the bow, flanked by a small kitchen unit, aft berths serving as bench seats on either side of a folding table. Serious and efficient, if not revolutionary, the Flirt still retains an undeniable strong point, its huge cockpit.
The diagnosis of Bateaux.com
Very solid, it has stood the weight of years quite well but, as always, it will be necessary to pay attention to the drift and its lifting mechanism. If this has not been done, the original fittings will certainly have to be changed. The same goes for the deck fittings, stanchion bases and pulpit, which are not very well maintained.
" The keelboat shows at Force 4 a calmer behavior and allows to keep all the mainsail with one degree Beaufort more than the dinghy ".
Jacques Monsault, essay on Flirt in Bateaux
Benefits
- Huge cockpit
- Unbeatable volume/price ratio
- Two versions of ballast
Disadvantages
- Cockpit rails a little stiff
- Fragile fittings
- There is no provision for swimming
But what is missing?
Not much except a revised cockpit ergonomics.
The equivalent today?
The Jeanneau shipyard no longer produces cruisers under 35 feet. We therefore opt for the E1, the new name of the Elan 210, a small, attractive and fast sailing boat.
