Manta 19 Yacht / Trailer Sailer

Manta 19 Yacht

At present we have very little information available on the Manta 19 trailer sailer. We would appreciate any contributions for our readers. Please contact us on the email given at the bottom of the page.

Comments

I have had my Manta 19 for 3 years now. It is my first yacht. My previous sailing experience was with windsurfers, mainly sinkers and waveboards. The Manta is a very good first yacht, she has a displacement of 680kgs and has a shoal draft keel and centreplate. She has a good turn of speed on all points of sail. I keep mine on a mooring on the Clyde. Like all small yachts she is a bit tender in a blow. Constructed from GRP she is well finished has 4 berths, albeit a bit cramped or cosy if you like. For safety it has in-built foam bouyancy. There have been over 1000 built, manufacture ended in the mid 1980’s. Although she is not particularly easy to launch and recover from a trailer because of the keel I would recommend her as a great starter yacht.

Bill Beattie
Scotland

14th November, 2005. Sun was shining and forecast force 3 – 5 so went for a sail. Mainsail reefed (only one position available) before leaving and furling genoa full out. A bit blowy odffshore as I left North Berwick (Firth of Forth, Scotland) but a couple of rolls in the genoa did the trick. I would guess mostly F4 gusting F5. What a great afternoon. Single handed sailing with confidence. Lifting out for the winter is a much over rated pastime!!
Lazy Daze (Manta 19)

My comments were going to be word for word the same as Bills (below). I have had my Manta 19 “Tiller Girl” for just a little longer. My first boat she has given me so much pleasure. I sail on the East coast, mainly on the Stour and Orwell rivers but hope to venture farther afield next year. Her lifting keel is ideal for our shallow waters – great for getting into little creeks. I am told there is a fleet of them in Woodbridge, Suffolk that race.

There is a web site www.toddie.demon.co.uk that provides good information on the Manta 19. It includes the Manta 19 brochure, drawing of the centre keel plate, pictures of other manta 19’s and a message board.
I have a Manta 19 moored on Coniston Water.

Alan Yeomans

My name is Geoff and I spent two and a half years from when I left school building the manta 19 as a yacht fitter.Just as a point of intrest there where two other boats built at Blakes Marine and one of them was a shorter version called the Manta 16.If my memory serves me right this was designed by the managing director Dave Hutchinson

Hello, I’ve just brought a Manta 19 sail number 1176 built by Blakes Marine in 1978. Having spent a few weeks sailing, motoring and tidying up fittings and rigging, I have to say she is a wonderful boat, easy to sail, well built, nice lines and a well thought out layout. There must be over a thousand very smug Manta owners out there.

I am from amsterdam the netherlands i own a manta 19 with number 1114 built in1977 by blake,s Having her for almost6 years nowshe named BIG BAMBU and i sail her on the Ijselmeer and the north sea also had made a trip from ijmuiden to lowestoft in 2007 single handed 105 miles in 25 hours not bad for a little ship like this.