Sonata 8

The Sonata 8 is a sailboat that was designed by American Gary Mull as a one design racer and first built in 1979.

Production
The boat was built by Investigator Yachts in Australia starting in 1979, but the design is out of production.

The Sonata 8 design was developed into the Sonata 26 in 1980 and produced by the same manufacturer. The two boats share the same specifications.

Design
The Sonata 8 is a small recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig, a transom-hung rudder and a lifting or optionally fixed fin keel. It displaces 2822 lb and carries 500 lb of ballast.

The boat has a draft of 5.09 ft with the keel down and 0.69 ft with the keel retracted. The fixed keel version has a draft of 5.2 ft.

The design has a hull speed of 5.96 kn.

Operational history
After its introduction in 1979 the design was raced in Australia as a one-design class.