The Smaragd is one of many sailing yacht kits sold by Robbe.  The name means Emerald in German which is where Robbe is located.  The first thing you notice about this boat is it's size.  It's a large boat with a very tall mast.  It should be quite impressive on the water.

I purchased this boat from the auction site Ebay.  It came with the mast and fitting set which are usually separate components.  One thing it did not come with is the keel.  Robbe sells this separately, presumably to save on shipping cost.  I checked with my friends at Westbourne and the cost of the keel was reasonable but  the shipping was outrageous.  I think that Robbe should supply a vacuum formed keel that the user can fill with lead shot obtained locally.   I was lucky and found a keel locally from The Modelers Boatyard.

This kit had already been started when I received it.  The builder did most of the hard work by installing the interior supports and drilling the holes.  This is the second partially built boat I have purchased of Ebay.  You have to be careful and examine the pictures closely to determine what is included and what was done but you can end up with quite a bargain.