This Swedish-built Judel/Vrolijk design impressed our judges with the quality of its hull and deck construction and dazzled them with gorgeous interior joinery work in satin-finish African mahogany. We loved the feel of the helm (“soft and supple, with just the right amount of feedback”) in 15 knots of true wind. The boat tracked well and gave a decent turn of speed (8.5 knots hard on the breeze with an in-mast-furling main) for a less-than-lightweight cruiser, and the helm stayed light, even when we strapped all the sails right down on a beam reach. We were enthusiastic about the comfortable cockpit seating and thought the running rigging layout was excellent. Both main and headsail sheets are easily accessed from the helm, making the boat a dream to sail singlehanded.
The accommodation plan is well suited to long-term liveaboard cruising; our only quibbles were with the galley, which we thought was slightly undersized for a boat of this length, and the lack of handholds in the heads. The engine room is well laid out, access to the various mechanical systems is excellent, and the DC-system installation (despite some untinned wire) is very neat.
Specifications
Price: $474,000 (FOB Sweden) includes sails (full-batten Mylar/Spectra main and 110% Mylar/Spectra jib), jib-furling gear, removable inner forestay, folding prop, teak deck, power windlass, and ground tackle.
U.S. contact: Log on to www.najad.com for a dealer in your area
Construction: Hand-laid multiaxial glass hull with ISO polyester. The hull is reinforced with longitudinal and transverse beams that support the keel, mast, and engine.
LOA 45’8″
LWL 39′
Beam 14′
Draft (standard/shoal) 7’/6’3″
Ballast 11,900 lbs
Displacement 34,200 lbs
Sail area?985 sq ft
Power (100% foretriangle) 96-hp Yanmar
Fuel/water/waste 108/122/34 gal
Displ.-length ratio 257
Sail area-displ. ratio 15
