Review of Finngulf 36

Both the hull and the deck is made of hand laid fibreglass. A hull made of hand laid fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Both the hull and the deck is a sandwich construction which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin. The core material in the sandwich construction is balsa.

The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 6-7 berths, a galley, 100 liters (26 US gallons, 21 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity, toilet facility and 90 liters (23 US gallons, 19 imperial gallons) waste water capacity.

The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.

Note: the boat has also been sold to be home-completed, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.

Finngulf 36 has more than one rig.

One option is a fractional rig. The sail area for the mailsail + jib is 64.3 m² (692.1 ft²). A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Another option is a fractional rig. The sail area for the mailsail + jib is 58.7 m² (632.2 ft²). A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

The Finngulf 36 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Fin keel

One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.90 - 2.00 meter (6.23 - 6.53 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Fin keel

Another option is a fin keel.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.65 - 1.75 meter (5.41 - 5.71 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The fuel tank, which is made of stainless steel, has a capacity of 75 liters (19 US gallons, 16 imperial gallons).

Finngulf 36 may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta 2002 diesel engine at 18 hp (13 kW). The speed is 7.0 knots.

The transmission is a saildrive.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Finngulf 36 is 1.87, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.1 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Finngulf 36 is about 188 kg/cm, alternatively 1058 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 188 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1058 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Finngulf 36 is 25.7.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 42% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Finngulf 36 is 3.34.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 66% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more speedy hull design.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Finngulf 36 is 39%.

This ballast ratio is higher than 46% of all similar sailboat designs. Since the ballast ratio and the righting moment (i.e. better ability to resist heeling) is strongly correlated, a ballast ratio just below average indicates an ability to resist heeling below average.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Finngulf 36 is 241 which categorizes this boat among 'moderate racers'.

62% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Finngulf 36 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 18.8, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 21.7.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 76% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

The Finngulf 36 has more rig than 62% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly overrigged.

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Finngulf 36 is 76

The relative speed performance is 76 which means that a it is faster than 76% of all similar sailboat designs.

As balsa wood is used as sandwich core material special care must be taken in relation to work that require penetration of the sandwich construction in order to to prevent water to get in contact with the balsa wood. Otherwise the balsa wood will eventually rotten and be expensive/impossible to repair.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 33m² (355 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Finngulf 36 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.