Suspens Fin keel

Sailboat specifications

The Suspens is a 30’4” (9.25m) racer-cruiser sailboat designed by Joubert Nivelt Design (France). She was built between 1979 and 1988 by Archambault (France) with 63 hulls completed. The Fin keel version adopts a classical fin configuration, the easiest option to provide a low center of gravity.

Suspens's main features

Model: Suspens
Version: Fin keel
Hull type: Monohull
Category: Racer-cruiser sailboat
Sailboat builder: Archambault
Sailboat designer: Joubert Nivelt Design
Country: France
Construction: GRP (glass reinforced polyester):
- Hull: Single skin fiberglass polyester
- Deck: Sandwich balsa fiberglass polyester
Number of hulls built: 63
First built hull: 1979
Last built hull: 1988
Appendages: Keel : fin without bulb
Helm: Single tiller
Rudder: Single spade rudder
Unsinkable: No
Trailerable: No
Former French navigation category: 2
Standard public price ex. VAT (indicative only): N/A €

Suspens's main dimensions

Hull length: 30’ 4”9.25 m
Waterline length: 25’ 7”7.8 m
Beam (width): 9’ 10”3 m
Draft: 5’ 11”1.8 m
Mast height from D_WL: 44’ 4”13.5 m
Light displacement (M_LC): 6118 lb2775 kg
Ballast weight: 1830 lb830 kg
Ballast type: Cast iron

Suspens's rig and sails

Upwind sail area: 569 ft²52.9 m²
Downwind sail area: 1150 ft²106.8 m²
Mainsail area: 288 ft²26.8 m²
Genoa area: 281 ft²26.1 m²
Jib area: 174 ft²16.2 m²
Symmetric spinnaker area: 861 ft²80 m²
I iFore triangle height (from mast foot to fore stay top attachment): 35’ 4”10.75 m
J iFore triangle base (from mast foot to bottom of forestay): 10’ 8”3.25 m
P iMainsail hoist measurement (from tack to head): 38’ 1”11.6 m
E iMainsail foot measurement (from tack to clew): 13’ 10”4.2 m
Rigging type: Sloop Marconi 7/8
Mast configuration: Keel stepped mast
Rotating spars: No
Number of levels of spreaders: 1
Spreaders angle: Swept-back
Spars construction: Aluminum spars
Standing rigging: 1x19 strand wire continuous

Suspens's performances

IOR rating iIOR, or International Offshore Rule, was a measurement rule system used internationally for ocean racing. It allows boats of different sizes and designs to race each other fairly. Therefore, by comparing these values, we can have an indication of the relative speed of 2 boats.: 32.5
HN (French rating) iHN or "Handicap Nationale" is an empirical rating system used in France allowing various monohulls, of different sizes and designs, to race each other fairly. It is particularly suitable for cruiser and cruiser-racer. Therefore, by comparing these values, we can have an indication of the relative speed of 2 boats.: 21.0
Upwind sail area to displacement iThe ratio sail area to displacement is obtained by dividing the sail area by the boat's displaced volume to the power two-thirds. The ratio sail area to displacement can be used to compare the relative sail plan of different sailboats no matter what their size. Upwind: under 18 the ratio indicates a cruise oriented sailboat with limited performances especially in light wind, while over 25 it indicates a fast sailboat.: 288 ft²/T26.79 m²/T
Downwind sail area to displacement iThe ratio sail area to displacement is obtained by dividing the sail area by the boat's displaced volume to the power two-thirds. The ratio sail area to displacement can be used to compare the relative sail plan of different sailboats no matter what their size.: 582 ft²/T54.08 m²/T
Displacement-length ratio (DLR) iThe Displacement Length Ratio (DLR) is a figure that points out the boat's weight compared to its waterline length. The DLR is obtained by dividing the boat's displacement in tons by the cube of one one-hundredth of the waterline length (in feet). The DLR can be used to compare the relative mass of different sailboats no matter what their length: a DLR less than 180 is indicative of a really light sailboat (race boat made for planning), while a DLR greater than 300 is indicative of a heavy cruising sailboat.: 166
Ballast ratio iThe Ballast ratio is an indicator of stability; it is obtained by dividing the boat's displacement by the mass of the ballast. Since the stability depends also of the hull shapes and the position of the center of gravity, only the boats with similar ballast arrangements and hull shapes should be compared. The higher the ballast ratio is, the greater is the stability.: 30 %
Critical hull speed iAs a ship moves in the water, it creates standing waves that oppose its movement. This effect increases dramatically the resistance when the boat reaches a speed-length ratio (speed-length ratio is the ratio between the speed in knots and the square root of the waterline length in feet) of about 1.2 (corresponding to a Froude Number of 0.35) . This very sharp rise in resistance, between speed-length ratio of 1.2 to 1.5, is insurmountable for heavy sailboats and so becomes an apparent barrier. This leads to the concept of "hull speed". The hull speed is obtained by multiplying the square root of the waterline length (in feet) by 1.34.: 6.78 knots