Design and Construction
The Suspens is a monohull of solid fiberglass construction, with a raked stem and a sharply reverse transom that gives her a contemporary late-1970s profile. She carries a fixed fin keel and an internally mounted spade-type rudder worked by tiller, the sort of underwater profile that favors responsiveness over ultimate draft protection. At 30.35 feet overall with a 25.59-foot waterline, 9.84-foot beam, and 5.91-foot draft, she displaces 6,118 pounds and carries 1,830 pounds of iron ballast — a ballast ratio near 30 percent that, with her 162.99 displacement-to-length figure, places her firmly in the light-displacement racer-cruiser camp rather than the heavy cruising idiom.
Rig and Handling
Aloft she is a 7/8 fractional sloop on a Bermuda rig, with aluminum spars and a keel-stepped mast. The standing rigging is wire, and a single set of swept spreaders supports the rig — a simple, adjustable arrangement that suits a boat of this size and keeps the rig manageable for short-handed sailing. The 450-square-foot sail plan on a 21.52 sail-area-to-displacement ratio suggests she is built to move in a breeze rather than lug gear. The spade rudder and fin keel combination, paired with tiller steering, gives predictable feedback and quick directional change, while the 6.78-knot hull speed marks the upper bound of her displacement-driven pace.
Accommodations
Below, the Suspens sleeps six. A double V-berth occupies the bow cabin, while the main cabin pairs an L-shaped settee with a straight settee around a drop-leaf table, and two aft quarter berths extend sleeping capacity. The galley sits to starboard just forward of the companionway ladder and is equipped with a two-burner stove and a stainless steel sink; opposite it to port is the navigation station. The head is placed just aft of the bow cabin on the port side. This is a compact, race-oriented interior layout that still provides the core functions for weekend cruising without pretending to be a bluewater home.
The Verdict
The Suspens is a small, limited-production French racer-cruiser with a clean fractional rig and a tiller-steered spade rudder that rewards an engaged helm. Her light displacement and modest ballast make her quick in the right conditions, and her six-berth layout gives her real cruising utility for her size. The tiny production run means she is a rare find, and her racer-cruiser brief means she trades ultimate tankage and cruising mass for pace.
Pros
- Limited run of 63 boats gives her collector and niche appeal
- Fractional sloop rig with swept spreaders is simple and adaptable
- Six-berth layout with proper galley and nav station for the size
Cons
- Light displacement and 8-gallon fuel capacity suit racing more than extended cruising
- Small production volume means scarce spares and market familiarity
