Design and Construction
The 111 carries a length waterline of 30.84 feet inside her 36.5-foot overall length, on a beam of 10.5 feet, and draws a reported 6.5 feet at the fin keel. Published specifications list her displacement at 13,420 pounds with 6,160 pounds of iron ballast, while www.yachtdatabase.com records the keel itself as lead and notes a loaded draft of roughly 6.56 to 6.86 feet — sources differ on keel material and exact draft. Both hull and deck are solid fiberglass, and the interior is mahogany, consistent with Danish practice of the period. The yard also permitted home-completion of some hulls, so finished quality can vary from one example to the next.
Rig and Handling
Her specified rig is a fractional sloop carrying 735 square feet of reported sail area, but the design was offered with more than one rig: buyers could choose a masthead or a fractional arrangement. Under the ISO reference sail her SA/D reads 16.5, rising to 19.6 with a 135% genoa, and a comparative review places her rig volume above only 46% of similar sailboats — meaning she is slightly underrigged by that measure. The DL-ratio of 219 puts her among "moderate racers," and the capsize screening value of 1.71 suggests she would meet the usual offshore-passage threshold by that formula alone. With the 20-horsepower Bukh DV20 diesel she is credited with a speed of 8.0 knots, beyond the 7.4-knot theoretical displacement maximum for her length. Her immersion rate of about 1,128 pounds per inch and a Motion Comfort Ratio of 27.7 to 31.7 describe a moderately stiff, settled hull in a seaway.
Accommodations
The known record gives little on interior layout beyond the mahogany joinery and the 10.5-foot beam that supports it. What the sources do establish is the construction context: a solid-glass shell with a traditional wood interior, built both at the Danish yard and at other yards, with some hulls finished by their owners. That background, rather than any documented plan, is the extent of what can be said about living space aboard.
Known Issues
The one documented caveat is the home-completion path: because some 111s were sold to be finished by their owners, the quality of each boat may vary.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership considerations center on the mixed build history. A buyer or owner should verify whether a given hull left the factory finished or was completed privately, since that bears directly on joinery standards and systems installation. The Bukh DV20 is a small 20-horsepower diesel on an 18-gallon tank, so propulsion refits are constrained by original intent rather than modern power expectations.
The Verdict
The Bianca 111 is a quietly competent Scandinavian cruiser-racer whose Elvstrøm & Kjærulff pedigree and solid-glass construction give her a serious backbone. She is modestly powered under sail by modern rig-volume standards and draws enough to limit marina choice, but her comfort numbers and capsize screening suit extended coastal work. The variable home-completion history is the one cloud over an otherwise well-defined design.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck with mahogany interior
- Designed by Elvstrøm & Kjærulff; offered in masthead or fractional rig
- Comfort and capsize ratios appropriate for offshore-capable cruising
Cons
- Some hulls home-completed, so finished quality varies
- Slightly underrigged versus peers; 6.5-foot draft restricts berthing
- Small 20 hp diesel and 18-gallon fuel capacity limit motoring range
