Bianca 111 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Bianca 111 is a solid-fiberglass monohull with a fin keel and spade rudder. Both the hull and deck are solid fiberglass, while the interior is finished in mahogany, consistent with Danish practice of the period.

Her overall length is reported as both 36 feet 5 inches and 36.5 feet, with a 30.84-foot waterline and a beam of 10.5 feet. Published specifications give a displacement of 13,420 pounds and 6,160 pounds of iron ballast. However, www.yachtdatabase.com records the keel itself as lead and gives a loaded draft of roughly 6.56 to 6.86 feet, while other published figures put draft at 6.5 feet. The sources therefore differ on both keel material and exact draft.

The yard also permitted home-completion of some hulls. The 111 was built both at the Danish yard and at other yards, and some hulls were finished by their owners. As a result, finished quality can vary from one example to the next.

Rig, Performance, and Handling

The specified rig is a fractional sloop with a reported sail area of 735 square feet, although buyers could choose either a masthead or fractional arrangement.

Under the ISO reference sail, the sail area-to-displacement ratio is 16.5, rising to 19.6 with a 135% genoa. A comparative review places her rig volume above only 46% of similar sailboats, making her slightly underrigged by that measure.

Her displacement-to-length ratio of 219 places her among “moderate racers.” The capsize screening value is 1.71, which suggests that she would meet the usual offshore-passage threshold by that formula alone, rather than guaranteeing offshore capability. An 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.

Auxiliary power comes from a 20-horsepower Bukh DV20 diesel supplied by an 18-gallon fuel tank. The boat is credited with a speed of 8.0 knots under power, beyond the 7.4-knot theoretical displacement maximum for her length.

Accommodations

The available record says little about the 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 paired with a traditional wood interior.

Because boats were built at the Danish yard and elsewhere—and because some hulls were completed by their owners—the documented build history says more about the likely variation between individual boats than it does about a standard accommodation plan. Without a documented plan, little more can be said about the living space aboard.

Known Issues and Ownership

The main documented caveat is the home-completion option. Because some Bianca 111s were sold for their owners to finish, joinery standards and systems installation may vary from boat to boat. A buyer or owner should establish whether a particular hull left the factory complete or was finished privately.

Propulsion refits also have to account for the boat’s original intent. The Bukh DV20 is a small 20-horsepower diesel, and the original fuel capacity is 18 gallons, rather than a system designed around modern expectations for auxiliary power and motoring range.

The Verdict

The Bianca 111 is a quietly competent Scandinavian cruiser-racer with an Elvstrøm & Kjærulff pedigree and solid-glass construction. By modern comparative rig-volume standards, she is modestly powered under sail, and her roughly 6.5-foot draft can restrict marina choice. Her comfort figures and capsize screening value, however, suit extended coastal work.

The variable home-completion history is the one cloud over an otherwise well-defined design. Individual boats need to be judged on the quality of their finish and systems installation.

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