Design and Construction
The 320 is a fin-keeled monohull of solid hand-laid fiberglass below, while both the hull and deck use hand-laid fiberglass with a balsa sandwich. The builder chose this construction to improve the interior climate by reducing condensation and heat transfer.
The core is balsa throughout, so any through-bolt, replacement fitting, or other penetration that opens the sandwich must be carefully sealed to keep water from reaching it.
The iron keel carries 4,409 pounds of ballast in a 9,259-pound hull, giving a ballast ratio of 44 percent. Beam is a modest 10.5 feet against an overall length of 32 feet. That l/b ratio of 3.06 suggests a reasonably narrow, seakindly, mid-displacement hull rather than a beamy condo-cruiser.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
Kjærulff offered the 320 with a choice of rigs, and boats can be found with either a masthead or fractional sloop rig. The sail plan is conservative: the 320 carries more rig than only 42 percent of comparable sailboats, making her slightly underrigged with a moderate sail plan.
With the ISO reference sail, her SA/D is 15.9, rising to 18.8 with a 135 percent genoa. Combined with a displacement-length ratio of 267, these figures place her among moderate racers.
Depending on load, the fin keel draws between 5.74 and 6.04 feet. That keeps her out of the shallowest water but allows access to most marinas. Wetted surface is about 312 square feet.
A saildrive transmission connects the single 16-horsepower Yanmar diesel to the prop. Under power, the boat cruises near 5.0 knots and reaches around 6.0 knots, just short of the 6.8-knot theoretical hull speed for a displacement boat of this length.
Accommodations and Cruising Range
Like many boats of her era, the 320 has a mahogany interior, reflecting the warm, traditional joinery favored by the Danish yard. The 32-foot hull provides compact but functional cruising accommodations.
Tankage consists of 32 gallons of water and 16 gallons of diesel. Those capacities point toward weekend sailing and coastal cruising rather than long, unsupported passages.
Known Issues
The main construction concern is the balsa sandwich. Any work that penetrates the hull or deck requires particular care because the balsa core demands sealing at every penetration. If a penetration is left unsealed and water reaches the core, the sandwich can lose strength and develop soft spots that are expensive to repair.
Rigging and Ownership
Rigging dimensions vary between the two rig types. On the masthead version, halyards are 30.1 meters long and 10 mm in diameter. Sheets range from 9.8 to 24.5 meters and are 12 mm in diameter, while the cunningham and kicking strap are each 7.5 meters long. The fractional rig uses the same sheet lengths. These figures can help owners order replacements without surprises.
The Verdict
The Bianca 320 is a thoughtfully engineered Danish cruiser-racer from the mid-1980s. She is well-balanced in ballast and beam and offers a choice of two rigs. Her figures place her firmly among moderate racers, with motion-comfort ratios of 23.0 to 25.7 and a capsize screening value of 1.91.
She isn’t an offshore heavyweight, and her modest tankage favors coastal cruising. Her balsa-sandwich construction can improve insulation and the interior climate, but it also rewards careful ownership—especially whenever fittings or fasteners penetrate the hull or deck.
Pros
- Balsa-cored hull and deck improve insulation and the interior climate
- Choice of masthead or fractional rig suits different sailing styles
- Strong 44 percent ballast ratio and moderate-racer DL profile
Cons
- Balsa core is vulnerable if penetrations aren’t properly sealed
- Slightly underrigged compared with similar boats
- Saildrive and modest tankage are better suited to coastal cruising than long passage-making
