Designed for changeable Dutch weather and a crew of six, the 999 displaces 4,700 kilograms and carries 2,000 kilograms of ballast, giving a ballast ratio of 42.5 percent. She draws either 1.50 meters as standard or 1.25 meters as an alternative.
Design and Construction
Maas’s design has a solid GRP hull laminated with vinyl ester resin. The builder described this construction method as unique in yacht building, producing an extremely dense structure that contributes to greater hull strength. YACHT’s survey of the class confirms a hand lay-up and spray process, partly using sandwich core and vinyl ester, and rates the boat as very solidly built.
The hull-to-deck joint forms a functional rubbing strake at the boat’s widest beam. The keel suspension is built to guarantee optimal power transmission into the hull. The 999 is heavy compared with her peers, but that trade-off underpins the solid cruising character noted by period reviewers.
Rig and Handling
All halyards and sheets lead to the cockpit, allowing a smaller crew to handle the boat without leaving the helm. The center cockpit and good-natured handling work in her favor on deck, while the builder’s notes praise her smooth, easy maneuvering, even when sailed short-handed.
That good nature has limits. YACHT’s testers found the controls very imprecise, and the rig offers hardly any trimming options. In around 12 knots of wind, the nearly ten-meter hull simply didn’t get going. She failed to reach five knots upwind, and the steering felt sticky. However, the same magazine’s 1991 delivery-condition test was impressed by her performance in roughly twice that breeze.
Accommodation
Below, the 999 is surprisingly spacious and luxuriously furnished for her length. She makes optimum use of the available space, although YACHT found the interior somewhat dark.
A comfortable saloon sofa wraps around the walls, though testers considered the port-side seating too shallow. Opposite the galley is a roomy charting area with a swivel chair, another Compromis signature. The galley includes modern conveniences.
The forward berth is huge, measuring 2.54 by 1.80 meters, but when fully extended it begins directly at the saloon door. Aft, a corridor to starboard of the galley leads to a 2.15-by-1.40-meter berth. It has a rowing coker between the foot and headroom that drops abruptly aft. The wet room is adequate but has no shower.
Although five berths are specified and the boat was conceived with a crew of six in mind, the 999 comes across as a solid cruising boat for two.
Limitations and Known Issues
The 999’s shortcomings are concentrated more in ergonomics than in structure. Imprecise steering and minimal trim control are inherent in the design. The aft berth’s rowing coker and abrupt loss of headroom limit its livability for a second couple, while the forward berth’s intrusion into the saloon doorway reflects the compromises of fitting a center-cockpit layout into a short hull.
Her relatively heavy displacement also holds her back in light air.
Verdict
The Compromis 999 is a strongly built, weatherly center-cockpit cruiser that offers more accommodation than her nine-and-a-half-meter length might suggest, along with sea-kindly composure. However, she needs some wind to perform and forgives few tuning errors. She best suits a couple or small family who value solid Dutch construction and a protected helm more than racing sparkle.
Pros
- Solid vinyl ester hull with a dense, strong laminate
- Hull-to-deck joint forms a functional rubbing strake
- Center-cockpit layout with all lines led to the helm
- Smooth, easy maneuvering when short-handed
- Spacious, well-fitted interior
- Signature swivel chair at the charting area
- Large forward berth
- High ballast ratio and solid construction suited to comfortable open-water passages
Cons
- Imprecise controls and almost no trimming range
- Sluggish performance and sticky steering in light winds of around 12 knots
- Aft berth compromised by a rowing coker and diminishing headroom
- No shower in the wet room
- Heavy compared with others in the class, limiting light-air performance
