Design and Construction
The 820 is a solid fiberglass monohull with teak brightwork and trim carried through the interior and deck edges. Her profile pairs a raked stem with a reverse transom, and beneath that stern sits an internally mounted spade rudder. Two keel configurations left the molds: a fixed fin drawing 4 feet 5 inches, and a stub-keel-with-centreboard arrangement that reaches 5 feet 11 inches with the board down yet tucks to 3 feet 3 inches hauled up — a versatility few 27-footers of the period could match for gunkholing. The aft-cabin and aft-cockpit versions are near-identical sisters, the former trading the aft berth count upward to six against five in the cockpit layout. With a 9-foot-10-inch beam and 6 feet of headroom, the boat reads larger inside than her waterline length of 22 feet 11 inches would suggest.
Rig and Handling
Her masthead sloop rig carries 458 square feet of working sail between main and jib, with a 44-foot mast above the waterline and a Bermuda-cut plan. The sail plan's numbers — a 39-foot foretriangle height against a 10.8-foot base, and a 34-foot main luff — describe a rig that favors a genoa-driven balance under the masthead configuration. A Volvo Penta MD7A diesel with 110S saildrive of 13 horsepower gives a measured, if modest, auxiliary. The design's hull speed is a documented 6.36 knots, and the spade rudder is steered by either wheel or tiller depending on the individual boat.
Accommodations
Below, the 820 sleeps six adults in a layout that begins with a V-berth forward, continues with two settee berths in the main saloon, and closes with two aft berths. The aft-cabin variant extends that count to six by enclosing the after sleeping space; the aft-cockpit version lists five. A two-burner gimbaled propane stove and an ice box make up the galley, fed by a manually-pumped water system, while a navigation chart table and a head with an 18-gallon tank round out the interior appointments. The teak trim lends the belowdecks a warmer tone than the bare fiberglass shell alone would imply.
Refits and Ownership
A number of these boats have been retrofitted with a small outboard motor in place of the original inboard diesel, a modification worth noting for anyone evaluating a specific hull's propulsion pedigree. Otherwise the simple systems — manual water and ice box, gimbaled stove — suit an owner comfortable with period cruising hardware rather than modern pressurization.
The Verdict
The Edel 820 is a compact, ballast-steady cruiser whose short production and dual-keel option make her a distinctive find among late-20th-century small French designs. She rewards the buyer who values a genuine six-berth interior and shoal-draft flexibility over speed or modern conveniences.
Pros
- Heavy 2,646-pound lead ballast within 7,050-pound displacement lends composure
- Centreboard version offers 3-foot-3-inch shoal draft with board up
- True six-adult sleeping capacity in the aft-cabin layout
- Teak brightwork and trim throughout
Cons
- Only 60 built; scarce on any market
- Manual water and ice-box galley suit only period-style cruising
- Some examples re-powered with outboards in place of the diesel
