Design Brief & Intent
The Faurby 393 was built for the purist cruiser-racer who demands offshore capability without sacrificing the joy of a highly responsive helm. While mass-market builders of the late 1980s and 1990s began stretching beams and raising freeboards to maximize interior volume, Faurby took the opposite approach. With a remarkably narrow beam of just ten and a half feet (3.20 meters) relative to its nearly 39-foot length, the 393 has a sleek, low-profile silhouette designed to slice through heavy North Sea chop rather than bounce over it.
This narrow-hull philosophy directly impacts the interior arrangement. Instead of the cavernous, apartment-style layouts of modern cruisers, the 393’s cabin is cozy, secure, and incredibly functional at sea. Built with massive teak or rich mahogany, the interior joinery showcases the absolute pinnacle of traditional Danish craftsmanship. Storage is abundant and meticulously integrated, with hand-fitted lockers, a proper navigation station, and secure handholds positioned exactly where needed when heeled. It is important to note that the yard occasionally sold some hulls for home-completion, meaning the interior fit-and-finish on a tiny fraction of brokerage specimens can vary depending on the skill of the original owner-builder.
Variations & Configurations
Faurby’s semi-custom approach allowed buyers to tailor the 393 to their specific sailing style. Most hulls were delivered in a highly functional two-cabin layout. This configuration features a massive V-berth forward, a central salon with a folding table, an L-shaped galley, a dedicated chart table, and a private aft cabin on the port side, paired with a spacious head and wet locker to starboard. A less common three-cabin variant was also produced, sacrificing some galley and head space to accommodate an additional sleeping cabin aft.
The rig configurations were designed to make short-handed sailing effortless. Standard models featured a tall, fractional masthead or 7/8 fractional sloop rig. This configuration utilizes a large, easily controlled mainsail combined with smaller, highly efficient headsails, making tacking single-handed a simple task. Underwater, the boat utilizes a deep fin keel mated to a lead bulb, keeping the draft at a serious 6.2 to 6.4 feet (1.88 to 1.95 meters). This concentrates the weight low down for maximum stability. The cockpit was originally configured with a direct-action tiller for the ultimate helm feel, though several hulls were built with, or later converted to, wheel steering systems.
Sailing Performance & Handling
Under sail, the Faurby 393 is nothing short of a thoroughbred. Driven by a sail area-to-displacement ratio of 17.61, it possesses more than enough power to slip away in light winds, reaching hull speed far earlier than typical heavy cruising yachts. With a displacement-to-length ratio of 154.59, the boat sits firmly in the light-to-medium displacement category, offering snappy acceleration and an easily driven hull shape that glides effortlessly through the water.
Its narrow beam ensures that even when the wind builds, the boat tracks with remarkable directional stability. A high ballast ratio of 41.38 percent provides tremendous stiffness and righting moment, allowing the 393 to carry its canvas well into the upper teens before a reef becomes necessary. With a capsize screening ratio of 1.78, the yacht is exceptionally safe and stable, easily meeting the strict requirements for serious offshore passages. Its comfort ratio of 24.9 reflects its spirited performance-cruiser nature; while it delivers a livelier motion than a heavy, full-keeled double-ender, its sharp entry and deep lead bulb ensure it cuts through head seas cleanly, eliminating the jarring slamming associated with wider modern hulls.
Market Snapshot & Economics
On the brokerage market, the Faurby 393 remains a highly sought-after but rare "sailing diamond". Because Faurby was a low-volume, high-quality yard, very few of these vessels were constructed, and owners tend to hold onto them for decades. Consequently, they command a significant price premium compared to mass-produced boats of the same era, reflecting their superior build quality and enduring Scandinavian pedigree.
Prospective buyers should budget carefully for refit economics, particularly concerning the teak decks. Nearly all Faurby 393s were delivered with laid teak decks over the fiberglass sub-deck. If the deck is original and has been aggressively scrubbed or neglected, a complete re-decking or synthetic replacement can represent a significant percentage of the boat’s overall value. Mechanically, the boat was originally delivered with either a Yanmar or a 27-horsepower Volvo Penta diesel engine coupled to a sail drive, both of which are highly reliable but require standard checks of the sail drive diaphragm and heat exchanger.
Modernization & Upgrades
Many veteran owners have chosen to heavily modernize the Faurby 393 to maintain its competitive edge and cruising luxury. A common and highly practical upgrade is the retrofitting of low-friction mainsail luff track systems, such as Ronstan or Frederiksen batten cars, which allow the large mainsail to be raised and dropped effortlessly from the safety of the cockpit.
Electrical modernizations are also popular. Given the limited standard battery capacity of older boats, many owners have converted the house bank to lithium (LiFePO4) chemistry. This transition provides ample power to run modern conveniences like electric toilets, high-draw anchor windlasses, and advanced sailing instruments without requiring heavy, space-consuming lead-acid battery banks. In the cockpit, those who prioritize relaxed cruising over active racing have successfully undertaken conversions from tiller steering to mechanical wheel steering systems, often using high-end Jefa helm components.
The Verdict
The Faurby 393 is a masterclass in classic Scandinavian boatbuilding, offering a superb blend of sailing performance, structural integrity, and timeless aesthetic appeal. It is a yacht built for the connoisseur who values sailing capability and high-end joinery over maximize-cabin-count charters. While it lacks the interior volume of contemporary wider cruisers, it rewards its crew with an unmatched helming experience and absolute peace of mind in heavy weather.
Pros:
- Outstanding upwind performance, tracking, and overall speed
- Superb, hand-crafted teak and mahogany interior joinery of the highest caliber
- Exceptionally stiff and seaworthy with a high ballast ratio
- Beautiful, timeless lines with a low profile that attracts attention in any marina
- Well-engineered deck and rig layouts that facilitate easy single-handed or short-handed sailing
- Narrow beam limits interior volume and cabin space compared to wider 39-foot cruising designs
- Aging teak decks require careful inspection and can be incredibly costly to replace
- Extremely rare on the brokerage market, making parts of the search and buying process difficult
- Deep draft limits access to shallow, shoal-draft cruising grounds and anchorages
- Small number of home-completed hulls require extra scrutiny during surveys
