Design and Construction
The Feeling 346 has a solid-fibreglass hull, which asks for only minimal maintenance through a sailing season.
Its unusual feature in this class is the choice of keels. The options were:
- An iron drop, or lifting, keel that raises vertically, reducing draft to 3.15 to 3.45 feet, depending on load
- A lead fin keel drawing 5.58 to 5.88 feet
- A shallow iron keel drawing 4.59 to 4.89 feet
The drop keel allowed access to shallow marinas that the fixed-fin version couldn’t reach, while the lead fin provided a more conventional offshore profile.
The boat carries 3,086 pounds of ballast, giving a ballast ratio of 37 percent, compared with 31 percent for similar designs. Its immersion rate is about 1,132 pounds per inch. A length-to-beam ratio of 2.92 makes the Feeling 346 beamier than 76 percent of comparable designs.
Rig and Handling
The Feeling 346 is a masthead sloop. This simple rig carries a given sail area lower than a fractional rig would, reducing the heeling moment.
The reference sail plan, comprising the mainsail and jib, totals roughly 479 square feet. With a 135-percent genoa, the sail-area-to-displacement ratio rises to 19.8, compared with 16.6 using the ISO reference sail. That makes the boat faster than half of similar designs in light wind. The rig also carries more sail than half of its peers—about average for this type of boat.
Specified halyard and sheet lengths are generous and suit the masthead layout. The mainsail and headsail halyards are each 101.5 feet of 3/8-inch line, while the mainsheet is 83 feet of 1/2-inch line.
Theoretical hull speed is 7.2 knots. A displacement-length ratio of 180 places the boat in the lighter “light racer” category, with 79 percent of similar designs being heavier.
Performance Profile
The Motion Comfort Ratio ranges from 17.7 to 19.9. By this measure, the Feeling 346 is more comfortable than only 21 percent of similar sailboat designs—a trade-off for its light-displacement speed.
Its capsize screening value is 2.12, which would bar the boat from ocean-race acceptance under that criterion. Taken together, the available material describes a boat tuned for coastal sailing and light-air pace rather than heavy-weather bluewater certification. A wetted surface of nearly 387 square feet contributes to that low-displacement-length behavior.
Accommodations and Layout
By length-to-beam measure, the boat’s proportions favor more space than the median comparable design. However, the design review doesn’t characterize the specific interior arrangement.
The Verdict
The Feeling 346 is a late-1980s Kirie cruiser that trades absolute heavy-weather comfort for light-displacement pace and a genuinely versatile choice of keels. The iron drop keel is the standout option for shoal-water cruising, while the lead fin suits sailors who want a conventional draft.
It’s quick in light air for its size and beamy enough to feel open below. However, its comfort and capsize figures argue against treating it as a dedicated offshore passagemaker.
Pros
- Three keel options, including a lifting iron keel for shallow-water access
- Beamier than 76 percent of similar designs for its length
- Better light-air speed than half of comparable boats when carrying a genoa
Cons
- Motion Comfort Ratio exceeds that of only 21 percent of similar designs
- Capsize screening value of 2.12 excludes it from ocean-race certification under that criterion
- Light-displacement “racer” categorization means less mass underfoot in rough water
