Design and Construction
The hull is solid fibreglass, and a fibreglass hull of this sort asks for only minimal maintenance through a sailing season. What makes the 346 unusual in its class is the keel menu: buyers could choose a drop (lifting) keel of iron that raises vertically to draw as little as 3.15 to 3.45 feet dependent on load, a fin keel of lead drawing 5.58 to 5.88 feet, or a shallow iron keel drawing 4.59 to 4.89 feet. The drop keel allowed access to shallow marinas that a fixed-fin version could not reach, while the lead fin gave the more conventional offshore profile. With a ballast ratio of 37 percent — higher than 31 percent of similar designs — and an immersion rate of about 1,132 pounds per inch, the hull carries its 3,086 pounds of ballast with a length-to-beam ratio of 2.92 that makes her beamier than 76 percent of similar designs.
Rig and Handling
She is built as a masthead sloop, a rig chosen for its simplicity and for carrying a given sail area lower than a fractional rig would, reducing heeling moment. The reference sail plan of main and jib totals roughly 479 square feet, and with a 135-percent genoa the sail-area-to-displacement ratio climbs to 19.8, against 16.6 on the ISO reference sail. That places her faster than half of similar designs in light wind, and the rig itself carries more canvas than half of peer boats — about average for the genre. Halyard and sheet spec lengths are generous (mainsail and headsail halyards at 101.5 feet of 3/8-inch line, mainsheet at 83 feet of 1/2-inch), suited to the masthead layout. The theoretical hull speed is 7.2 knots, and a displacement-length ratio of 180 puts her among the lighter "light racer" category, with 79 percent of similar designs heavier.
Performance Profile
The Motion Comfort Ratio runs 17.7 to 19.9, meaning she is more comfortable than only 21 percent of similar sailboat designs — a trade-off against the light-displacement speed. The capsize screening value is 2.12, a figure that would bar her from ocean-race acceptance under that criterion. Taken together, the available material describes a boat tuned for coastal and light-air pace rather than heavy-weather bluewater certification, with wetted surface near 387 square feet contributing to that low-DL behavior.
Accommodations and Layout
The boat's proportions favor spaciousness over the median comparable design by length-to-beam measure, but the specific interior arrangement is not characterized in the design review.
The Verdict
The Feeling 346 is a late-eighties Kirie cruiser that trades absolute heavy-weather comfort for light-displacement pace and a genuinely versatile keel program. The iron drop keel is the standout option for shoal-water cruising, while the lead fin serves sailors who want a standard draft. She is quick in light air for her size and beamy enough to feel open below, but the comfort and capsize numbers counsel against treating her as a dedicated offshore passagemaker.
Pros
- Three keel options including a lifting iron keel for shallow access
- Beamier than 76 percent of similar designs for her length
- Light-air speed better than half of comparable boats under genoa
Cons
- Motion Comfort Ratio beats only 21 percent of similar designs
- Capsize screening value of 2.12 excludes ocean-race certification
- Light-displacement "racer" categorization means less mass underfoot in rough water
