Design and Construction
The 486 has a solid fiberglass hull rather than a cored skin. Kirie offered several keel alternatives, allowing owners to tune draft to their cruising grounds.
The iron fin keel draws about 6.73 to 7.03 feet, depending on load, which limits the boat to major marinas. The lead fin option reduces draft to roughly 5.25–5.55 feet, opening up most harbours.
Ballast is 5,732 pounds of lead, or 26 percent of displacement. That ratio ranks higher than only 7 percent of similar designs, making the 486 light on ballast by class standards. Its capsize screening values—2.07 from the design parameters and 2.09 as recorded in review—both place it outside ocean-race acceptance.
The displacement-to-length ratio is 223, putting the 486 among “moderate racers”; 62 percent of peer designs are heavier. Its immersion rate is about 1,802 pounds per inch, so the boat loads heavily for its length.
Rig and Handling
The 486 is a masthead sloop with 961 square feet of sail area driving its 22,046-pound hull. That produces a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 19.50, enough to keep the boat moving without requiring a racing crew. Wetted surface is about 570 square feet.
The sheet inventory is generous. Jib and genoa sheets are 44.9 feet long and 5/8 inch in diameter. The mainsheet is 112.2 feet long, while the spinnaker sheet measures 98.7 feet; all use the same 16 mm diameter.
The theoretical hull speed for a displacement boat of this length is 8.0 knots. With a Yanmar 4JH2, the calculated maximum is 7.4 knots; a 60 hp installation lowers that figure marginally to 7.3 knots.
Accommodations and Comfort
The Feeling 486 provides eight to ten berths. Vaton treated volume as a primary part of the design brief, and the boat’s 3.07 length-to-beam ratio and 85th-percentile spaciousness ranking make that berth count credible rather than cramped.
That generous interior doesn’t translate into especially gentle motion at sea. The Motion Comfort Ratio is 24.8, placing the 486 ahead of just 21 percent of similar sailboats.
Performance Envelope
The numbers describe a boat intended for coastal and moderate offshore cruising rather than competition. A capsize screening value of 2.09 bars her from ocean racing.
Even so, the displacement-to-length ratio of 223 and sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 19.50 suggest a hull that responds to sail rather than slogging. The lead-keel variant’s marina-friendly draft also broadens the boat’s practical cruising range.
The Verdict
The Feeling 486 is a spacious cruiser from the Kirie era of the Feeling line. Vaton’s beamy hull ranks above 85 percent of comparable designs for space and provides eight to ten berths. The lead-keel option avoids the iron-keel version’s major-marina-only limitation, while the moderate sail plan and calculated 7.4-knot maximum make her a willing coastal traveller.
The trade-off is clear. A low ballast ratio and a comfort ranking behind 79 percent of peers mean she gives up stiffness and ride quality. A capsize screening value that excludes her from ocean racing defines the upper limit of her performance envelope.
Pros
- More spacious than 85% of similar designs, with 8–10 berths
- Lead fin-keel option draws just 5.25–5.55 ft, suiting most marinas
- Sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 19.50 and displacement-to-length ratio of 223 indicate a responsive, moderate cruiser
Cons
- Ballast ratio of 26% ranks above only 7% of comparable designs
- Motion Comfort Ratio places her ahead of just 21% of similar boats
- Capsize screening value of 2.09 excludes her from ocean races
