Design and Construction
Briand's 850 is a 27-foot 10-inch monohull with a 24-foot 5-inch waterline, 10-foot 4-inch beam, and a light 6,160-pound displacement carrying 2,205 pounds of iron ballast in the fin-keel form. The hull speed is quoted at a brisk 7.8 knots, and the sail area-to-displacement ratio of 21.5 marks her firmly as a light-displacement performer. Two keel options left the yard: a fin keel drawing 5 feet 7 inches and a lifting-keel version that reduces draught to 3 feet 1 inch. The prototype's cup win anchors the lineage, and the three-version production strategy let Kirie pitch the same hull to racers and cruising families alike.
Rig and Handling
The 850 carries a sloop rig on a single-spreader mast, and at least three rigs were offered: a masthead layout with overlapping genoa, a fractional rig with non-overlapping jib, and a fractional variant with overlapping genoa. Total sail area is about 474 square feet, split into a 155-square-foot mainsail and a 202-square-foot foresail. The Cruising model's rig is much cut down from the sportier versions, yet she remains a reasonable performer in that guise. Tiller steering with all control lines led aft to the cockpit makes her easy to maneuver, and the high sail-area ratio means she accelerates readily in the breeze she is given.
Accommodations
The Cruising model is the one most likely encountered by families: an airy, open-plan interior finished in light-coloured elm joinery, with berths for six and a good galley paired to a reasonably sized chart table. The trade-off is very limited stowage, a real constraint on any longer stay aboard. A relatively large, comfortable cockpit and a sugar-scoop bathing platform extend the living space aft, and reviewers judged the boat a good starter vessel for a family of four, happiest on day sails instead of offshore passages.
The Verdict
The Feeling 850 is a small Briand design that wears its Half-ton Cup ancestry lightly: quick, light, and easy to handle on the tiller, with a cruising interior that is bright and sociable but short on stowage. She suits a family of four for daysailing and coastal hops far better than she does bluewater ambition.
Pros
- Light-displacement hull with a 21.5 sail-area ratio and 7.8-knot hull speed
- Three rig options plus fin and lifting-keel versions for varied draft needs
- Airy elm-joined Cruising interior with six berths and good galley
- Tiller steering with lines led aft makes close-quarters maneuvering simple
Cons
- Very limited stowage in the Cruising model
- Best as a daysailer, not an offshore cruiser
- Lifting-keel up-draft described as 3 ft 1 in
