At just under 28 feet, the Feeling 850 is best understood as a compact family daysailer with a racer’s bones, rather than a miniature offshore voyager.
Design and Construction
The Feeling 850 is a 27-foot 10-inch monohull with a 24-foot 5-inch waterline, a 10-foot 4-inch beam, and a light displacement of 6,160 pounds. In fin-keel form, she carries 2,205 pounds of iron ballast.
Her quoted hull speed is a brisk 7.8 knots, while a sail area-to-displacement ratio of 21.5 places her firmly among light-displacement performers. The prototype’s Half-ton Cup win underpins that sporting lineage, while Kirie’s three-version production strategy allowed the same hull to appeal to both racers and cruising families.
Two keel options left the yard. The fin keel draws 5 feet 7 inches, while the lifting-keel version reduces draught to 3 feet 1 inch.
Rig and Handling
The Feeling 850 carries a sloop rig on a single-spreader mast. At least three rig configurations were offered: a masthead layout with an overlapping genoa, a fractional rig with a non-overlapping jib, and a fractional variant with overlapping genoa.
Total sail area is about 474 square feet, including a 155-square-foot mainsail and a 202-square-foot foresail. The Cruising model’s rig is cut down considerably from those of the sportier versions, though the boat remains a reasonable performer in cruising form.
Tiller steering and control lines led aft to the cockpit make the 850 easy to maneuver. Her high sail area-to-displacement ratio also helps her accelerate readily in the breeze available.
Cockpit and Accommodations
Families are most likely to encounter the Cruising model. Its airy, open-plan interior is finished in light-coloured elm joinery and provides berths for six. It also has a good galley and a reasonably sized chart table.
The main trade-off is very limited stowage, which becomes a real constraint during longer stays aboard. A relatively large, comfortable cockpit and a sugar-scoop bathing platform extend the usable living space aft.
Reviewers judged the Feeling 850 a good starter boat for a family of four. It is happiest on day sails rather than offshore passages.
The Verdict
The Feeling 850 wears its Half-ton Cup ancestry lightly. It’s quick, light, and easy to handle from the tiller, with a bright, sociable cruising interior. Limited stowage restricts its usefulness for longer stays aboard, however.
This compact Briand design suits a family of four for daysailing and coastal hops far better than it does bluewater ambitions.
Pros
- Light-displacement hull with a 21.5 sail area-to-displacement ratio and a 7.8-knot hull speed
- Three rig options, plus fin- and lifting-keel versions for different draught needs
- Airy Cruising interior with light-coloured elm joinery, six berths, and a good galley
- Tiller steering and lines led aft make close-quarters maneuvering simple
- Relatively large, comfortable cockpit and sugar-scoop bathing platform
Cons
- Very limited stowage in the Cruising model
- Better suited to daysailing than offshore cruising
- Lifting-keel up-draft is described as 3 feet 1 inch
