Design and Construction
The hull and deck are both built from hand-laid fiberglass in sandwich construction. A lead fin keel draws roughly 1.65 to 1.75 meters, depending on load. The boat carries 3,968 pounds of lead ballast, giving it a 43% ballast ratio and helping to explain the reported capsize screening value of 1.86.
Wetted surface is about 27 square meters. An immersion rate of roughly 154 kg per centimeter means the boat settles predictably as crew and stores come aboard. A stainless-steel fuel tank serves the diesel installation.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Finngulf 31 was offered with more than one rig, including a fractional sloop and an alternative fractional setup. Using the ISO 8666 reference sail, her SA/D is 17.8, rising to 20.5 with a 135% genoa. Period references say she carries more rig than 58% of similar sailboats, placing her toward the more generously canvassed end of comparable 31-footers.
Period references also list the fractional-rig running-rigging dimensions in full: a 32.5-meter mainsail halyard of 10 mm diameter, matching jib and spinnaker halyards, and 12 mm sheets throughout for the jib, genoa, and mainsheet. The mainsheet is 23.6 meters long, suited to a boat of this beam.
The theoretical hull speed is 6.7 knots, while the Volvo Penta 2001 diesel with saildrive is quoted at 7.0 knots. Relative Speed Performance is listed at 86, and the Motion Comfort Ratio at 25.7.
Accommodations
Belowdecks, the Finngulf 31 has two cabins and six berths, along with a galley and toilet facility, and the interior is finished in teak.
It’s a straightforward cruising layout for a 31-footer of the period, with sleeping space for a small family or two couples without encroaching on the working galley and head spaces. The teak joinery, a standard Scandinavian choice, gives the accommodation a traditional character consistent with early-1980s Finngulf interiors.
Build Quality and Variability
One important wrinkle in the Finngulf 31’s history is that the design was also sold for home completion. As a result, the quality of completed boats can vary from one example to the next.
Buyers and reviewers shouldn’t assume uniform yard standards across the fleet. The sandwich construction and hand-laid fiberglass work need to be assessed hull by hull.
Verdict
The Finngulf 31 is a thoughtfully proportioned early Södergren cruiser-racer with a lead-ballasted fin keel, generous fractional-rig options, and a practical six-berth interior. The variable quality associated with home-completed boats is the principal caveat. Even so, the core specifications describe a balanced, seaworthy small yacht with credible performance numbers for its length.
Pros
- Lead fin keel, 43% ballast ratio, and 1.86 capsize screening value
- Multiple fractional-rig options, with more sail area than 58% of similar boats
- Two cabins and six berths, plus a galley and head
- Teak interior
- Hand-laid fiberglass sandwich hull and deck
Cons
- Some boats were sold for home completion, so build quality may vary from boat to boat
