Rig & Handling
The sail plan is sized for power, carrying more than 2,000 square feet with main and genoa set on a Marechal-made aluminum mast and boom. The sails are large and powerful, and one tested example carried a big square-topped mainsail built by France’s Incidences loft that was clearly generating a lot of power. The gennaker is set on a flexible furler forward of the headsail.
Fountaine Pajot has provided an extensive battery of Antal winches, including powered winches to port and starboard for the jib sheets and a big Antal powered winch for the main, reef points, and traveller. Amidships on the forward edge of the flybridge, a bank of four Antal winches handles main, traveler, reefing lines, and genoa and gennaker sheets—all lines leading to the center of the console at the JP3 hydraulic helm. The flybridge helmsman sits under a bimini with all sail-control lines at his fingertips, and a tester found that the gear is placed and sized correctly so that the boat is fairly simple to sail.
Under power, the twin 110-horsepower Volvos with conventional shafts deliver confident maneuvering. One tester measured 8.4 knots with both engines running at the normal 2,200 rpm cruise setting, with an exceptionally low sound level of only 63 dBA. The turning circle without differential power is about one boat length, and of course it does the “cat pirouette” perfectly with the engines running in opposite directions. Under sail, the Victoria 67 tacks through about 90 degrees, and a tester did not notice any undue leeway. In about 6 knots of wind during sea trials, the speedo hovered around 5 knots; in a stiff breeze like the tropical trades, the same tester guessed the flagship would turn in some excellent days at sea.
Accommodations
The highlight of the Victoria 67 is the vast flybridge, which the builder calls a “Fly Deck.” Reached via stairs on either side, this space features a two-person helm seat offset to starboard, comfortable couches lining the remainder, two cocktail tables aft, and a fridge and sink in the middle—complete with an Indel fridge for entertaining. One tester named this as a favorite spot where the work of sailing and the joy of voyaging can both be savored.
In the cockpit below, a cushioned sun bed spans the transom, with two more sun beds lying in the shade of the flybridge to either side of a teak dining table that seats 10. The cockpit space flows smoothly into the interior through big sliding doors, revealing a saloon with 6 feet 10 inches of headroom. A tester was struck by the sensible use of interior and exterior space and the flow of the design, from cockpit and saloon to staterooms in each hull.
The galley is positioned to starboard in the saloon and comes equipped with a Bosch fridge, a Smeg cooktop and stove, full-size fridge and freezer, glass-topped counters, a four-burner stove, electric oven, dishwasher, and abundant storage. The interior of one test boat featured light-color laminated joinery and simple attractive fabrics, creating an attractive low-maintenance environment. The nav station sits in the forward port corner of the saloon; there is no separate nav table, though it would be easy to spread out paper charts and books on the dining table. A second complete set of chartplotter, autopilot, and communication electronics resides in the forward-facing nav station in the saloon.
The tested Maestro version featured an owner’s suite with a large bath compartment taking up most of the port hull, with a single companionway leading to that enormous suite aft and a forward cabin with two singles. The starboard hull in this layout holds three cabins with queen berths, each with its own head and shower, accessed via two companionways. A crewed layout is also available with three cabins in each hull plus a double crew cabin forward to port. Crew quarters are located in the forepeak, and there is access to one hull’s accommodations through a private cockpit passageway so some can sleep while others party into the night. The aft cockpit and saloon are roomy enough to handle a crowd, and the living space is equivalent to a monohull 20 feet longer.
Known Considerations
The Victoria 67 is not a mom-and-pop cruiser. A professional skipper will be the norm for this big cat, and one tester suspected it will be sailed by a captain and crew as often as by an owner with family and friends—though layouts are available for both scenarios. The exposed hull and cabin surfaces create a lot of windage, and when the boat is stopped it can begin gathering way in any kind of breeze, a characteristic that demands attention during maneuvering in tight quarters.
The Verdict
The Fountaine Pajot Victoria 67 represents a fully realized flagship that balances genuine sailing capability with living spaces that rival much larger monohulls. The design, styling, and construction are all top-notch, and the electrical and deck systems reflect careful thought about how owners and crews will actually use the boat—whether running self-sufficiently on solar at anchor or managing sail controls from a single elevated command post. It is a big boat with big expectations, and the execution delivers on the promise of a luxurious, capable cruising platform.
Pros
- One of the most spacious and comfortable production sailboats reviewers have seen
- Top-notch infused and cored construction with no special structural issues over decades of builder history
- Powerful yet manageable sail plan with well-placed powered winches and centralized line handling
- Exceptionally quiet under power at cruise (63 dBA at 2,200 rpm)
- Vast flybridge with helm, lounging, refrigeration, and entertaining space
- Living space equivalent to a monohull 20 feet longer
- Solar self-sufficiency capability and advanced distributed electrical system
- Multiple layout options for owner/family or crewed charter use
Cons
- High windage from exposed surfaces means the boat can gather way quickly when stopped
- Not suited for mom-and-pop cruising; professional crew is the norm
- Requires rolling up the genoa to tack it across the dual headstays
