This was conceived as a practical family cruiser rather than a racer, with generous volume for its length. Its length-to-beam ratio is 3.01, and a comparison shows its hull plan to be roomier than 73% of comparable sailboat designs.
Design and Construction
The Espace 1100 has a solid-fiberglass hull and was offered with two keel alternatives: a stub/centreboard keel and a fin keel.
Depending on load, the stub/centreboard version draws just 1.22 to 1.32 meters, letting the boat settle into shallow marinas. The fin-keel model draws 1.65 to 1.75 meters and is also described as able to enter most marinas.
Wetted surface is about 41 square meters, while the immersion rate is approximately 269 kg per centimeter. Those figures place the hull in the moderate-displacement cruiser class rather than the light-and-tender category.
The capsize screening value is 2.05, which means the design wouldn’t be accepted to participate in ocean races. That is a statement about offshore-race eligibility, rather than a criticism of its coastal cruising manners.
Rig, Sail Handling, and Drivetrain
The Espace 1100 carries a masthead-sloop rig. Estimated running-rigging dimensions are 11.0 meters at 14 mm for each of the jib and genoa sheets, 27.5 meters at 14 mm for the mainsheet, and 24.2 meters at 14 mm for the spinnaker sheet.
These are database estimates rather than measurements from individual boat cards, but they give a realistic indication of the line lengths a new owner would need to carry and replace.
Various engine alternatives were paired with shaft-drive transmission, keeping the drivetrain conventional and serviceable.
Accommodations
Below deck, the Espace 1100 has 6 to 7 berths. That berth count supports the roomy-hull description and makes the boat a credible weekender or coastal cruiser for a family or two couples.
Both the 3.01 length-to-beam ratio and the relative spaciousness comparison indicate that interior volume was a selling point in its class, not an afterthought.
The Verdict
The Espace 1100 is a straightforward Briand-designed Jeanneau cruiser. It combines solid-fiberglass construction, a choice of shoal-draft or fin-keel configurations, a genuinely roomy hull, and a practical berth count for its size. It isn’t an offshore racer by screening standards, but it makes sense as a marina-friendly coastal cruiser.
Pros
- Roomier than 73% of comparable sailboat designs
- A choice of keels, including a shallow-draft stub/centreboard version
- 6–7 berths in a 37-foot 9-inch boat
Cons
- A capsize screening value of 2.05 excludes it from ocean races
- Its 41 m² wetted surface places it in the moderate-displacement category rather than marking it as a light performer
