Design and Construction
The Espace 990 has a solid-fiberglass hull, which keeps seasonal maintenance to a minimum compared with older wooden or cored structures. Briand, described by the builder as a prestigious architect, clearly prioritized volume. The Yachtdatabase review notes that he chose a significantly more spacious hull form, and the boat’s length-to-beam ratio of 2.91 places her among the roomier quarter of comparable sailboat designs.
The hull carries an iron fin keel drawing just over five feet. Its ballast-to-displacement ratio is given as 43.8 percent and, elsewhere, as 44 percent—higher than two-thirds of similar designs. That gives the boat an above-average ability to resist heeling. Her capsize screening value of 2.03, however, marks the limit of her offshore ambitions: the figure would exclude her from sanctioned ocean races.
At 225 kg per centimeter of immersion, the hull settles about an inch for every 1,262 pounds loaded.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Espace 990 is a masthead sloop. The virtue of this rig is its simplicity and lower heeling moment compared with a fractional arrangement.
She is slightly underrigged relative to her peers, carrying more rig than only 42 percent of similar boats. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 14.6 using the ISO reference sail and 17.5 with a 135 percent genoa. In light air, she is quicker than just 21 percent of comparable designs.
The fin keel makes her more maneuverable than a full-keel counterpart, though at the cost of some directional stability. Wetted surface is about 333 square feet. Beneath the hull, the shaft-drive transmission promises lower long-term upkeep than a sail drive.
Accommodations and Cruising Capacity
Below, the Espace 990 has double cabins and sleeps four to six. Briand expressly laid out the interior for residential comfort rather than leaving it to a production template. The builder also notes the boat’s aesthetic silhouette and fine lines.
A 52.8-gallon water tank and 39.6-gallon fuel capacity support extended coastal cruising. The CE Category 2 rating confirms that the boat was built with offshore passages of moderate exposure in mind.
Verdict
The Espace 990 is a thoughtfully volumed Briand cruiser. Her beamy, well-ballasted hull, comfortable interior, low-maintenance fiberglass construction, and quiet but fast character make her a sensible companion for coastal and moderate-offshore sailing. Her capsize screening value and light-air rig hold her back from bluewater racing. She best suits a buyer who values cabin comfort and maneuverability over outright pointing in a zephyr.
Pros
- Roomy hull form and a 44 percent ballast ratio, providing above-average resistance to heeling
- Solid-fiberglass hull requiring minimal seasonal maintenance
- Shaft-drive transmission with lower long-term upkeep than a sail drive
- Double cabins and four to six berths in a Briand-designed, residentially comfortable interior
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.03 excludes her from ocean races
- Slightly underrigged and quicker than only 21 percent of peers in light wind
- Fin keel trades some directional stability for maneuverability
