LM 81 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Bent Juul Andersen·1984·~53 hulls·LM Glasfiber

Approximate drawing

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Hull Type: Monohull · fin
Rig: Masthead Sloop
LOA: 26.57' · 8.1 m
Disp.: 7,496 lbs · 3,400 kg
First year: 1984

The LM 81 is a compact Danish cruiser that Bent Juul Andersen drew for LM Glasfiber in 1984, and the yard completed just 53 hulls that single year. At 26.57 feet overall with a 22.31foot waterline, a 9.51foot beam, and a 4.43foot draft, she is a small monohull by any measure, yet her 7,496pound displacement and 3,086 pounds of iron ballast—41.17 percent of that weight—place her firmly in the heavy, stiff category for her length.

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Measurements

Imperial Metric

Dimensions 01

Length Overall: 26.57 ft
Length on deck: —
Waterline Length: 22.31 ft
Beam: 9.51 ft
Draft: 4.43 ft
Maximum Headroom: —
Air Draft: —

Construction & hull 02

Construction: Fiberglass
Hull Type: Monohull
Keel Type: Fin
Rudder: 1× Spade
Ballast: 3,086 lbs (Iron)
Displacement: 7,496 lbs
Water Capacity: 18 gal
Fuel Capacity: 18 gal

Rig & sails 03

Rigging Type: Masthead Sloop
Mainsail luff: 28.54 ft
Mainsail foot: 9.84 ft
Foretriangle height: 30.51 ft
Foretriangle base: 9.19 ft
Forestay Length (estimated): 31.86 ft
Sail Area: 281 sqft

Calculations 04

Sail Area to Displacement Ratio: 11.74
Ballast to Displacement Ratio: 41.17
Displacement to Length Ratio: 301.36
Comfort Ratio: 24.45
Capsize Screening Ratio: 1.94
Hull Speed: 6.33 kn

Design and Construction

Andersen's LM 81 is built in solid hand-laid fiberglass with a fin keel and spade rudder. The numbers tell the structural story: a displacement-to-length ratio of 301.36 marks her as a heavy sailboat, while a comfort ratio of 24.45 and a capsize ratio of 1.95 describe a hull that is very stable and stiff with a good righting capability if capsized anchor. Those same proportions—combined with an 11.78 sail-area-to-displacement ratio—explain why the design is best suited as a coastal cruiser rather than an offshore passagemaker.

Rig and Handling

The LM 81 carries a masthead sloop rig with a total sail area of 281 square feet, split almost evenly between a 140.42-square-foot mainsail and a 140.19-square-foot genoa on an I of 30.51 feet and a J of 9.19 feet. With a hull speed of 6.33 knots and only 8 horsepower from a single Bukh DV8 diesel, the boat is frankly under powered anchor, a condition compounded by the originally very small 18-gallon fuel capacity. Her light-air manners are governed by that modest sail plan and heavy hull; she is not built to sprint, but the stiff, predictable platform inspires confidence in a harbor or along a sheltered shore.

Accommodations and Service Range

The published specification records zero cabins, zero berths, and zero heads, which reflects a database classification rather than a usable interior layout, and headroom is likewise listed as zero. What is unambiguous is the very short water supply range from the 18-gallon tank and the equally limited fuel stowage, both of which reinforce the coastal-cruiser brief. A buyer should treat extended anchorages or long motoring legs as outside her design envelope.

The Verdict

The LM 81 is a rare, purpose-built coastal cruiser from a single 1984 production run of 53 boats. Andersen gave her a genuinely stable and self-righting hull with a coastal temperament, but the under-powered rig and tiny fuel and water reserves cap her ambitions at sheltered waters. She is a curious, collectible Danish design rather than a versatile cruiser.

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