This compact motorsailer has the proportions of a cruising hull rather than a bare-bones racer. Its low production count also makes it a comparatively rare sight in any anchorage.
Design and Construction
Andersen’s design is a hand-laid fiberglass monohull with a solid-laminate hull. The deck uses a fiberglass sandwich construction—the same insulated-deck approach LM Glasfiber used across its sailboats to stiffen the cabin top and reduce condensation inside.
The yard offered the Mermaid 315 with different keel alternatives, and ballast could be iron or lead, depending on the build. Displacement is around 10,580 lb, with a 40% ballast ratio and a length-to-beam ratio of 3.02. That gives the 30-foot hull a beamy, settled footprint.
A displacement-length ratio of 259 and an immersion rate near 927 lb per inch further describe a heavily built, slow-to-react cruiser rather than a light-displacement flyer.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Mermaid 315 is a masthead sloop with roughly 441 sq ft of working sail area between the mainsail and jib. Its modest sail area and displacement favor motor-sailing over windward performance.
Under power, the boat may be equipped with an inboard Bukh DV20 diesel engine, rated at 20 hp and driving through a saildrive. The record credits this arrangement with a speed of 7.5 knots. A second 20 hp diesel option, also using a saildrive transmission, is listed at a calculated 5.2 knots.
The theoretical hull speed for a displacement hull of this length is 6.9 knots. A Relative Speed Performance figure of 21 places the Mermaid 315 firmly in motoring-and-sailing territory.
Its capsize screening value of 1.84 and Motion Comfort Ratio of 26.4 to 27.1 describe a stable, forgiving platform with moderate motion in a seaway, rather than an edgy performance boat.
Accommodation and Tankage
Below, the Mermaid 315 sleeps six in a teak interior. Teak was the standard finish LM used much as it did on its other models. The layout includes a galley and toilet facilities.
Fresh-water capacity is listed as 140 liters (36 US gallons). A 37-gallon water figure also appears in the build record, in keeping with the galley and head requirements of a small cruising family. Fuel is carried in a 70-liter (18 US gallon) fiberglass tank for the auxiliary engine.
Verdict
The Mermaid 315 is a scarce, solidly built Danish motorsailer that trades outright speed for comfort and quiet cruising range. Its sandwich deck, teak cabin, and six-berth layout make it a practical coastal voyager for a small family.
Multiple keel and engine options mean that no two boats are necessarily identical in specification. The Mermaid 315 is best understood as a steady, well-found pocket motorsailer rather than a performance sailboat.
Pros
- Hand-laid, solid-fiberglass hull with an insulated sandwich deck
- Stable motoring profile, with a capsize screening value of 1.84 and a comfort ratio of about 27
- Six berths, a full galley, and a head in a 30-foot hull
Cons
- Production of fewer than 100 hulls limits spares interchange and resale comparables
- Modest sail area and a displacement-length ratio of 259 suit motor-sailing more than windward work
- Keel and engine variations—iron or lead ballast, and a Bukh DV20 or alternative diesel—require careful identification
