RM 1350 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The RM 1350's hull is described in the record as epoxy plywood, while a separate review notes the hull is made of composite; the yard's own background practice for its era was to build multi-chine hulls upside-down on template molds using epoxy-impregnated Okoumé marine plywood reinforced internally by a galvanized steel frame,preventing with decks and cabin houses in a GRP foam sandwich. The boat carries a published twin-keel (bilge-keel) configuration as its base specification, and that twin arrangement allows the boat to be beached, a practical trait for a coastal cruiser. Two further keel options were offered: a single fin keel and a lifting keel. The displacement-to-length ratio of 122 places the design among "light racers," and the immersion rate is about 386 kg/cm with a wetted surface near 62 square meters.

Rig and Handling

The cutter rig provides versatility in sail handling which is advantageous in heavy weather, and the sail plan is substantial: a 53-square-meter mainsail, 59-square-meter genoa, 31-square-meter solent, and a 150-square-meter spinnaker, with an I of 16.5 meters and a J of 5.1 meters. The sail-area/displacement ratio is recorded as 12.4 (or 12.39 in a second source), a figure that indicates the RM 1350 is somewhat underpowered, suggesting it may not have the high performance of a racing yacht but is suitable for cruising with moderate performance. Working-sheet estimates run to a 34.2-meter mainsheet and 13.7-meter genoa and jib sheets, all around 16 mm diameter. The capsize screening formula sits at 2.2 (or 2.17 in the second review), above the 2.0 threshold that marks the boat as more suited for coastal cruising than bluewater passages, and one source states a value of 2.17 indicates the boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Accommodations

The RM 1350 is equipped with 7 berths, supporting its role as a volume-forward coastal cruiser; the length-to-beam ratio of 3.04 means it is more spacious than 85% of all other similar sailboat designs. Fresh water capacity is 600 liters (158 US gallons). The comfort ratio of 20.3 (or 20.1) associates the boat with a coastal cruiser's moderate stability, and one comparison found it more comfortable than only 8% of similar designs on that measure — a reminder that the light, beamy hull trades absolute motion comfort for space and shallow-keel flexibility rather than plush passage-making.

Known Issues

The documentary record for the RM 1350 contains no flagged structural defects, systemic failures, or owner-reported problem areas. The only cautions in the source material are performance-ratio observations: the capsize screening above 2.0 and the beam-and-displacement combination that suggests greater vulnerability to capsizing in extreme conditions compared with lower-CSF designs, and the SA/D figure marking the boat as moderately powered rather than racy. Ballast is not specified, so no ballast/displacement ratio can be stated.

Refits and Ownership

No refit cycles, typical upgrade paths, or ownership-cost notes are documented in the available material. Prospective owners should weigh the keel-option flexibility — twin keels for beaching, fin or lifting alternatives — against the coastal-oriented stability profile when considering modifications.

The Verdict

The RM 1350 is a Marc Lombard–designed, La Rochelle–built light-displacement cruiser that prioritizes space and coastal flexibility over bluewater pedigree. Its cutter rig and twin-keel beaching ability suit sheltered-water and shallow-harbor cruising, while its moderate SA/D and CSF numbers frame it honestly as a balanced coastal boat.

Pros