Storfidra 25 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Colin Archer type·1969·~220 hulls·AB Fisksätra Varv
Storfidra 25 drawingBuilder drawing
Hull Type
Monohull · long
Rig
Masthead Sloop
LOA
24.93' · 7.6 m
Disp.
6,834 lbs · 3,100 kg
First year
1969

The Storfidra 25 is a small but serious Scandinavian cruiser. Swedish maritime architect Torild Larsson designed her in the late 1960s, and the Swedish yard Fisksätra Varv built her. The design is also known as the Orpon 26, the name used from 1976 when the boat was built and sold in the Netherlands.

Measurements

Dimensions 01

Length Overall
24.93 ft
Length on deck
—
Waterline Length
20.67 ft
Beam
7.87 ft
Draft
4.23 ft
Maximum Headroom
—
Air Draft
39.4 ft

Construction & hull 02

Construction
Fiberglass
Hull Type
Monohull
Keel Type
Long
Rudder
1× Transom-Hung
Ballast
2,866 lbs (Lead)
Displacement
6,834 lbs
Water Capacity
—
Fuel Capacity
—

Rig & sails 03

Rigging Type
Masthead Sloop
Mainsail luff
27.39 ft
Mainsail foot
10.83 ft
Foretriangle height
32.32 ft
Foretriangle base
9.84 ft
Forestay Length (estimated)
33.78 ft
Sail Area
307 sqft

Calculations 04

Sail Area to Displacement Ratio
13.64
Ballast to Displacement Ratio
41.94
Displacement to Length Ratio
345.47
Comfort Ratio
30.81
Capsize Screening Ratio
1.66
Hull Speed
6.09 kn

At roughly 25 feet on deck, the Storfidra combines a long keel with solid-fiberglass construction. A few hundred were built, and the model remains recognizable on the used market. Its quiet reputation rests on traditional virtues: seakeeping, steady motion, and load-carrying ability rather than outright speed.

Design and Construction

The Storfidra has a solid-fiberglass hull and deck, a long lead keel, and a transom-hung rudder. She displaces about 6,834 pounds and carries 2,866 pounds of lead ballast.

Her displacement-length ratio of 346 puts her at the heavy end of this size range; only 8% of comparable sailboats are heavier. The ballast ratio of 42% is higher than that of 62% of similar designs, while the length-beam ratio of 3.17 makes her slimmer than 73% of her peers.

These aren’t sportboat numbers. They describe a narrow, deeply ballasted hull designed to track and carry a load rather than plane. A capsize screening value of 1.66 and a Motion Comfort Ratio of 30.6—more comfortable than 99% of similar designs—reinforce the picture of a stable, easy-motion small cruiser capable of coastal and offshore sailing.

Rig, Performance, and Handling

The Storfidra is a masthead sloop with a reference sail area of 307 square feet for the mainsail and jib. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 13.7 with the ISO reference sail and rises to 16.1 with a 135% genoa. She carries more rig than only 27% of similar sailboats, making her slightly underrigged for her displacement.

In light wind, she is faster than 21% of comparable designs. Her Relative Speed Performance value is 4, putting her ahead of 4% of similar boats on pure pace. The figures confirm that the Storfidra wasn’t designed to win windward races.

Theoretical hull speed is 6.1 knots, and wetted surface is about 182 square feet. With the optional 17-horsepower Volvo Penta MD2 diesel, maximum speed is 5.0 knots.

The standing and running rigging follow period masthead proportions. Halyards are 22.2 meters long and 8 mm in diameter; sheets range from around 7.6 to 19 meters and are 10 mm in diameter. Control lines, including the cunningham and kicking strap, are 8 mm.

An immersion rate of about 567 pounds per inch indicates how steadily the boat settles as crew and stores come aboard.

Accommodations and Tankage

Below, the Storfidra provides four berths and above-average headroom for a boat of this length, a notable achievement within a 7.87-foot beam.

Fresh-water capacity is 40 liters (10 US gallons), while the diesel tank also holds 40 liters. The narrow beam and long keel trade interior volume for sea-kindliness, but the layout still provides practical sleeping space and enough tankage for short cruises without constant jerry-can management.

Known Issues

The Storfidra shows no structural defects, osmotic hull problems, or systemic rig failures in service. Its established characteristics—heavy, narrow, and slightly underrigged—shape expectations more than they create repair concerns.

Refits and Ownership

Ownership considerations center on the Volvo Penta MD2 inboard, a 12 kW diesel that remains serviceable through marine networks familiar with period Scandinavian installations.

Because the hull and deck are solid fiberglass, no core-moisture surveys are required in the manner of balsa-cored contemporaries. The lead long keel is a single casting rather than a bolt-on fin assembly.

Anyone renewing the running rigging should plan around the original halyard diameters and sheet lengths. Careful loading also suits this comfort-oriented hull, keeping in mind its immersion rate of 567 pounds per inch.

The Verdict

The Storfidra 25 is a traditional long-keel cruiser that trades outright speed for motion comfort and ballast security. She’s narrow, heavy, and quietly capable—a sailor’s boat best suited to those who judge a design by its behavior in a chop rather than its rating-certificate performance.

Pros

  • Lead long keel and 42% ballast ratio provide high stability for the boat’s size
  • Motion Comfort Ratio exceeds that of 99% of similar designs
  • Solid-fiberglass hull and deck avoid core-rot surveys
  • Above-average headroom and four berths in a 25-foot hull

Cons

  • Slightly underrigged, with light-air performance behind 79% of similar designs
  • Relative Speed Performance puts her behind 96% of her peers on pure pace
  • Narrow beam limits interior volume compared with beamier modern cruisers

Similar sailboats

12 comparable designs · similar LOA, displacement & rig