Design and Construction
The Sunwind 31 pairs a solid fibreglass hull with a sandwich-construction deck, the latter detail noted as improving the indoor climate rather than merely saving weight. Her keel is iron, bolted beneath a fin configuration, and the documented draft runs about 1.65 to 1.75 metres dependent on load — shallow enough that the boat can enter most marinas without drama. The interior is teak, consistent with period Scandinavian practice. What distinguishes her on paper is not glamour but ratio: a ballast ratio of 39 percent, a length-to-beam ratio of 3.22, and an immersion rate of roughly 140 kg per centimetre (788 pounds per inch) speak to a hull that sits heavily and resists being pushed around by either cargo or seas.
Rig and Handling
She is built with a fractional rig, and the sail-plan inventory is exhaustive in its line lengths and diameters rather than its poetry: mainsail and headsail halyards of 29.9 metres at 10 mm, sheets of 9.3 metres at 12 mm for jib and genoa, a 23.4-metre mainsheet, and spinnaker gear to match. The SA/D with the ISO 8666 reference sail is 15.6, rising to 18.0 with a 135 percent genoa. More telling is the observation that the Sunwind 31 carries more rig than 58 percent of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly overrigged — a useful buffer for a heavy-cruiser-category hull. Under power she makes 7.0 knots, against a theoretical displacement-hull maximum of 6.5 knots.
Performance Profile
The DL-ratio of 278 places her among heavy cruisers, and the Motion Comfort Ratio of 24.8 suggests a settled ride in a chop. The capsize screening value is 1.87, a figure the source quotes as sufficient for acceptance by that formula alone before the citation cuts off. The Relative Speed Performance is logged as 50, and the wetted surface is about 25 square metres. None of these numbers promise sparkle, but together they describe a boat engineered for steadiness rather than sprint.
Accommodations
The interior is teak, and the deck sandwich is credited with improving the indoor climate — the only two accommodation facts the record yields. There is no documented layout, no berth count, no galley description. What can be said is that the builder treated the cabin as a place to be insulated from the Nordic outside, not merely enclosed.
Known Issues
The record shows no structural defects, no systemic failures, and no owner-reported corrosion paths. The only caveats are implicit in the numbers: an iron keel invites the usual vigilance for rust at the bolt line, and a sandwich deck demands scrutiny for delamination at penetrations, though neither is stated as a realized problem. The truncated capsize-screening quote leaves the boat's offshore eligibility unquantified beyond the bare value.
Refits and Ownership
No refit history, common upgrade path, or ownership-cost data appears in the sources. The engine make is Volvo Penta at 18 horsepower diesel, single installation, which anchors any future powertrain service in a well-supported marque. Beyond that, the documented ownership picture is a blank the prospective buyer fills from survey.
The Verdict
The Sunwind 31 is a Sundén-designed, Finnish-built fibreglass cruiser that trades excitement for composure. Her slightly overrigged fractional sloop and heavy-cruiser displacement ratios make her a settled coastal and moderate-offshore companion rather than a racer, and the sandwich deck is a genuine northern touch for cabin comfort.
Pros
- Iron fin keel with 39% ballast ratio and load-dependent draft of 1.65–1.75 m for marina access
- Slightly overrigged fractional rig (more than 58% of similar boats) with 18.0 SA/D on 135% genoa
- Heavy-cruiser DL-ratio of 278 and Motion Comfort Ratio of 24.8 for steady motion
- Sandwich deck documented to improve indoor climate; teak interior
Cons
- No documented layout, berth, or galley specifics
- Iron keel and sandwich deck carry unstated but conventional inspection burdens
- Capsize-screening eligibility beyond the value 1.87 is unstated (quote cut)
