Design and Construction
B. Vermaas's lines give the 108 a length-to-beam ratio of 3.27, and against comparable sailboats she is slimmer than 58 percent of all other designs anchor. That narrowness is not a styling accident; it keeps the wetted surface to roughly 387 square feet and, combined with a 29-foot-2-inch waterline, supports a hull speed near 7.24 knots. The capsize screening value of 1.85 places her within accepted offshore-passage thresholds for a boat of this size. Solid fiberglass forms both hull and deck, with lead on the fin rather than cast iron or ballast encapsulated in the molding, and the shaft-drive transmission sits behind a single diesel. She settles at a rate near 1,337 pounds for each inch of additional sinkage, which means she loads predictably with stores and crew — a useful trait when preparing for a passage.
Rig and Handling
As a masthead sloop the 108 carries 807 square feet of sail area, yielding a sail-area/displacement ratio of 22.68 — modest by modern light-air standards but consistent with a boat built to be handled by a small crew in a seaway rather than optimized for the gentlest breezes. The standing and running gear follow period norms: the jib and genoa sheets are both 35.4 feet long and a half-inch in diameter, the mainsheet runs 88.6 feet of the same diameter, and the spinnaker sheet is 78 feet long anchor. The fin keel draws between 6.23 and 6.53 feet depending on load, which confines her to major marinas but gives her a defined helm and tracking that the deeper lateral plane encourages.
Accommodations
Below, the 108 is fitted with nine berths, a count that reflects a saloon convertible arrangement and forward and aft sleeping spaces rather than a minimalist quarter-berth layout. The 69-gallon water capacity and 26-gallon diesel tank speak to coastal and short offshore cruising rather than indefinite independence, and the 23-horsepower Bukh DV24M diesel recorded in the builder data is the typical installation, though the yachtdatabase review notes the model may appear with a 27-horsepower inboard instead.
The Verdict
The Veno 108 is a considered example of early-1980s Dutch cruiser design: narrow enough to move in a seaway, solidly molded, and ballasted with lead on a fin that demands decent water under her. She is not a light-air flyer and her draft limits her to maintained harbors, but her numbers describe a stable, predictable 35-footer with serious offshore pedigree in the formula sense.
Pros
- Slimmer hull than 58% of similar designs, with controlled wetted surface
- Lead ballast on a fin keel; capsize screening of 1.85
- Nine berths with 69-gallon water capacity for cruising use
Cons
- Draft of 6.23–6.53 ft restricts her to major marinas
- Sail-area/displacement ratio of 22.68 is modest in light air
- Engine output varies by installation (23 or 27 hp)
