Only twenty hulls were completed between 1994 and 2005. That makes the 1122 a low-volume, late-era expression of the yard’s Koopmans design lineage, built in the years just before Victoire’s first bankruptcy.
Design and Construction
The 1122 has a solid fiberglass hull and deck rather than cored laminates. She carries a fin keel, a skeg-hung rudder, and lead ballast.
Displacement is quoted at 16,094 pounds, with 6,834 pounds of ballast. Her 42.46 percent ballast ratio is higher than that of 62 percent of similar sailboat designs. Together with a beam of just over 11.5 feet and a loaded draft of about 6.2 to 6.5 feet, that gives her the section stability and righting moment typical of a Koopmans cruiser, without relying on a bulb or shoal keel profile.
The yard used cored decks on some other models, but not here. The 1122’s solid deck avoids that potential moisture path by construction.
Rig and Handling
The 1122 has a conventional masthead-sloop rig. Recorded standing- and running-rigging dimensions are generous for a boat of this size. The jib and genoa sheets are listed at 11.2 meters long and 14 mm in diameter. The mainsheet measures 28.1 meters at the same diameter, while the spinnaker sheets are 24.7 meters long.
Those lengths confirm a full-sized overlapping headsail plan and a long traveler run. They imply a cockpit arranged for crewed sailing rather than minimalist short-handed work.
Depending on load, draft ranges from 1.90 to 2.00 meters. That means the 1122 will only comfortably enter major marinas—a real limitation for cruisers who favor shallow-water gunkholing.
Accommodations and Tankage
The available material gives no details of the 1122’s interior arrangement beyond identifying her as a cruising sailboat. She measures 36.81 feet overall, with a 30.18-foot waterline.
Tankage comprises 79 gallons of water and 47 gallons of diesel, capacities that suggest a liveaboard-capable range for a couple.
Refits and Ownership
Production ended in 2005, and the yard closed for good in 2018. Any 1122 sailing today therefore depends on owner-community support rather than the original builder.
Her solid-hull construction and conventional fin-keel geometry keep repairs within the capabilities of any competent fiberglass shop.
The Verdict
The Victoire 1122 is a scarce, thoughtfully ballasted Koopmans-designed cruiser. Her solid construction and conventional rig should appeal to sailors who value predictable stability over trend-driven, lightweight construction.
Her draft confines her to deeper water, while her rarity means buyers and owners need to be self-reliant.
Pros
- Lead ballast, with a ballast ratio higher than that of nearly two-thirds of comparable designs
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck, avoiding the cored-deck moisture risks found elsewhere in the marque
- Conventional masthead rig with full-sized sheet runs suited to crewed sailing
Cons
- Draft of 6.2 to 6.5 feet restricts her to major-marina access
- Only twenty were built, limiting parts interchange and community knowledge
