At 4.18 metres wide, she carries her maximum beam well aft and has a flat stern that doesn’t taper toward the transom. Combined with a sail load factor of 5.2, that shape signals her performance-cruiser intentions. She isn’t a passive boat, however, and rewards an engaged helm.
Design and Construction
The Opium 39 has a solid fiberglass hull and was also offered as a swivelling-keel variant for owners interested in shoal-water cruising. Her broad, non-tapering stern and maximum beam carried aft give her the footprint of a modern racer-cruiser. When the boat heels, the flat transom keeps her waterline length honest.
YACHT’s test described the open-class-derived hull as “tamed with two blades” to prevent the flounder from levelling out on stability-relevant curves. This twin-blade arrangement is a stabilizing device that keeps the derived open-class shape from becoming twitchy at speed. A 40-horsepower diesel places the Opium 39 firmly in the mid-size offshore-cruiser bracket.
Rig and Handling
The Opium 39 is a masthead sloop with a spade rudder. Test sailors found her easy to steer sensitively and directly on all courses, and the same review recorded high speeds even on a reach.
The hull has an easy planing tendency, which means she gets onto the step as the breeze builds. Its open-class parentage is apparent in the way the boat accelerates, surfs, and carries power. The twin-blade arrangement keeps her stable through turns rather than relying on a heavy keel alone.
Her sail load factor of 5.2 indicates a moderately powered rig for her displacement. That makes the Opium 39 lively without suggesting explosive rig power.
Accommodation
Below decks, the Opium 39 uses a conventional layout and provides almost full cruiser comfort with only a few compromises. Carrying the beam aft creates useful saloon and quarter-berth volume instead of a pinched stern.
The familiar arrangement also provides predictable circulation and stowage rather than experimenting with a radical owner’s-version layout. Her 4.18-metre beam gives the accommodation a roomy feel without pushing the hull into sluggish territory. With nearly full cruising comfort, she’s a plausible liveaboard or long-weekend platform.
Verdict
The Opium 39 wears her open-class DNA openly. She combines a broad aft beam, flat stern, easy planing ability, and directly steered spade rudder with a conventionally comfortable interior.
She’s neither a stripped-out racer nor a sluggish bluewater cruiser. Instead, she’s a Lombard-derived performance cruiser that impresses with speed both on the wind and on a reach while keeping the cabin a sensible place to live. The swivelling-keel option broadens her cruising range, while the solid fiberglass hull supports the performance-oriented design without gimmicks.
Pros
- Wide aft beam and flat stern contribute to near-full cruising comfort and a roomy, conventional interior
- Easy planing and high speeds on all courses from an open-class-derived hull
- Sensitive, direct steering through a spade rudder
- Twin-blade stabilization tames the hull’s stability curves
- Offered as a swivelling-keel variant for shoal-water cruising
Cons
- A sail load factor of 5.2 suggests moderate rather than explosive rig power for the hull
- The conventional interior offers few surprises, but also little innovation for buyers seeking novelty
