Design and Construction
The hull is steel, as is the deck, and the interior joinery is mahogany — a conventional combination for the period that keeps the structure honest and the cabin warm. With a 30.5-foot overall length on a 23.3-foot waterline and a beam of 9.5 feet, the 930 sits at a length-to-beam ratio of 3.21, a moderately beamy proportion that supports interior volume without stretching the hull slender. Ballast is 3,417 pounds of iron in a 33-percent ballast ratio against a 10,251-pound displacement, and the fin keel draws between 4.5 and 4.8 feet depending on load, letting the boat reach shallow marinas that deeper fin-keelers cannot enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.38 - 1.48 meter. A wetted surface near 269 square feet and an immersion rate of about 1,011 pounds per inch describe a hull that responds predictably to crew and payload changes.
Rig and Handling
The 930 carries a masthead sloop rig with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 14.09, a modest but workable figure for a cruiser of this weight. Jib and genoa sheets run about 30.5 feet at a half-inch diameter, the mainsheet is 76.3 feet of the same diameter, and spinnaker sheets are 67.1 feet — all 12 mm — which tells a buyer the cockpit loads were never extreme. The capsize screening value is 1.75, a number that by the standard formula alone would admit the boat to offshore events, though the figure is a screening index rather than a seaworthiness guarantee.
Accommodations
Below, the 930 is equipped with six berths, laid out in the mahogany-finished cabin. The beamy 3.21 length-to-beam hull gives the interior usable width for a 30-footer, and the steel deck above keeps the cabin dry in normal service. Six berths in this footprint implies a saloon set and forward or aft sleeping spaces suited to a small family or two couples coastal cruising.
The Verdict
The Wibo 930 is a straightforward steel van de Stadt cruiser: easy to handle, shallow enough for modest marinas, and built from 1972 in around 200 hulls. The steel hull and deck demand coating vigilance but reward the owner with impact resistance, and the moderate rig numbers suit relaxed sailing rather than campaign racing.
Pros
- Steel hull and deck for durability and shallow-draft fin keel access
- Six berths with mahogany interior in a beamy 30-foot hull
- Documented rigging sizes simplify replacement planning
Cons
- 33-percent ballast ratio is modest for a coastal cruiser
- Steel construction requires ongoing corrosion oversight
- Sail-area-to-displacement of 14.09 is underwhelming under power-free light air
