Willing 31 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Her design occupies an interesting middle ground. She is too lightly ballasted and too overrigged to be a pure cruiser, yet her displacement-to-length character is too moderate for her to be a dedicated racing boat. Several hundred hulls were launched by the Norwegian yard Sörlandet Sailing Yachts and at least one other builder. She is therefore common enough in European waters to have developed a real service history.

Design and Construction

Linge’s hull is solid fiberglass, with an iron fin keel drawing roughly 5.25 to 5.55 feet depending on load. Displacement is 7,000 pounds, including 2,600 pounds of iron ballast. The resulting 33% ballast ratio places the Willing 31 ahead of only 14% of similar designs by that measure.

Her 3.03 length-to-beam ratio produces a beamy hull. Yachtdatabase.com rates her as roomier below than 62% of comparable sailboats. Her displacement-length ratio of 241 puts her among “moderate racers,” with 58% of similar designs being heavier.

The capsize screening value of 2.01 would exclude the boat from organized ocean racing. That figure suggests a stability envelope intended for coastal and inshore sailing rather than bluewater passages. Her comfort ratio is ahead of only 38% of comparable boats.

Rig and Sailing Performance

The Willing 31 was offered with more than one rig, both of them masthead configurations. The standard rig uses 28.6-meter mainsail, jib/genoa, and spinnaker halyards, each 10 mm in diameter. The alternative masthead rig shortens all three halyards to 25.6 meters while retaining the same diameter.

Both rigs share the same sheet dimensions:

Jib and genoa sheets: 9.5 meters at 12 mm
Mainsheet: 23.8 meters at 12 mm
Spinnaker sheet: 20.9 meters at 12 mm

The sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 15.5 using the ISO reference sail and 18.6 with a 135% genoa. The Willing 31 therefore carries more rig than 86% of similar sailboats. Yachtdatabase.com describes her as significantly overrigged and notes that, as a result, she is faster in light wind than 38% of her peers. Theoretical hull speed is 6.7 knots.

Engine and Motoring Performance

Buyers had a choice of two inboard diesels: a Volvo Penta MD7A or an MD7, each rated at 13 hp. Calculated maximum speed under either engine is about 4.6 knots. That is well below the boat’s sailing hull speed, but adequate for harbor work and short passages.

A wetted surface of about 290 square feet and an immersion rate of 903 pounds per inch describe a hull that responds predictably to loading and is not unusually tender for its size.

Accommodations

Below, the Willing 31 sleeps six in a teak interior with a galley and toilet facility. Fresh-water capacity is 27 US gallons, and the teak joinery is typical of the period.

Combined with the beamy hull, the six-berth layout makes the boat a credible weekender or coastal cruiser for a family. However, the capsize screening figure argues against taking a full complement far offshore.

Known Issues

The Willing 31 shows no structural defects, osmotic blistering, rigging failures, or engine-specific faults in survey. The one quantifiable caution is the capsize screening value of 2.01. This is a design limitation rather than a maintenance issue, but prospective owners should weigh it against their intended use.

Verdict

The Willing 31 is very much a product of her time: a Norwegian coastal cruiser with a beamy, teak-lined interior, modest ballast, and an unusually generous rig for her size. That ample sail area helps her along in light air, while her stability figures point toward inshore and coastal sailing rather than ocean voyaging.

For a buyer who wants interior space and easy light-air performance without racing pretensions, she remains a sensible used proposition.

Pros