Design and Construction
The 860 has a solid-fibreglass hull, an iron fin keel, and a spade rudder. At a length-to-beam ratio of 2.95, it is beamier than 62 percent of comparable designs. The 39 percent ballast ratio is higher than that of 42 percent of similar boats. Along with its stated stability posture, these figures help explain the boat’s character without implying offshore certification.
The capsize screening value of 2.14 places the 860 outside the threshold accepted for ocean racing. That is a useful boundary for a boat whose 21 m² wetted surface and displacement-length ratio of 266 place it among “moderate racers” rather than bluewater passagemakers.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The sail plan is what distinguishes the 860 on paper. It carries significantly more rig than 85 percent of similar sailboats and reads as overrigged for its size. Its sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 16.6 with the reference sail, rising to 19.3 with a 135 percent genoa.
That extra sail area translates into genuine light-air pace. On the SA/D measure, the 860 is quicker in light wind than 58 percent of similar designs. Its Relative Speed Performance score of 34 is less emphatic, however: on that broader measure, it outruns only 34 percent of its peers.
The fractional rig is paired with a fin keel drawing roughly 4.9 to 5.2 feet, depending on load. That draft lets it into most marinas while preserving a turn of speed. With the optional Volvo Penta 2001 diesel, the boat makes about 4.3 knots maximum under power, compared with a theoretical displacement-hull speed of 6.2 knots.
The Motion Comfort Ratio of 18.6 makes the 860 more comfortable than 31 percent of similar designs. That suggests honest, middle-of-the-pack behavior for a moderate racer rather than the motion of a soft-riding cruiser.
Its immersion rate is about 709 lbs per inch, so changes in load show quickly at the waterline. The variation in quoted draft under different load conditions follows directly from that sensitivity rather than from a fixed-keel tolerance.
Accommodations
Below, the 860 provides four berths. Its beamy hull—roomier than nearly two-thirds of similar designs—is the quiet enabler here. The length-to-beam ratio isn’t a styling accident; it is the reason the interior feels larger than the boat’s 28-foot length might suggest. No source describes the arrangement beyond the berth count, so the accommodation plan must be judged on that proportion alone.
The Verdict
The Winga 860 is a specialized small Swedish cruiser-racer: beamy, overrigged for lively light-air performance, and built in tiny numbers by Winga Marin AB to Rolf Eliasson’s late-1970s design. It is a coastal and club-racing boat whose numbers place it plainly outside the offshore-racing eligibility threshold.
Pros
- Beamy hull is roomier than 62 percent of similar designs
- Overrigged sail plan delivers strong light-wind speed
- Iron fin keel and modest draft ease access to marinas
Cons
- Capsize screening value excludes it from ocean racing
- Motion Comfort Ratio is below that of most similar designs
- Fewer than 200 were built, limiting spares and the size of the owner community
