See more articles

Perry Design Review: Feeling 326

Performance Cruiser

By Bob Perry

August 25, 2000

I know there is a very strong market out there for shoal-draft boats. This 32-footer comes with a shoal-draft option of 2 feet, 1 inch with the lifting keel. There is also a shoal-keel model with 4 feet, 3 inches of draft. All in all, there are three keels available. Would you like nuts with that?

The Feeling 326.

This design is by Harl and Mortain. The look is crisp and clean, a handsome boat by any standard. The cabintrunk is sculpted carefully, but maybe a little too much for my eye. The big, black window forward is intended to pull your eye forward and make the cabintrunk appear shorter. It does that at the expense of aesthetics. Sometimes, just sometimes, "less is more."

Any time you look at a lifting-keel boat the big question is, "How stiff is the boat and how does this compare to a fixed, deep-fin keel boat?" I do not have sufficient data here to give you the answer to that question in degrees or foot-pounds of righting moment. Common sense should tell you that the lifting-keel boat inclined in the worst case situation, i.e. keel up, will not be as stiff as the deep fin.

The drawings show the fixed keel to be a huge fin, so big, in fact, that I question the accuracy of the drawing. There are two fixed-fin models available. The D/L of this design is about 201, depending upon the keel chosen. The lifting keel version comes with little "legs" to help keep the boat upright when the tide leaves you high and dry in the mud. I don't care for the stubby little rudder that comes with this model.

The French are responsible for the current trend in ultra-wide boats with accommodations pushed aft. If you want to pack the maximum layout into the shortest LOA, you can be thankful for this. I'm afraid, however, that this usable volume has its price when you look at performance. The plan view of the Feeling 326 shows the beam pulled aft almost to an extreme. The layout is impressive in that it offers two separated sleeping areas. The seating area in the main cabin is immense, and the galley uses a clever centerline island for the sinks. The lack of counter space for meal preparation is offset by the amount of room at the settees to sit and enjoy the meal.

Keeping your keel on is one thing a cruiser should be able to take for granted. Another thing is keeping the rig up. I don't think most of us want to send our mates forward every half-hour to check the stick. The Feeling 326 has fore and aft lower shrouds and a double-spreader rig. The mast is stepped on deck and looks to be bullet proof. The SA/D is 22.72 and that should be enough rig for some fun and aggressive sailing. The traveler is right where it should be, on the bridgedeck.

This design combines a lot of interior volume with a beamy hull and a good-sized rig. I think we may be looking at a good example of the cruiser-racer.

Boat Specifications

LOA	32';
LWL	26'7";
Beam	11'1";
Draft	standard 5'3", shoal keel 4'3", lift keel up 2'1", down 5'3";
Displacement	standard 8,047 lbs., shoal 8,400 lbs., lift keel 8,378 lbs.;
Ballast	standard 2,778 lbs., shoal 3,131 lbs., lift keel 3,417 lbs.;
Sail Area	587 sq. ft.;
SA/D	22.72;
D/L	200.8;
L/B	2.67;
Auxiliary	Yanmar 2 GM-18 hp or Volvo 2030-18 hp.;
Fuel	26 gals.;
Water	37 gals.