USED CLASSIC BOAT | 5 performance-cruiser 80s still outstanding today (12-16 m)
THE PERFECT GIFT!
Give or treat yourself to a subscription to the print + digital Journal of Sailing and for only 69 euros a year you get the magazine at home plus read it on your PC, smartphone and tablet. With a sea of advantages.

The landscape relating to Classic Boats-that is, production boats over twenty-five years old and launched since 1967-is a vast and ever-expanding one, made up of hulls of all shapes and sizes and, perhaps, not as easily “navigable” as one would often like. In light of this, in addition to the Classic Boat Club and our informational sections, we have created a series of articles, aimed, yard by yard, or intended use by intended use, at exploring some exceptional hulls, key projects in the evolution of boating. In this 35th episode we will look at 5 performance cruisers that, to this day, know how to turn out to be hulls that are absolutely not to be underestimated. In fact.
- Classic Boat enthusiasts? or sailing in general? There is great news for you! The Classic Boat Club, the community dedicated to all fans of the ‘vintage’ world, a place for appreciating and sharing the design culture of the last century. Become a member: it’s super easy and offers lots of benefits. Find out all about it HERE!
5 80s performance-cruisers still outstanding today
There’s little you can do about it-if you want a terrace on the sea instead of a cockpit, exorbitant beams, and a lean-to, forget the next few lines. If, on the other hand, you accept the compromise, and you don’t disdain a boat that, even in rough seas, can be comfortable and welcome you every step of the way, lo and behold, these 5 performance cruisers from the 1980s may be just for you. Powerful on the waves, capable of breaking through them and offering you shelter, cozy and protected below deck, these hulls are top of the line for cruising, even when the going gets tough. Then, if you would also like to try your hand between the buoys, it is not certain that they do not hide their aces up their sleeves… After all, if you see quite a few of them racing offshore, there must be a reason…

GRAND SOLEIL 39
specs: Pardo Shipyard; 12.5 x 3.76 m; 1983; Alain Jezequel
When it was unveiled, it did not take long for it to be immediately dubbed as the “Spaghetti Swan,” in reference to the Italian-style western genre of the time. But it was not out of malice. A little, sure, the Finnish yard’s similar coloring wanted a role of its own, but, mainly, it was the result that Cantiere del Pardo and Jezequel achieved in signing this lady boat together. The Grand Soleil 39 was in fact an under-appreciated dipo hull, not only in terms of lines, but also in terms of quality and workmanship. At the time, a good demonstration of how well even the Italians were able to make “premium” boats. Capable of good pace, powerful in lines and cozy below deck, it was and remains an unassailable quality boat. Not to be underestimated today if one is looking for a classic hull with which to sail even “seriously”.

COMET 12
specifications: Comar; 12.63 x 3.90 m; 1985; Andrea Vallicelli
Vallicelli, in the mid-1980s, was undoubtedly the all-Italian star of sailing. After the successes of Brava, Filo da Torcere and the Azzurra adventure, he brought out another gem in 1985. In this case, for Comar and for the series. It was the Comet 12, an exceptional cruiser. Conceived as a cruising hull, with all the accoutrements that this provided, this 12 .6-meter turned out, in fact, to be not only excellent in this role, but also more than eager to race. Below the waterline, in fact, the firm knew how best to condense its experience in the racing world, resulting in a performance-cruiser of admirable workmanship. Today, it can make quite a few aficionados of the genre envious.

BALTIC 42
specs: Baltic Yachts; 12.78 x 4.06 m; 1981; Doug Peterson
In the early 1980s a new pen enters Baltic. It is the talented Doug Peterson who, immediately, signs a masterpiece worth no less than 30 examples produced. It is the legendary Baltic 42, a boat not only beautiful and streamlined, but also exceptional in racing. Proverbially Baltic, below deck she is a miracle of quality and refinement, attentive to the needs of sailing in all her furnishings, designed to be not only pleasing but also suitable for enjoyment in any context. Powerful, fast and well-sailed, she is a boat that tackles any condition, whether conservatively, should one wish to enjoy cruising relaxation, or pushing, to chase the offshore horizon. Then, with that cockpit, there is certainly no shortage of space.

SWAN 46
specifications: Nautor Swan; 14.35 x 4.40 m; 1983; German Frers
The fact that a 46-footer from the early 1980s reached and exceeded 100 produced speaks volumes. If it is also a Swan…For the rest, however, Frers’ ’46, is a jewel. It is indeed a lady boat, very elegant outside, comfortable inside, and fast and safe in all conditions. Strong in clean, streamlined lines, she was immediately appreciated, setting new standards for comfort and elegance, as, for that matter, as for performance and marine qualities. A gem of the Nautor/Frers duo, revisited later in the 90′ as the Swan 46 MKii. Valuable to this day,

FIRST 51
specifications: Beneteau; 15.63 x 4.55 m; 1987; German Frers
German Frers pays a visit to Beneteau and signs a masterpiece. Without a doubt, one of the yard’s best boats for that decade. It is the First 51, the hull with which Beneteau proves to all that it knows how to do things as quality commands. Derived from a racing prototype, the Argentine’s 51-footer is impeccable, a hull at once elegant and fast, not to mention cozy: the maximum beam is exaggerated, a full 4.55 meters, and the volumes above and below deck are almost unusual for the time. Outstanding boat by a Frers in a state of grace.

Classic Boat Club: scopri tutti i vantaggi dell’essere membro!
Don’t miss previous articles:
- USED Classic Boat. ALPA ‘s top five boats from 9.5 to 12.6 m
- USED Classic Boat.
BALTIC ‘s top five boats from 11.8 to 15.2 m - USED Classic Boat. The five best BARBERIS boats from 7 to 12.5 m
- USED Classic Boat. BAVARIA ‘s five best boats from 9.9 to 13.4 meters
- USED Classic Boat. BENETEAU ‘s five best boats (First) from 9.6 to 15.6 meters
- USED Classic Boat. BENETEAU ‘s five best boats (Oceanis) from 9.8 to 13.5 meters
- USED Classic Boat. COMAR ‘s five best boats (Comet) from 9 to 14 meters
- USED Classic Boat. The five best boats from DUFOUR 9 to 12.8 meters
- USED Classic Boat. ELAN ‘s top five boats from 9.4 to 12.9 meters
- USED Classic Boat. FARR ‘s top five boats from 7.5 to 12.4 meters
- USED Classic Boat. The five best boats from the PARDO Dockyard (10- 19 m).
- USED Classic Boat. The five best boats from HALLBERG RASSY (9.4-16.4 m)
- USED Classic Boat. Top Five J/Boats (7-12.5 m)
- USED Classic Boat. Jeanneau ‘s five best boats (Sun Odyssey) (7-15 m)
- USED Classic Boat. Jeanneau ‘s five best boats ( Sun Fast) (7-15 m)
- USED Classic Boat. Najad ‘s top five boats (10 – 15 m)
- USED Classic Boat. Top Five Oyster Boats (11 – 20 m)
- USED Classic Boat. The top five boats of Se.Ri.Gi (Solaris)(12 – 17 m)
- USED Classic Boat. Five of the best Nautor Swan signature boats (13-20 m)
- USED Classic Boat. Five of the best boats signed Wauquiez (9.8-18.7 m)
- USED Classic Boat. Five of the best boats signed X-Yachts (9-14 m)
- USED Classic Boat. 5 of the best Camper & Nicholson signature boats (9-12 m)
- USED Classic Boat. 5 of the best boats signed Canados and CPR (9-14 m)
- USED Classic Boat. The five best boats (series) designed by Dick Carter (9-13 m)
- USED Classic Boat. Five Swedish boats not to be underestimated (9-14 m)
- USED Classic Boat. Five small to large Mediterranean icons (7 to 9 m)
- USED Classic Boat. 6 Italian 70s-80s absolutely must-know
- USED Classic Boat. 5 cult boats, masters of elegance (8-15 meters)
- USED CLASSIC BOAT | 5 little bolides for the racer in you (6.5 – 9.5 m)
- USED CLASSIC BOAT | 5 cult vessels for cruising and racing (< 10 m)
- USED CLASSIC BOAT | 5 boatsfor the weekend, or touring the world
- USED CLASSIC BOAT | 5 GLOBETROTTER to cruise the world in serenity (16-20 m)
- USED CLASSIC BOAT | 6 Champagne-Sailing boats, however for all (<10 m)
Share:
Are you already a subscriber?
Ultimi annunci
Our social
Sign up for our Newsletter
We give you a gift
Sailing, its stories, all boats, accessories. Sign up now for our free newsletter and receive the best news selected by the Sailing Newspaper editorial staff each week. Plus we give you one month of GdV digitally on PC, Tablet, Smartphone. Enter your email below, agree to the Privacy Policy and click the “sign me up” button. You will receive a code to activate your month of GdV for free!
You may also be interested in.

Old boat makes good board! The legendary Fraglia schooner has been “re-launched” after 50 years.
Desenzano, Lake Garda, home of the FVD, Fraglia Vela Desenzano. A Lake classic replicates its launch 50 years after the first time. It is the Fraglia schooner, a light alloy school schooner, the first in Italy to ever be built

VIDEO – Ubi Maior Italia, when a new company is born from a bit of madness
A boat ride in 45 knots and a pinch of madness: these are the ingredients of a story that speaks 100 percent the language of Made in Italy. A story that starts from the heart of Tuscany and has reached

Swan Alloy 44: the new 44-meter aluminum supermaxi
Nautor Swan has unveiled the new Swan Alloy 44, a 44-meter aluminum sailing supermaxi. The first example is scheduled for delivery in summer 2028, with the hull built in the Netherlands and completion in Viareggio. The first owner will be

VIDEO – Stem 50 (15.85 m), the 100% Italian aluminum bluewater
We can almost call it “bluewater mania,” because in this 2025 many novelties in sailing come from this type of boat: after the Bluewater 56, the CNB 62, comes a 100% made in Italy boat, which is also a first



