The Feeling 850 Sailboat
Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The Feeling 850 is not in production anymore. Production ended in 1988, after 313 hulls were completed.

The builders of the Feeling 850 were Kirie, a French company founded in 1927 by Louis Kirie. The company started as a wooden boat builder, then switched to fiberglass in the 1960s. Kirie produced many models of sailboats under the Feeling and Elite brands, as well as some powerboats. The company went bankrupt in 2015 and was taken over by another French boat builder, Dufour.

The Feeling 850 has a sloop rig with a single spreader mast. At least three different rigs were available: a masthead rig with an overlapping genoa, a fractional rig with a non-overlapping jib, and a fractional rig with an overlapping genoa. The sail area is about 44 m², with a mainsail of 14.4 m² and a foresail of 18.8 m².

The Feeling 850 has two keel options - a fin keel and a centreboard:

• The fin keel version has a draft of 5'7" (1.7m) and a ballast weight of 2,205lb (1,000kg);

• The centreboard version has a draft of 2'4" (0.7m) with the board up and 5'11" (1.8m) with the board down.

The Feeling 850 is a fun and responsive sailboat that can handle various wind conditions. It has a good hull speed of 7.8 knots, and a high sail area/displacement ratio of 21.5, which indicates high performance potential. The boat is easy to maneuver with tiller steering and lines led aft to the cockpit. The boat has a comfortable motion at sea, thanks to its moderate displacement/length ratio of 202.2 and its low comfort ratio of 17.4.

The average cost of a secondhand Feeling 850 depends on the condition, equipment, and location of the boat. Based on some online listings, the price range can vary from £10,000 to £20,000 ($12,900 to $25,800).

The designer of the Feeling 850 is Philippe Briand, a renowned French naval architect who has created many successful sailboats for racing and cruising. Some of his other designs include: Beneteau First series, Jeanneau Sun Odyssey series, Wauquiez Centurion series, CNB Bordeaux series, Lagoon catamarans, Oyster yachts, Perini Navi superyachts, and more.