21st October 2001 - Introduction from the Webmaster - The Vire 7 has been fitted in a variety of boats. The smallest that I know of is a 3.8 metre (12'6") long clinker-built motorboat, but how big can a boat be before it is underpowered? My Vire 7 was in a Leisure 22 (Length 6.77 metres, Displacement 1450 kg - I sold the yacht in April 2009), with which it coped well (with a Critical Hull Speed of less than six knots, it would reach 5.6 knots in calm water, with some power in reserve). Vire 7s were also fitted as standard in the C&C 26 (Length 8.03 metres, Displacement 2450 kg). Any advance on that? Please, E-mail the Webmaster and tell us how big your boat is and how well the Vire 7 drives it.
31st August 2003 - From the Webmaster - So far the longest yacht that I know that is equipped with a Vire 7 is a Swedish- built C 40, at 13.5 metres. At 3800 kg it's also the heaviest of which I have a photograph, but it is outweighed, at 5000 kg, by a South-African-based GRP boat of unknown manufacture, for which no photo is available. Please, even if your boat is not as big as these, give us details of its size and how well it performs - other Vire 7 owners are always keen to compare the performance of their own boats.
Webmaster's Note: - Comments on "Performance" come from owners' personal
observations as relayed to me, or from published reviews on the Internet
or in the print media. For an explanation
of the abbreviations, click here.
| Boat | LOA (m) | LWL (m) | Displ. (kg) | Performance |
| Arabesque 26 | 7.96 | 6.17 | 2350 | 4.5 to 5 knots in calm, underpowered in rough seas |
| Bayfield 23/25 | 7.62 | 5.99 | 1590 | 5.7 knots in moderate seas |
| Bianca 28 | 8.40 | 6.10 | 2300 | 4.5 knots in calm, underpowered in rough seas |
| C 40 | 13.5 | 10.0 ? | 3800 | 5-6 knots in calm, 4-5 in rougher seas |
| C&C 25 | 7.66 | 6.29 | 1882 | Click for comments |
| C&C 26 | 8.03 | 6.25 | 2450 | Click for comments |
| Cal 27 T2 | 8.35 | 6.81 | 2455 | ??? |
| Columbia 26 Mk II | 7.80 | 6.60 | 2680 | 5-6 knots |
| Contessa 26 | 7.78 | 6.10 | 2455 | Marginal |
| Dawson 26 | 7.80 | 6.76 | 2140 | About 6 knots at 3/4 throttle, regardless of sea conditions |
| Dehler Delanta | 7.60 | 6.10 | 1600 | Good - Max. just over 6 knots |
| Ecume de Mer | 7.90 | 5.90 | 1800 | 5 knots on a good day |
| Enderlein | 10.20 | ? | 3500 | 5 knots ? |
| Eygthene 24 | 7.32 | 6.35 | 1955 | Good |
| Finn Flyer | 8.15 | 6.40 | 2100 | 6 knots - Click for information about propellor sizes |
| Frejakryssare | 8.95 | 6.75 | 2500-3000 | No problems |
| H-800 | 7.96 | 7.10 | 1700 | 6.6 knots in calm waters. Slightly underpowered in rough seas |
| Hallberg-Rassy Misil I | 7.35 | 6.05 | 1750 | Good (5 knots) |
| Invicta 26 | 8.10 | 6.28 | 2290 | Reaches 6.2 knots, eventually. Underpowered ? |
| Laurin 28 | 8.34 | 7.32 | 3300 | Click for comments |
| Leisure 22 | 6.77 | 6.02 | 1450 | Good - 5.6 knots in calm, at 3/4 throttle |
| Maxi 77 | 7.62 | 6.75 | 2000 | 5-6 knots at full throttle |
| Medusa | 7.6 | 6.7 | 2300 | 5.2 knots at full throttle; underpowered in rough seas |
| Morgan 27 | 8.39 | 7.63 | 3182 | Adequate |
| Motor boat | 3.8 | ??? | ??? | No data |
| Oday 25 | 7.57 | 6.41 | 2185 | No data |
| RJ 85 | 8.55 | ? | 2150 | Underpowered |
| "Skidbladnir" | 8.4 | ? | c.3000 | Easily reaches 5 knots |
| Snapdragon 26 | 7.90 | 6.63 | 2160 | Not strong enough |
| Späckhuggare | 7.44 | 6.40 | 2300 | ??? |
| Sundénkryssare | 7.90 | ? | 2700 | About 5 knots on 3/4 throttle |
| Swiftsure 24 | 7.24 | 6.50 ? | 1364 | 6.7 knots at 3/4 throttle |
| Tornado 26 | 7.70 | ? | 2500 | Runs good |
| Unknown (GRP) | 8.50 | ? | 5000 | Click for comments |
| Unknown (Wooden) | 6.05 | 5.80 | 1400 | Good (7 knots) |
| Viking 28 | 8.59 | 6.60 | 2500 | Marginal |
| Waarschip 1/4 ton | 7.25 | 5.50 | 1200 | ??? |
| Waarschip 1010 | 10.13 | 9.34 | 2000 | ??? |
| Yankee 26 | 7.93 | 6.30 | 2425 | Okay (4 knots) |
Webmaster's Note for the Mathematically Inclined:- To calculate the Critical Hull Speed (in knots), take the square root of the Waterline Length (LWL) in metres and multiply it by 2.48
If you're just looking for facts and figures about a yacht, why not visit http://www.sailguide.com. It has been described to me as a "Bible for Sailfreaks" (by one of the contributors to that site, so don't write to me to complain about the description). It's in Swedish, but don't let that deter you. All you need to know is that "Båtdata" means "Boat Data", "Båtfakta" means "Boat Facts", and "Bilder" are "Pictures".