BoatsArchambault Boats Surprise 25

Archambault Boats Surprise 25

Fractional Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · First built 1977

A light, high-performance fractional sloop from Michel Joubert designed for quick, responsive club racing

Designed by Michel Joubert & Joubert-Nivelt.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.48 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,250 kg of hull, so roughly 1,850 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a moderate beam gives 11 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 11
CoastalBluewater

At 2.33 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.33
LightHeavy

121 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 121
EasygoingPowered-up

19.5 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 19.5
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Lighter than ~83% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~77% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1566 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
40.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
19.5
Displacement / length
121.2
Comfort ratio
11.5
Capsize screening
2.33
Hull speed
6.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
630
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1977
Units built
1550
Designer
Michel Joubert, Joubert-Nivelt
Builder
Archambault Boats

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/808.00 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 1992 fractional sloop with a high 26.59 sail area-to-displacement ratio, engineered for rapid, agile performance
Abbott Boats Inc. Soling8.15 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA high-performance Olympic class keelboat designed by Jan Herman Linge for tactical three-person racing
Sirius 7277.27 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA development of the Sirius 24, this fractional sloop features a fin keel with skeg-mounted rudder for balanced handling
J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/247.32 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterThe world's most popular one-design keelboat, featuring a light 1406kg displacement for responsive, agile handling
Dehler Yachts 25CR7.50 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Van de Stadt-designed fractional sloop with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio built for spirited performance
Jaguar 257.62 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Frank Butler-designed masthead sloop with a deep fin keel, offering a similar layout to the popular Catalina 25

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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