Grand Soleil 52 (Frers)

BoatsGrand Soleil 52 (Frers)

See her sail

The Grand Soleil 52 (Frers), on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from SVN solovelanet

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 35 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 35

CoastalBluewater

1.80 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.80

LightHeavy

196 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 196

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 20.4

TenderStiff

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

Ballast 40%

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

Heavier than ~86% of boats her size on file
Draws more than ~98% of boats her size on file
Beamier than ~84% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1286 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Grand Soleil 52 (Frers), as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Grand SOLEIL 52 (FRERS) is a 16.3-meter masthead sloop designed by German Frers and built by Cantiere del Pardo from 1987 to 1991. This performance cruiser has a fin keel with a spade rudder, a beam of 4.8 meters, and a draft of 3.0 meters, displacing 18,864 kg. Its hull design, with a narrower stern compared to modern wide-stern cruisers like the Beneteau Oceanis 46.1, typically uses a single spade rudder for steering. The structural design incorporates a collision bulkhead in the bow, a mast step and compression post to transfer rig loads to the keel, and chainplates to secure the standing rigging.13:22

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

40.3%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

20.4

Displacement / length

196.1

Comfort ratio

34.6

Capsize screening

1.80

Hull speed

9.1 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

2537

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/spade rudder

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

1987–1991

Designer

German Frers

Builder

Cantiere del Pardo, Grand Soleil (Cantiere del Pardo)

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

Moody 5416.43 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA cutter-rigged 16.43-metre cruiser featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a 34% ballast ratio for offshore stability

The Sailor Alex Rosén25:51 from SEILmagasinet

Pearson Yachts 53016.15 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterThe largest yacht ever built by Pearson, this William Shaw-designed staysail ketch balances heavy-displacement comfort

SAILING BLOCK ISLAND + PEARSON 530 BOAT TOUR (HD) 🏝️✨ [Ep.71] The Bohemian Journey8:23 from El Viaje de Bohemia

Hallberg-Rassy 5016.34 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed bluewater cruiser featuring a modern fractional rig, dual rudders, and a high-stability hull

Hallberg-Rassy 50 English0:08 from SEILmagasinet

Oyster Marine 54 (Humphreys)16.43 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Rob Humphreys-designed bluewater cutter featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and versatile keel options

[OFF MARKET] Oyster 54 (SARAH BELLE II) with Sue Grant - Yacht for Sale - Berthon International from Berthon International

Hanse Yachts 54816.22 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 16.22-metre Judel/Vrolijk design featuring a 2.55-metre bulb keel and a balanced 18.26 SA/D ratio for modern cruising

Hanse 548 Haul Out & Maintenance 2026 | Boat Service, Repairs & Upgrades0:03 from 45 Degrees Sailing

Euphoria Yachts 5416.46 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA German Frers-designed fractional sloop built for performance with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio

Euphoria 540:17 from SVN solovelanet

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Grand Soleil 42 (Frers)A German Frers-designed masthead sloop featuring a deep keel and a high sail area-to-displacement ratio for performance Grand Soleil 45 (Frers)A German Frers-designed masthead sloop with a 39% ballast ratio, known by the designer as the Grand Soleil 44 Grand Soleil 52 LCA 17-metre cruiser featuring a 2.5-metre bulb keel and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for fast passage-making

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Grand Soleil 52 (Frers), or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Grand Soleil 52 (Frers)

The newsletter

New boats, new stories. Every week, everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analysed. No noise.

Report an issue