Fountaine Pajot Louisiane 37
catamaran · built 1983–1988 · approved by moderator
Performance & stability indicators
Calculated from the specifications below. Comparative aids only — not a stability assessment.
| SA/D — Sail area / displacement Power-to-weight ratio of the rig — the classic comparison ratio. Imperial: SA ft² ÷ (displacement lb ÷ 64)^⅔. Higher = more powerful for its weight. | 22.34 (13.84 m² per tonne) |
| BN — Bruce number Power-to-weight indicator of speed potential (√SA ft² ÷ displacement lb^⅓). Below ~1.3 is slow in light airs; ~1.6 reefs early offshore. | 1.18 (21.97 metric scale) |
| BSpd — Base speed Distance a boat could average over 24 hours, empirically derived (Richard Boehmer, 1989). Also used to handicap mixed-fleet races. | 9.71 kn (18.0 km/h) |
| KSP — Kelsall speed prediction Derek Kelsall's performance index (PI-C × 10), expressed in knots — an estimate of speed potential on a reach. A value of 8 ≈ 8 knots in a 10-knot wind. | 7.8 kn (14.4 km/h) |
| Texel — Texel rating (Multihull Dynamics) Multihull Dynamics simplified Texel approximation - matches the numbers they published. LOWER = faster. | 124.3 (lower = faster) |
| Texel* — Texel rating (official / global) The authoritative CTC / Watersportverbond Texel formula - the same core used by OMR (Australia) and Multi 2000 (France). Includes crew weight, so it sits on a higher numerical scale than the MD approximation (identical ordering). LOWER = faster. | 156.3 (lower = faster) |
| SSpd — Stability speed Wind speed (knots) at which the windward hull of a catamaran (or main hull of a trimaran) begins to lift — Shuttleworth, incl. a 40% gust factor. Higher = more stable. | 20.4 kn (37.8 km/h) |
| KSI — Kelsall stability indicator Indicator of resistance to sideways capsize (Derek Kelsall). Higher = more resistant. | 34.31 (37.8 km/h wind equiv.) |
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Fountaine Pajot |
| Model | Louisiane 37 |
| Variant | — |
| Year from | 1983 |
| Year to | 1988 |
| Hull type | catamaran |
| Boat style | — |
| Construction | — |
| LOA (m) | 11.31 (37.11 ft) |
| Waterline length (m) | 10.97 (35.99 ft) |
| Beam overall (m) | 6 (19.69 ft) |
| Beam waterline (m) | — |
| Hull width (m) | — |
| Beam centreline (m) | — |
| Bridge deck clearance (m) | — |
| Draft min (m) | 0.41 (1.35 ft) |
| Draft max (m) | 1.62 (5.31 ft) |
| Board type | Centreboard |
| Displacement light (kg) | 4000 (8818.48 lb) |
| Displacement loaded (kg) | — |
| Sail area upwind (m²) | 55.37 (596.00 ft²) |
| Sail area downwind (m²) | — |
| Total engine power (kW) | — |
| Number of engines | — |
| Fuel (L) | 121 (31.96 US gal) |
| Water (L) | 371 (98.01 US gal) |
| Berths | — |
| Headroom (m) | — |
| Notes | — |
| Sources | sailboatdata.com via Wayback (high; 80 built - FP's first cruising cat) - https://web.archive.org/web/2023/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/louisiane-37/ |
| approved_by | moderator |
| approved_at | 2026-10-30 20:19:43 |
Official Texel* — propeller adjustment
Texel* above uses a propeller factor of 1 (retractable / unknown). Propellers are commonly swapped between otherwise identical boats, so pick a configuration here to compare like-for-like. Board type recorded: Centreboard (already reflected in Texel*).
Texel* with propellers: —