Review of BB 12 M

Basic specs.

The BB 12 M aka BB 12 METER is a sailboat designed by the Danish maritime architect Anders Børresen in the late eighties. The BB 12 M is built by the Danish yard Børresens Bådebyggeri A/S.

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Hull

Both the hull and the deck is made of hand laid fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of hand laid fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.
The hull is a double hull which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.
The deck is a double deck which improves the indoor climate.

Interior

The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany. Mahogany belongs to the hardwood species, known for being water-repellent and resistant to decay. It has an attractive wood grain and holds wood polish and varnish well.
The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 6 berths, a galley, 70.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

Note: the boat has also been sold to be self-made/-interiored, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.

Rig

The BB 12 M is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Engine

BB 12 M may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar diesel engine at 9 hp (6 kW). The speed is 7.0 knots.

The transmission is a saildrive.

The fuel tank, which is made of stainless steel, has a capacity of 35.0 liters (9 US gallons, 7 imperial gallons).

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for BB 12 M is 1.81, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.7 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for BB 12 M is about 199 kg/cm, alternatively 1118 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 199 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1118 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for BB 12 M is 21.5.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 15% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly below average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for BB 12 M is 4.03.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 96% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more speedy hull design. This type of design is also referred to as 'needle'.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for BB 12 M is 128 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

92% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for BB 12 M is 93

The relative speed performance is 93 which means that a it is faster than 93% of all similar sailboat designs.

Maintenance

Rig

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Jib sheet	12.0 m	(39.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet	12.0 m	(39.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet	30.0 m	(98.5 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	26.4 m	(86.7 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

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Finally

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If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.