The Jouët Caprice in facts and figures

UPDATE: visit http://www.jouetcaprice.com for extensive documentation, specifications, reviews, and even the owner's manual for the Jouët Caprice sailboat (Site in French).

Pour une documentation comprehensive sur le Jouët Caprice visitez http://www.jouetcaprice.com (en français).

The individual measurements of the various Caprices still being sailed that provide the specifications varies (see the jouetcaprice.com for the factory-dimensions).

This of course means that there will be some variation in the dimensions, which I will provide below. When there is a range, I give the smallest one and the largest one, the others being within the two: Jouët Caprice mast

Boat dimensions

length: 7.29 to 7.5 meters
width: 2.47 to 2.5 meters
water line: 5.85 to 6.4 meters
displacement: 1250 to 1524 kg
ballast: 560 kg
draft: 1.20 to 1.22 meters
highest point above waterline: 10 meters

Sail dimensions

main sail: 12.12 m2
genoa: 17.35m2
foc: 11m2
foc 2: 7m2
spinnaker: 30m2

Other Data

Construction material: Polyester
hull thickness: 7mm on average, to 12mm at the bottom of the hull
ballast ratio: 35%
Catégorie de navigation (France): 3

Production info

Architect: Yves Mareshal
Built by: Yachting France

Calculations and estimations

The following calculations have been made using the ship calculators available at sailingusa.info. Some of the information needed to be estimated for the calculations, and so the information provided below should just be to get a general idea of the Caprice performance:

Hull speed: 6.6 knots
Capsize formula result: 2.19
Screening stability value: 20
Angle of Vanishing Stability: 148 degrees
Sail Area Displacement Ratio: 22.82 (this means that the boat is fast)
The Displacement to Length Ratio is: 96 (this means that the boat is a light displacement racer)

Jouët Caprice Boom

These figures are in line with observations of those who sail the Jouët Caprice and note that it is incontestably fast and is excellent in regattas (particularly around Beaufort 3), has a nice balance, though that it can experience knock-downs if too much sail is up in hard winds, and to optimize speed you need to adjust the sail dimensions well (in Force 3 or 4 the foc 1 is better than the genoa).

Review notes from Daniel Gilles, Neptune magazine:

Conclusion:

"Le "Caprice" vient combler un vide dans les gammes de bateau habitables entre 7 et 8 mètres où l'éventail est relativement restrient, surtout en ce qui concerne les bateaux de croisière. Nous avons affaire à un croiseur bien compris dont l'originalité des aménagements séduira les adeptes du non conformisme. La carène bien équilibrée, le plan de voilue simple, le pont dégagé sont autant d'éléments plaidant en sa faveur. Son prix relativement élevé se justifie parfaitement si l'on tient compte de l'accastillage et de la qualité de l'équipement du bateau"

Plans of the Jouët Caprice:

The boom and mast details above are taken from the Caprice Rigging and Maintenance Manual, as is the rigging diagram below, the rudder plans and two of the profiles below.