Storebro Royal Cruiser 31 (9.30 m), the (almost) indestructible Scandinavian Classic Boat

Storebro Royal Cruiser 31 (Storö 31) – Classic Boat

A few years ago, on our pages and then on our website, we told you the story of an (almost) indestructible boat, the Storebro Royal Cruiser 31, a 9.3-meter Classic Boat strong in all the qualities of Scandinavian craftsmanship. You can find the original article here, where we tell the story, which lasted more than 30 years and ended only with one of the biggest storms to hit Liguria in recent years. In the next few lines, however, we will see the Storebro Royal Cruiser 31 for what it is, a great Classic Boat.

• Do you have a historic and significant boat more than 25 years old? Read this article!
• Are you interested in the topic Classic Boats? Visit our collection of dedicated articles
  by clicking here
  .

Project

Designed by Winfried H. Wilke, the Royal Cruiser 31, also known as the Storö 31, was born in 1975 to flank its big sister, the Royal Cruiser 34, a great success of the shipyard. At 3.20 meters wide, exactly the same as the 34′, the 31′ was, however, clearly shorter (about a meter shorter), still attempting to offer maximized spaces close to its sister’s standards on lower overall lengths.

However, it was with the 31 that several new features were also introduced, including a line of variants from which the owner could choose. Two main variants were initially proposed: the Adriatic and the Biscay, followed later by a third, the Baltic, a direct descendant of the 34′ superstructures. What distinguished the 3 versions were mainly the superstructures of the exteriors.

The Adriatic variant, the more “open” one, featured a large cockpit without a hard-top and, in later versions, an inverted U-shaped arch to support the radar instrumentation. With the Biscay version, on the other hand, a hard top appears to close off the cockpit, but offers a sliding door and a sofa that can be converted into a bed, just by virtue of its ability to have a “lockable” cockpit. Also the Biscay, after specific modifications to the hull design and thus the molds, will also offer the possibility of seeing a fly installed.

The Baltic variant, on the other hand, was created at the specific request of an owner who wished to have the exterior design already featured on the previous Royal Cruiser 34. Thus emerged a modified version of the Adriatic, strong in its same lines but equipped with the optional hardtop. Later, a specific mold was also built for making this version.

Storebro Royal Cruiser 31 – Layout

In terms of layout there are mainly two versions available. In an early variant, prior to ’76, the interior design in fact includes a double berth aft of the cockpit and, forward of the wheelhouse, a second covered living space. In this one, which is particularly pious and made in an open-space style, there is a central lounge with an L-shaped sofa that can be converted into a bunk, the kitchen and a separate bathroom. Just one step further down, facing the salon, there were an additional two berths in a V berth in the bow.

From 1976 onward, however, the dinette was transformed toward a more conventional U-shaped arrangement, with a C-shaped sofa and central table facing the kitchen on the opposite broadside. In the bow, however, the layout of the cabin changes, now separated by a bulkhead.

Hull

Originally not particularly starry-eyed and tending to be more “curved” than actually V-shaped, the hull of the Royal Cruiser 31 changed in design after 1984, after the introduction of the first flies on the Biscay models. The introduction of the fly in fact, by raising the center of gravity and shifting the weight distribution, made the original hull not particularly stable and with a tendency to overtrim at high speeds . Not satisfied with the result, the shipyards then updated the entire line, changing the lines to all models to come and adapting the hulls of the Biscay with fly already produced.The new hull, not dissimilar in volumetric terms, however, changes profoundly in the water lines, now more starry, closer to a deep V and strong with new skids.

Originally not particularly starry-eyed and tending to be more “curved” than actually V-shaped, the hull of the Royal Cruiser 31 changed in design after 1984, after the introduction of the first flies on the Biscay models. The introduction of the fly in fact, by raising the center of gravity and shifting the weight distribution, made the original hull not particularly stable and with a tendency to overtrim at high speeds . Not satisfied with the result, the shipyards then updated the entire line, changing the lines to all models to come and adapting the hulls of the Biscay with fly already produced.The new hull, not dissimilar in volumetric terms, however, changes profoundly in the water lines, now more starry, closer to a deep V and strong with new skids.

Storebro Royal Cruiser 31 – Data Sheet

* from 1975 to 1991, as understandable, the types of motorization and the rated power of these varied continuously. The maximum and minimum peaks reached per individual engine are shown here.

Discover Classic Boats from previous articles

At this link you can find all the other great Classic Boats, and if you have one and want to tell us about it, here are the instructions for uploading it to our dedicated section so you can celebrate it with us and all the enthusiasts

• Here is one of the last articles in the series:

Riva Tritone (7.9 m), il fratello maggiore dell’Aquarama | Classic Boat