Melges 24

Sailboat specifications

The Melges 24 is a 24’ (7.32m) one design sailboat designed by Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design (United States). She is built since 1993 by Melges (United States) and Devoti Sailing (Czech Republic).

Melges 24's main features

Model: Melges 24
Hull type: Monohull
Category: One design sailboat
Sailboat builder: Melges
&
Devoti Sailing
Sailboat designer: Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design
Sailboat collection: ISAF
Country: United States
Construction: GRP (glass reinforced polyester):
Sandwich foam fiberglass polyester
Number of hulls built: About 850
First built hull: 1993
Last built hull: Still in production
Appendages: Lifting keel : fin with bulb, lifting
Helm: Single tiller
Rudder: Single transom hung rudder
Unsinkable: No
Trailerable: Yes
Standard public price ex. VAT (indicative only): About
65 500 €
(2020)

Melges 24's main dimensions

Hull length: 24’7.32 m
Waterline length: 22’6.71 m
Beam (width): 8’ 2”2.5 m
Draft: 5’1.52 m
Light displacement (M_LC): 1784 lb809 kg
Ballast weight: 650 lb295 kg
Ballast type: Lead

Melges 24's rig and sails

Upwind sail area: 355 ft²33 m²
Downwind sail area: 828 ft²76.9 m²
Mainsail area: 226 ft²21 m²
Jib area: 129 ft²12 m²
Asymmetric spinnaker area: 602 ft²55.9 m²
I iFore triangle height (from mast foot to fore stay top attachment): 27’ 11”8.49 m
J iFore triangle base (from mast foot to bottom of forestay): 7’ 11”2.42 m
P iMainsail hoist measurement (from tack to head): 28’ 11”8.81 m
E iMainsail foot measurement (from tack to clew): 12’ 6”3.8 m
Rigging type: Sloop Marconi 7/8
Mast configuration: Deck stepped mast
Rotating spars: No
Number of levels of spreaders: 1
Spreaders angle: Swept-back
Spars construction: Carbon fiber mast and aluminum boom
Standing rigging: 1x19 strand wire continuous

Melges 24's performances

Crew: 4 – 5 (< 360kg)
HN (French rating) iHN or "Handicap Nationale" is an empirical rating system used in France allowing various monohulls, of different sizes and designs, to race each other fairly. It is particularly suitable for cruiser and cruiser-racer. Therefore, by comparing these values, we can have an indication of the relative speed of 2 boats.: 27.0
Upwind sail area to displacement iThe ratio sail area to displacement is obtained by dividing the sail area by the boat's displaced volume to the power two-thirds. The ratio sail area to displacement can be used to compare the relative sail plan of different sailboats no matter what their size. Upwind: under 18 the ratio indicates a cruise oriented sailboat with limited performances especially in light wind, while over 25 it indicates a fast sailboat.: 409 ft²/T38.01 m²/T
Downwind sail area to displacement iThe ratio sail area to displacement is obtained by dividing the sail area by the boat's displaced volume to the power two-thirds. The ratio sail area to displacement can be used to compare the relative sail plan of different sailboats no matter what their size.: 953 ft²/T88.57 m²/T
Displacement-length ratio (DLR) iThe Displacement Length Ratio (DLR) is a figure that points out the boat's weight compared to its waterline length. The DLR is obtained by dividing the boat's displacement in tons by the cube of one one-hundredth of the waterline length (in feet). The DLR can be used to compare the relative mass of different sailboats no matter what their length: a DLR less than 180 is indicative of a really light sailboat (race boat made for planning), while a DLR greater than 300 is indicative of a heavy cruising sailboat.: 76
Ballast ratio iThe Ballast ratio is an indicator of stability; it is obtained by dividing the boat's displacement by the mass of the ballast. Since the stability depends also of the hull shapes and the position of the center of gravity, only the boats with similar ballast arrangements and hull shapes should be compared. The higher the ballast ratio is, the greater is the stability.: 36 %
Critical hull speed iAs a ship moves in the water, it creates standing waves that oppose its movement. This effect increases dramatically the resistance when the boat reaches a speed-length ratio (speed-length ratio is the ratio between the speed in knots and the square root of the waterline length in feet) of about 1.2 (corresponding to a Froude Number of 0.35) . This very sharp rise in resistance, between speed-length ratio of 1.2 to 1.5, is insurmountable for heavy sailboats and so becomes an apparent barrier. This leads to the concept of "hull speed". The hull speed is obtained by multiplying the square root of the waterline length (in feet) by 1.34.: 6.29 knots