Melges 40: With turbocharger: the fastest 40-foot yacht ever?

The prerequisites for success are great. There is already a professional class association, and the renowned Dutchman Rob Weiland, who is already responsible for the TP 52 racers, is the technical advisor and rules keeper. The design comes from the Spaniards Botin Partners next to Judel/Vrolijk the most successful design team in the monohull racing circuit. The boat is built at Premier Composite Technologies in Dubai, one of the leading shipyards in high-performance construction. The marketer and builder is the American-European manufacturer Melges Performance Sailboats which is best known for the Melges 24, the most successful sports boat of all time.

The new 40-foot boat weighs just 3.25 tonnes, 1.2 tonnes of which is accounted for by the keel fin and the bomb alone. The keel can be levelled electro-hydraulically to a maximum of 45 degrees to windward in 15 to 20 seconds. To compensate for the increased drift caused by the tilting keel, the boat is fitted with a central centreboard in front of the keel. The technology is not new and is widespread in the variant with two centreboards or now also foils on long-distance boats, but has so far been unusual on a racer that sails around the buoys on short courses.

The Melges 40 is manufactured in a negative mould made of carbon and epoxy resin around a foam core using a vacuum infusion process. It doesn't get much stronger and lighter than this. The rudder and canard are also made of carbon composite. The high-modulus carbon rig comes from Southern Spars and is held in place by a composite rig. It is equipped with halyard swivels, mast pump (hydraulic jack) and deflector aft stays and is therefore of the highest standard. The carbon bowsprit can be retracted into the boat.

According to calculations, the Melges 40 will outperform the currently fastest 40 footers by 0.4 to 0.7 knots on the cross and 0.4 to 1.6 knots on the beam. An international circuit is already planned and consists of five events in Dubai, Porto Cervo, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia. The format: two days of windward/leeward, one day of high speed racing and one day of coastal racing. The races will be organised by a professional race officer and accompanied by a service team.

Technical data

Downloads:

Premier 45 (pdf)

Farr 280 (pdf)

TP 52 (pdf)

Kites, new edition from Dubai (pdf)

Landmark 43 (pdf)

Farr 11s (pdf)

Farr 400 (pdf)