Melges 24
The Melges 24 is a one-design class of sailboat commonly used for racing.[1] The monohull sportsboat is notable for its ability to plane over the water downwind in modest winds, and for its combination of a simple design that is highly tunable.
 Class symbol | |
 | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Reichel/Pugh |
| Year | 1993 |
| Design | One-design |
| Boat | |
| Crew | 2-5 |
| Draft | 5 ft (1.5 m) |
| Hull | |
| Hull weight | 1,783 lb (809 kg) |
| LOA | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Beam | 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) |
| Sails | |
| Mainsail area | 264 sq ft (24.5 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 126 sq ft (11.7 m2) |
| Spinnaker area | 670 sq ft (62 m2) |
The Melges 24 has more than 850 boats sold, and is the most popular design produced by Melges Performance Sailboats, a United States company founded by Harry Melges, father of former Olympic sailor Buddy Melges.[2] The boat was designed in 1992 by the Reichel/Pugh design team, and went into production in 1993. Of the nearly nine hundred Melges 24s that have been produced, approximately half were sold in North America with the remainder in Europe, and with fleets in Japan as well.. Fleets are now growing in the Asia Pacific with Northshore Yachts taking the role of building boats for the Australasian Countries. They have built 9 so far with a growing fleet of around 10 Melges 24 in Australia.
The boat is 24 feet (7.3 m) long and 8 feet 2 inches (2.49 m) wide at the beam. The fractional rig carries around 1000 square feet (93 m²) of sail area, main, jib and spinnaker combined. Upwind, it has a mainsail and 100% jib. Downwind, it has a large 670 square foot (62 m²) Asymmetrical spinnaker that flies from a retractable bowsprit.[2]
The boat's hull is made from lightweight fiberglass. The mast, rudder, bowsprit, and keel fin are made from carbon fiber for light weight. The hull is generally flat on the bottom, making it plane easily. The 630 pound (286 kg) keel bulb can retract up to the hull bottom to make it easier to put on a trailer.
The boat is generally raced with a crew of four or five. Because the boat sails faster with a heavier crew, class rules for racing limit crew weight to 827 pounds (375 kg) total. Unlike most spinnaker-rigged keelboats, the Melges 24 is designed so that no foredeck work is required to fly the spinnaker; it is launched, trimmed, and doused from a launch bag in the pit.
Reichel/Pugh also designed other modern Melges boats, including the Melges 17, Melges 32 and Melges 20.
World Championships
Year |
Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Torbay  GBR?? Boats |
 Vince BRUN (ITA) |
||
| 1999 Alamitos  USA49 Boats |
USA 415 Vince BRUN (ITA) |
ITA 139 Giorgio ZUCCOLI (ITA) |
USA 330 COLLINS WOOTTEN JEFF MADRIGALI (USA) |
| 2000 La Rochelle  FRA125 Boats |
ALE ALI - ITA 139 Giorgio ZUCCOLI (ITA) |
FULL THROTTLE - USA 409 Brian PORTER (USA) |
PLAN GESTION - FRA 383 CHABANNE |
| 2001 Key West USA?? Boats |
Flavio Favini (ITA) |
||
| 2002 Travemunde  GER74 Boats |
Star USA 409
|
P & P Racing Team FRA 475
|
Black Seal GBR 437
|
| 2003 San Francisco USA58 Boats |
PEGASUS 24-1
|
Star Harry MELGES III (USA) Jeff ECKLUND (USA) |
FULL THROTTLE Brian PORTER (USA) |
| 2004 Marstrand  SWE80 Boats |
Partner & Partners FRA 571 Sebastian COL (FRA) |
Alina ITA 409 Maurizio Abbà (ITA) |
Blu Moon SUI 521 Flavio FAVINI (ITA) |
| 2005 Key Largo USA98 Boats |
Luna Rossa -USA 515
|
||
| 2006 Hyères FRA119 Boats |
BETTE - ITA 643
|
DRP-PARTNER-PARTNERS FRA 571 | BLU MOON SUI 521 |
| 2007 Santa Cruz USA58 Boats |
Pegasus 505 - USA 505
|
||
| 2008 Porto Cervo ITA114 Boats |
UKA UKA RACING - ITA 715
|
PILOT ITALIA - ITA 727
|
ALINA HELLY HANSEN - ITA 722
|
| 2009 Annapolis USA51 Boats |
West Marine / New England USA 655
|
Joefly 37 ITA 777 | Full Medal Jacket NOR 804 |
| 2010 Tallinn  EST79 Boats |
Lorenzo BRESSANI (ITA)
|
Baghdad - NOR 400
|
Hurricane - Murphy & NYE - ITA 727 |
| 2011 Torquay GBR32 Boats |
UkaUka Racing - ITA 817
|
FULL THROTTLE - USA-749
|
Embarr - IRL 607
|
| 2012 ITA - Scarlino 125 Boats |
Gullisara ITA 803
|
Saetta ITA 716 (20)
|
AUDI ITA 819 (32)
|
| 2013 USA - San Francisco 58 Boats |
"FULL THROTTLE" USA 749
|
"BLU MOON" SUI 825
|
SOFFE DEN 782
|
| 2014 Geelong .svg.png.webp){kind=small} AUS25Boats |
BLU MOON (21) SUI 825
|
STAR (17) USA 841
|
WEST MARINE RIGGING USA820
|
| 2015 Middlefart  DEN95 Boats |
EFG Chistopher Rast (SUI) |
Altea Andrea Racchelli (ITA) |
Air Force One Bora Gulari (USA) |
| 2016 Miami USA Boats |
Embarr IRL829 Stuart McNay |
||
| 2017 Helsinki  FIN59 Boats |
MAIDOLLIS ITA 854 Carlo Fracassoli |
Monsoon USA 851 Bruce Ayres |
MiKEY USA 838 Kevin Welch |
2018.svg.png.webp){kind=small} CAN41 Boats |
ITA 722 Altea
|
USA 829 WTF | USA 851 Monsoon |
References
- "Melges 24". Sailboatdata.com. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
- "Melges 24". Melges Performance Sailboats. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
External links
- Melges 24 at Sailboatdata
- "Melges 24". Melges Performance Sailboats. Retrieved January 13, 2014. — Manufacturer website
- CM24CA - Canadian Melges 24 Class Association - Owners racing class
- IMCA - International Melges 24 Class Association - Owners racing class
- USMCA - US Melges 24 Class Association - Owners racing class
- UK Melges 24 Class Association - Owners racing class
- Melges Aus - Australian Melges Class Website
- NS - Northshore Yachting Services
- Marinepool Melges 24 World Championship
- "Melges 24 Sails, Tuning & FAQs". onedesign.com. Retrieved January 24, 2014.