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 |
| Builder(s) | Melges Performance Sailboats  |
| Name | Melges 24 |
| Crew | 2-5 |
| Boat | |
| Crew | 2-5 |
| Boat weight | 809 kg (1,784 lb) |
| Draft | 5 ft (1.5 m) |
| Hull | |
| Construction | fiberglass |
| Hull weight | 1,783 lb (809 kg) |
| LOA | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Beam | 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Ballast | 295 kg (650 lb) |
| Rig | |
| I foretriangle height | 8.49 m (27.9 ft) |
| J foretriangle base | 2.42 m (7 ft 11 in) |
| P mainsail luff | 8.71 m (28.6 ft) |
| E mainsail foot | 3.79 m (12.4 ft) |
| 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
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Torbay  GBR?? Boats |
 Vince BRUN (ITA) |
||
| 1999 Alamitos  USA49 Boats |
USA 415 Vince BRUN (ITA) Ben Mitchell (USA) |
ITA 139 Giorgio ZUCCOLI (ITA) |
USA 330 COLLINS WOOTTEN Jeff Madrigali (USA) |
| 2000 La Rochelle  FRA125 Boats |
ITA 139 - ALE ALI Giorgio Zuccoli (ITA) |
USA 409 - FULL THROTTLE Brian Porter (USA) |
FRA 383 - PLAN GESTION CHABANNE |
| 2001 Key West USA77 Boats |
SUI 483 (59) - Blu Moon
|
USA 525 (77) - Star
|
USA 458 (57) - Flipper
|
| 2002 Travemunde  GER74 Boats |
USA 409 - Star
|
FRA 475 - P & P Racing Team
|
GBR 437 - Black Seal
|
| 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 |
FRA 571 - Partner & Partners Sebastian COL (FRA) |
ITA 409 - Alina Maurizio Abbà (ITA) |
SUI 521 - Blu Moon Flavio FAVINI (ITA) |
| 2005 Key Largo USA98 Boats |
USA 515 - Luna Rossa
|
ITA 636 (26) - MARRACHECH EXPRESS
|
USA505 (73) - Pegasus 505
|
| 2006 Hyères FRA119 Boats |
ITA 643 - BETTE
|
FRA 571 - DRP-PARTNER-PARTNERS | SUI 521 - BLU MOON |
| 2007 Santa Cruz USA58 Boats |
USA 505 - Pegasus 505
|
USA 649 - Full Throttle
|
FRA 571 - EFG/GroupPartouche
|
| 2008 Porto Cervo ITA114 Boats |
UKA UKA RACING - ITA 715
|
ITA 727 - PILOT ITALIA
|
ALINA HELLY HANSEN - ITA 722
|
| 2009 Annapolis USA51 Boats |
USA 655 - West Marine / New England
|
ITA 777 - Joefly 37
|
NOR 804 - Full Medal Jacket
|
| 2010 Tallinn  EST79 Boats |
Lorenzo BRESSANI (ITA)
|
NOR 400 - Baghdad
|
ITA 727 - Hurricane - Murphy & NYE
|
| 2011 Torquay GBR32 Boats |
ITA 817 - UkaUka Racing
|
USA 749 - FULL THROTTLE
|
IRL 607 - Embarr
|
| 2012 ITA - Scarlino 125 Boats |
ITA 803 - Gullisara
|
ITA 716 - Saetta (20)
|
ITA 819 - AUDI (32)
|
| 2013 USA - San Francisco 58 Boats |
USA 749 - "FULL THROTTLE"
|
SUI 825 - "BLU MOON"
|
DEN 782 - SOFFE
|
| 2014 Geelong .svg.png.webp){kind=small} AUS25Boats |
SUI 825 - BLU MOON (21)
|
USA 841 - STAR (17)
|
USA 820 - WEST MARINE RIGGING
|
| 2015 Middlefart  DEN95 Boats |
EFG
|
Altea
|
Air Force One
|
| 2016 Miami USA 74 Boats[3] |
IRL 829 - Embarr Stuart McNay |
ITA 822 - Maidollis 3 Gian Luca Perego |
USA 849 - Full Throttle Brian Porter |
| 2017 Helsinki  FIN59 Boats |
ITA 854 - MAIDOLLIS Carlo Fracassoli |
USA 851 - Monsoon Bruce Ayres |
USA 838 - Mikey Kevin Welch |
2018.svg.png.webp){kind=small} CAN41 Boats |
ITA 722#678 - Altea
|
USA 829 - WTF Alan Field |
USA 851 - Monsoon Bruce Ayres |
| 2019 Sardinia ITA61 Boats[4] |
Maidollis ITA 854
|
Monsoon USA 851
|
Bombarda ITA 860
|
| 2020 & 2021 Charlestone (USA) |
CANCELLED COVID |
References
- "Melges 24". Sailboatdata.com. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
- "Melges 24". Melges Performance Sailboats. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=1352
- https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=9411
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.