Birdie 24
Birdie · Harry Becker · 1976
Updated
The Birdie 24 is a 7.40 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Harry Becker and built by Birdie, first launched in 1976. It races in Class C.
Length
7.40 m
24′ 3″
Beam
2.41 m
Draft
1.24 m
Displacement
1.8 t
Sail area
30 m²
On the podium
Where a Birdie 24 finishes when she goes racing.
2
Wins
2
Seconds
0
Thirds
9
Starts
Not enough races yet for a percentage — these are the counts so far. We keep collecting results, so this will fill in.
Read from 9 starts by 1 boat between 2021, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Birdie 24 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
A.Le Coq 64. Muhu Vaina Regatt / Moonsund Regatta 2021 - offshore2021- A.Le Coq 64. Muhu Vaina Regatt - Parnu lyhirada / inshore2021
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: 5 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Birdie 24 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Birdie 24 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
4.09
40°
Beam reach
6.59
90°
Broad reach
7.21
135°
Downwind VMG
6.38
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
It does most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is off the wind when the breeze is soft, where it outruns what it looks like on paper. It holds that advantage on the run as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short on the beam once the breeze fills, giving away time it never gets back.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the downwind.
How fast is a Birdie 24
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.69 | 3.60 | 4.06 | 4.09 |
| 52° | 4.11 | 5.30 | 5.72 | 5.82 |
| 60° | 4.33 | 5.46 | 5.85 | 6.01 |
| 75° | 4.45 | 5.59 | 6.01 | 6.33 |
| 90° | 4.43 | 5.74 | 6.10 | 6.59 |
| 110° | 4.55 | 5.83 | 6.39 | 6.98 |
| 120° | 4.40 | 5.78 | 6.39 | 7.23 |
| 135° | 4.03 | 5.57 | 6.24 | 7.21 |
| 150° | 3.50 | 5.18 | 5.99 | 6.86 |
| Run VMG | 3.03 | 4.53 | 5.54 | 6.38 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 350 kg.
Rigging
Birdie 24 rig and sail dimensions
A Birdie 24 carries 8.00 m of mainsail hoist on a 2.42 m boom, a forestay 9.38 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 3 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 37 to 42 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.