Cal 39
Catalina Yachts · Bill Lapworth · 1977
Updated
The Cal 39 is a 11.91 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Bill Lapworth and built by Catalina Yachts, first launched in 1977. It races in Class C.
Length
11.91 m
39′ 1″
Beam
3.65 m
Draft
2.05 m
Displacement
8.0 t
Sail area
90 m²
On the podium
Where a Cal 39 finishes when she goes racing.
Not enough data yet to show how this design finishes. It has not been found in the race results we have collected so far.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Cal 39 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
No regattas found yet.
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: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Cal 39 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Not enough data yet to say who this design races against. No result we have collected puts it on the water beside another design we track.
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
5.25
38°
Beam reach
8.12
90°
Broad reach
8.71
135°
Downwind VMG
7.73
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 is an upwind boat first. Windward-leeward courses give it more of what it is good at than a coastal race does.
Where it gains
Its best ground is to windward once it pipes up, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off once it pipes up, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
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 upwind.
How fast is a Cal 39
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.38 | 4.62 | 5.12 | 5.25 |
| 52° | 5.16 | 6.68 | 7.17 | 7.32 |
| 60° | 5.44 | 6.87 | 7.33 | 7.52 |
| 75° | 5.61 | 7.00 | 7.50 | 7.86 |
| 90° | 5.50 | 7.00 | 7.55 | 8.12 |
| 110° | 5.39 | 7.15 | 7.83 | 8.43 |
| 120° | 5.24 | 7.07 | 7.83 | 8.75 |
| 135° | 4.73 | 6.75 | 7.64 | 8.71 |
| 150° | 4.04 | 6.12 | 7.31 | 8.32 |
| Run VMG | 3.50 | 5.31 | 6.62 | 7.73 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 670 kg.
Rigging
Cal 39 rig and sail dimensions
A Cal 39 carries 14.02 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.16 m boom, a forestay 15.80 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails