Discovery 300
DROMOR YACHTS · Ed Dubois · 1986
Updated
The Discovery 300 is a 9.96 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Ed Dubois and built by DROMOR YACHTS, first launched in 1986. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 6% of the designs it races against. It comes alive as the breeze builds, and gives time away in the light.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 6% of the boats it races against.
150th of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 194 starts across 73 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
9.96 m
32′ 8″
Beam
3.24 m
Draft
1.67 m
Displacement
4.9 t
Sail area
49 m²
On the podium
Where a Discovery 300 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
15%
of 194 starts by 14 boats
Wins
3%
Read from 194 starts by 14 boats between 2017 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Discovery 300 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
9ο Κυπελλο Καλλιθεας2026- "Αγκιστρι 2026"2026
- 43ος Ιστιοπλοικος Αγωνας Κορφος ΄262026
- "Νικολαος Σαρικαβαζης 2026"2026
- 6η Regatta Σαρωνικού2026
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
21%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
14%
of these races end on the podium
Sharper round the buoys. Short courses reward acceleration and manoeuvring, and that is where this design makes its money.
Who she races against
The designs a Discovery 300 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Discovery 300 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
4.45
41°
Beam reach
7.22
90°
Broad reach
7.79
135°
Downwind VMG
6.76
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 on the beam once the breeze fills, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short on the beat in light air, 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 beam reach.
How fast is a Discovery 300
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.60 | 3.68 | 4.28 | 4.45 |
| 52° | 4.07 | 5.55 | 6.25 | 6.41 |
| 60° | 4.34 | 5.81 | 6.47 | 6.66 |
| 75° | 4.51 | 6.03 | 6.68 | 6.99 |
| 90° | 4.59 | 6.29 | 6.83 | 7.22 |
| 110° | 4.71 | 6.40 | 7.07 | 7.79 |
| 120° | 4.55 | 6.26 | 7.03 | 7.95 |
| 135° | 4.09 | 5.95 | 6.82 | 7.79 |
| 150° | 3.48 | 5.28 | 6.45 | 7.31 |
| Run VMG | 3.02 | 4.57 | 5.71 | 6.76 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 400 kg.
Rigging
Discovery 300 rig and sail dimensions
A Discovery 300 carries 10.16 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.69 m boom, a forestay 11.87 m above the deck and a 4.43 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 11 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 53 to 67 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.