Esse 990
Schuchter · Umberto Felci · 2008
Updated
The Esse 990 is a 9.98 m planing racing yacht designed by Umberto Felci and built by Schuchter, first launched in 2008. It races in Class C.
Length
9.98 m
32′ 9″
Beam
2.55 m
Draft
2.12 m
Displacement
2.5 t
Sail area
65 m²
On the podium
Where a Esse 990 finishes when she goes racing.
0
Wins
0
Seconds
0
Thirds
7
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 7 starts by 1 boat between 2019, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Esse 990 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
ORC European Championship2019
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: 6 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: 1 race over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Esse 990 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
J/112 (7 meetings), Melges 32 (7 meetings), First 35 (Farr) (7 meetings), Salona 38 (7 meetings), X-332 (7 meetings), Dehler 36 (Judel/Vrolijk) (7 meetings), Finnflyer 36 (7 meetings), Dufour 34 (7 meetings), Maxfun 35 (7 meetings), X-37 (7 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Esse 990 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
5.06
40°
Beam reach
9.03
90°
Broad reach
12.13
135°
Downwind VMG
10.45
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.
The stronger it blows, the better this design looks. On a windy coastal course it is in its element; on a light-air windward-leeward it has to be sailed well to hold on.
Where it gains
Its best ground is downwind in a strong breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on a broad reach as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short to windward in a strong breeze, giving away time it never gets back. That is a hull that wants to get up and go, and needs pressure to do it.
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 2.2 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Esse 990
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.99 | 4.89 | 5.08 | 5.06 |
| 52° | 6.04 | 7.07 | 7.29 | 7.36 |
| 60° | 6.33 | 7.31 | 7.56 | 7.69 |
| 75° | 6.54 | 7.64 | 8.03 | 8.30 |
| 90° | 6.42 | 7.79 | 8.46 | 9.03 |
| 110° | 6.49 | 7.94 | 8.75 | 10.02 |
| 120° | 6.36 | 8.16 | 9.20 | 10.69 |
| 135° | 5.77 | 7.81 | 9.64 | 12.13 |
| 150° | 4.84 | 7.05 | 8.50 | 12.07 |
| Run VMG | 4.20 | 6.12 | 7.36 | 10.45 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 400 kg.
Rigging
Esse 990 rig and sail dimensions
A Esse 990 carries 12.95 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.44 m boom, a forestay 12.93 m above the deck and a 5.63 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 90 to 107 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.