Etchells
Petticrow · E.W. Etchells · 1967
Updated
The Etchells is a 9.30 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by E.W. Etchells and built by Petticrow, first launched in 1967. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 72% 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 72% of the boats it races against.
46th of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 9 starts across 1 event — not only in measurement files.
Length
9.30 m
30′ 6″
Beam
2.09 m
Draft
1.39 m
Displacement
1.5 t
Sail area
31 m²
On the podium
Where a Etchells finishes when she goes racing.
3
Wins
0
Seconds
4
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 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Etchells was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Campionato Invernale Marina di Loano2026
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
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Not enough data yet: 9 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Etchells actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Etchells 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
4.54
39°
Beam reach
7.58
90°
Broad reach
9.82
135°
Downwind VMG
7.72
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.
This is a boat that wants breeze. 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 cracked off once it pipes up, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage running deep as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
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 1.8 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Etchells
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.06 | 4.18 | 4.44 | 4.54 |
| 52° | 4.69 | 6.00 | 6.29 | 6.42 |
| 60° | 4.95 | 6.19 | 6.47 | 6.64 |
| 75° | 5.11 | 6.37 | 6.77 | 7.04 |
| 90° | 5.26 | 6.42 | 6.99 | 7.58 |
| 110° | 5.32 | 6.69 | 7.29 | 8.12 |
| 120° | 5.12 | 6.67 | 7.57 | 8.85 |
| 135° | 4.52 | 6.37 | 7.42 | 9.82 |
| 150° | 3.79 | 5.77 | 6.91 | 8.85 |
| Run VMG | 3.28 | 5.01 | 6.26 | 7.72 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 290 kg.
Rigging
Etchells rig and sail dimensions
A Etchells carries 9.91 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.53 m boom, a forestay 8.38 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 12 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 34 to 43 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.