Express
Albin · Peter Norlin · 1978
Updated
The Express is a 7.79 m displacement racing yacht designed by Peter Norlin and built by Albin, first launched in 1978. It races in Sportboat. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 30% of the designs it races against. It is at its best in light air and struggles to hold that once it blows.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 30% of the boats it races against.
20th of 28 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 142 starts across 15 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
7.79 m
25′ 7″
Beam
2.52 m
Draft
1.44 m
Displacement
1.8 t
Sail area
34 m²
On the podium
Where a Express finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
38%
of 142 starts by 15 boats
Wins
13%
Read from 142 starts by 15 boats between 2019 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Express was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Someron Säästöpankin Kotka Cup2026
Bundefjorden Onsdagsseilaser2026- Extra Marine Yöpurjehdus2026
- Hollænderseilasen2025
- Høstserien2024
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
15%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
0%
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 Express actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Express 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
4.35
39°
Beam reach
7.12
90°
Broad reach
8.24
135°
Downwind VMG
6.97
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 cracked off once it pipes up, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. 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 a reach when it blows, giving away time it never gets back. That is a displacement hull working to its designed speed.
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 Express
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.97 | 4.03 | 4.34 | 4.35 |
| 52° | 4.53 | 5.78 | 6.10 | 6.18 |
| 60° | 4.77 | 5.93 | 6.27 | 6.39 |
| 75° | 4.92 | 6.06 | 6.49 | 6.75 |
| 90° | 5.00 | 6.23 | 6.58 | 7.12 |
| 110° | 5.04 | 6.34 | 6.98 | 7.59 |
| 120° | 4.86 | 6.26 | 7.00 | 8.06 |
| 135° | 4.33 | 6.01 | 6.78 | 8.24 |
| 150° | 3.65 | 5.52 | 6.46 | 7.64 |
| Run VMG | 3.16 | 4.81 | 5.96 | 6.97 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 390 kg.
Rigging
Express rig and sail dimensions
A Express carries 9.50 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.35 m boom, a forestay 8.83 m above the deck and a 3.05 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 51 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails