Inferno 29
NA Boats · Håkan Södergren · 1981
Updated
The Inferno 29 is a 8.80 m displacement racing yacht designed by Håkan Södergren and built by NA Boats, first launched in 1981. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 65% 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 65% of the boats it races against.
57th of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 20 starts across 4 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
8.80 m
28′ 10″
Beam
2.51 m
Draft
1.53 m
Displacement
2.7 t
Sail area
48 m²
On the podium
Where a Inferno 29 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
20%
of 20 starts by 3 boats
Wins
5%
Read from 20 starts by 3 boats between 2021 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Inferno 29 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
SSS - Kalvö Runt2026- Emsalö Runt2026
A.Le Coq 64. Muhu Vaina Regatt / Moonsund Regatta 2021 - offshore2021- A.Le Coq 64. Muhu Vaina Regatt - Parnu lyhirada / inshore2021
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
40%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Inferno 29 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Inferno 29 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
7.29
90°
Broad reach
8.38
135°
Downwind VMG
7.25
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 design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is off the wind once it pipes up, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on the beat as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short on the beam 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 Inferno 29
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.33 | 4.28 | 4.48 | 4.54 |
| 52° | 5.02 | 6.11 | 6.31 | 6.40 |
| 60° | 5.25 | 6.26 | 6.48 | 6.60 |
| 75° | 5.42 | 6.41 | 6.72 | 6.93 |
| 90° | 5.33 | 6.45 | 6.88 | 7.29 |
| 110° | 5.28 | 6.56 | 7.14 | 7.67 |
| 120° | 5.10 | 6.51 | 7.21 | 8.08 |
| 135° | 4.55 | 6.27 | 7.05 | 8.38 |
| 150° | 3.81 | 5.75 | 6.72 | 7.91 |
| Run VMG | 3.30 | 5.00 | 6.21 | 7.25 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 340 kg.
Rigging
Inferno 29 rig and sail dimensions
A Inferno 29 carries 11.00 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.00 m boom, a forestay 10.14 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 4 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 49 to 55 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.