Ker 39
Murtic · Jason Ker · 2008
Updated
The Ker 39 is a 11.82 m displacement racing yacht designed by Jason Ker and built by Murtic, first launched in 2008. It races in Class B.
Length
11.82 m
38′ 9″
Beam
3.50 m
Draft
2.49 m
Displacement
6.1 t
Sail area
88 m²
On the podium
Where a Ker 39 finishes when she goes racing.
1
Wins
0
Seconds
0
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 2025, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Ker 39 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
ORC European Championship 2025 / 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE2025
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: 8 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 Ker 39 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Ker 39 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
5.99
36°
Beam reach
9.32
90°
Broad reach
10.87
135°
Downwind VMG
8.74
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 needs pressure to show what it can do. Give it a fresh day and long legs and it delivers more than it promised; in a drifter it is working uphill.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a broad reach when it blows, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, 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
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 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Ker 39
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.88 | 5.33 | 5.81 | 5.99 |
| 52° | 5.88 | 7.50 | 7.96 | 8.18 |
| 60° | 6.16 | 7.67 | 8.16 | 8.44 |
| 75° | 6.36 | 7.78 | 8.39 | 8.89 |
| 90° | 6.25 | 7.88 | 8.47 | 9.32 |
| 110° | 6.25 | 8.02 | 8.89 | 9.96 |
| 120° | 6.08 | 7.93 | 8.92 | 10.57 |
| 135° | 5.44 | 7.58 | 8.66 | 10.87 |
| 150° | 4.59 | 6.89 | 8.13 | 9.88 |
| Run VMG | 3.98 | 5.98 | 7.34 | 8.74 |
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 820 kg.
Rigging
Ker 39 rig and sail dimensions
A Ker 39 carries 15.64 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.27 m boom, a forestay 16.32 m above the deck and a 4.70 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails