Knierim 49
Knierim · Judel/Vrolijk · 2003
Updated
The Knierim 49 is a 15.03 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Judel/Vrolijk and built by Knierim, first launched in 2003. It races in Class A.
Length
15.03 m
49′ 4″
Beam
4.09 m
Draft
2.91 m
Displacement
9.8 t
Sail area
143 m²
On the podium
Where a Knierim 49 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
16%
of 43 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 43 starts by 2 boats between 2016 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Knierim 49 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
- ORC World Championship2026
ORC European Championship 2025 / 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE2025
ORC European Championship2024
Int. Deutsche Meisterschaft Offshore Seesegeln2024- ORC Worlds2016
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
21%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: 6 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Knierim 49 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
TP 52 (Judel/Vrolijk) (7 meetings), Millenium 40 (2 meetings), Swan 46 (2 meetings), X-43 (2 meetings), Pogo 44 (2 meetings), X-482 (1 meeting), Pogo 10.50 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Knierim 49 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
6.46
38°
Beam reach
10.54
90°
Broad reach
13.12
135°
Downwind VMG
10.22
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 earns its keep off the wind. A course with long free legs suits it better than a windward-leeward.
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 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 0.8 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Knierim 49
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.31 | 5.85 | 6.25 | 6.46 |
| 52° | 6.59 | 8.43 | 8.82 | 9.04 |
| 60° | 6.95 | 8.68 | 9.09 | 9.37 |
| 75° | 7.22 | 8.89 | 9.50 | 9.95 |
| 90° | 7.23 | 8.91 | 9.74 | 10.54 |
| 110° | 7.17 | 9.18 | 10.13 | 11.19 |
| 120° | 6.98 | 9.20 | 10.39 | 12.06 |
| 135° | 6.28 | 8.79 | 10.24 | 13.12 |
| 150° | 5.25 | 7.79 | 9.32 | 11.80 |
| Run VMG | 4.54 | 6.75 | 8.11 | 10.22 |
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 970 kg.
Rigging
Knierim 49 rig and sail dimensions
A Knierim 49 carries 19.91 m of mainsail hoist on a 7.10 m boom, a forestay 19.83 m above the deck and a 6.58 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 — 223 to 252 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.