Malbec 240
OCEANTECH · Javier Soto Acebal · 1997
Updated
The Malbec 240 is a 7.11 m displacement racing yacht designed by Javier Soto Acebal and built by OCEANTECH, first launched in 1997. It races in Sportboat.
Length
7.11 m
23′ 4″
Beam
2.69 m
Draft
1.38 m
Displacement
1.6 t
Sail area
33 m²
On the podium
Where a Malbec 240 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
50%
of 14 starts by 1 boat
Wins
14%
Read from 14 starts by 1 boat between 2025 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Malbec 240 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
XXX Lliga Social CMPO2026- XXIX Lliga Social CMPO2025
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
54%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Malbec 240 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Malbec 240 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
4.42
39°
Beam reach
7.32
90°
Broad reach
8.59
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.
The stronger it blows, the better this design looks. 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 on a broad reach in a strong breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage downwind 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 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the downwind.
How fast is a Malbec 240
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.99 | 4.03 | 4.42 | 4.42 |
| 52° | 4.56 | 5.79 | 6.17 | 6.28 |
| 60° | 4.81 | 5.93 | 6.34 | 6.53 |
| 75° | 4.97 | 6.06 | 6.55 | 6.95 |
| 90° | 5.05 | 6.27 | 6.72 | 7.32 |
| 110° | 5.10 | 6.38 | 7.17 | 8.02 |
| 120° | 4.96 | 6.29 | 7.13 | 8.69 |
| 135° | 4.50 | 6.04 | 6.85 | 8.59 |
| 150° | 3.85 | 5.60 | 6.44 | 7.70 |
| Run VMG | 3.33 | 4.88 | 5.94 | 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 320 kg.
Rigging
Malbec 240 rig and sail dimensions
A Malbec 240 carries 9.17 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.25 m boom, a forestay 9.78 m above the deck and a 3.40 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 4 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails