Mat 122
MAT · Mark Mills · 2022
Updated
The Mat 122 is a 12.21 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Mark Mills and built by MAT, first launched in 2022. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 71% of the designs it races against. It comes alive as the breeze builds, and gives time away in the light.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 71% of the boats it races against.
14th of 46 in its class.
Updated — First Race Edge for this design. Enough boats of this design have now been measured to rank it. It is strongest in medium and heavy air.
This design has been found in real race results — 133 starts across 23 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.21 m
40′ 1″
Beam
3.97 m
Draft
2.52 m
Displacement
5.4 t
Sail area
94 m²
On the podium
Where a Mat 122 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
23%
of 133 starts by 8 boats
Wins
5%
Read from 133 starts by 8 boats between 2023 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Mat 122 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Klaipėda ORC European Championship2026
EAYK-TAYK Dogu Ege Yat Sampiyonasi2026
73° Loro Piana Giraglia2026
Marstrand Big Boat Race2026
Int. Deutsche Meisterschaft Offshore Seesegeln2026
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
22%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
10%
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 Mat 122 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Mat 122 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
6.08
37°
Beam reach
10.33
90°
Broad reach
13.13
135°
Downwind VMG
9.89
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 1.8 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Mat 122
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.12 | 5.50 | 5.89 | 6.08 |
| 52° | 6.29 | 7.88 | 8.30 | 8.57 |
| 60° | 6.68 | 8.12 | 8.61 | 8.96 |
| 75° | 6.99 | 8.35 | 9.05 | 9.63 |
| 90° | 6.92 | 8.44 | 9.34 | 10.33 |
| 110° | 6.79 | 8.70 | 9.79 | 11.26 |
| 120° | 6.64 | 8.67 | 10.14 | 12.05 |
| 135° | 5.95 | 8.27 | 9.75 | 13.13 |
| 150° | 4.98 | 7.40 | 8.82 | 11.42 |
| Run VMG | 4.31 | 6.41 | 7.65 | 9.89 |
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 810 kg.
Rigging
Mat 122 rig and sail dimensions
A Mat 122 carries 15.59 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.33 m boom, a forestay 15.54 m above the deck and a 7.02 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 8 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 162 to 177 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.