Maxi Racer
Maxi Yachts · Pelle Petterson · 1980
Updated
The Maxi Racer is a 7.97 m displacement racing yacht designed by Pelle Petterson and built by Maxi Yachts, first launched in 1980. It races in Sportboat.
Length
7.97 m
26′ 2″
Beam
2.74 m
Draft
1.49 m
Displacement
1.8 t
Sail area
39 m²
On the podium
Where a Maxi Racer finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
64%
of 11 starts by 1 boat
Wins
0%
Read from 11 starts by 1 boat between 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Maxi Racer was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Someron Säästöpankin Kotka Cup2026
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
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Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Maxi Racer actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Maxi Racer 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
4.45
39°
Beam reach
7.29
90°
Broad reach
8.37
135°
Downwind VMG
7.03
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 is a boat that wants breeze. 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 off the wind once it pipes up, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage running deep 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 Maxi Racer
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.11 | 4.19 | 4.44 | 4.45 |
| 52° | 4.71 | 5.92 | 6.20 | 6.29 |
| 60° | 4.93 | 6.05 | 6.37 | 6.50 |
| 75° | 5.06 | 6.17 | 6.62 | 6.88 |
| 90° | 5.06 | 6.29 | 6.75 | 7.29 |
| 110° | 4.97 | 6.34 | 7.07 | 7.83 |
| 120° | 4.78 | 6.25 | 7.05 | 8.34 |
| 135° | 4.25 | 5.96 | 6.79 | 8.37 |
| 150° | 3.60 | 5.46 | 6.46 | 7.70 |
| Run VMG | 3.12 | 4.77 | 5.95 | 7.03 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 370 kg.
Rigging
Maxi Racer rig and sail dimensions
A Maxi Racer carries 10.00 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.40 m boom, a forestay 9.04 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 4 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails