Melges 20
MELGES · Reichel/Pugh · 2010
Updated
The Melges 20 is a 6.13 m planing racing yacht designed by Reichel/Pugh and built by MELGES, first launched in 2010. It races in Sportboat.
Length
6.13 m
20′ 1″
Beam
2.13 m
Draft
1.39 m
Displacement
0.5 t
Sail area
25 m²
On the podium
Where a Melges 20 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
6%
of 17 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 17 starts by 2 boats between 2024, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Melges 20 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
DH-Dm2024
Deutsche Bestenermittlung Seesegeln Inshore2024
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: 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 Melges 20 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Met too few times for a figure:
Italia 9.98 (7 meetings), Xp 44 (7 meetings), Corby 29 (7 meetings), X-332 (7 meetings), J/88 (7 meetings), Dehler 39 (Judel/Vrolijk) (7 meetings), Sun Fast 3600 (7 meetings), Sun Fast 36 (6 meetings), Luffe 43 (4 meetings), X-41 (4 meetings)
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
4.40
39°
Beam reach
8.45
90°
Broad reach
12.07
135°
Downwind VMG
10.20
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. 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 when it blows, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, 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
It falls short on the beat once it pipes up, giving away time it never gets back. That is a hull that wants to get up and go, and needs pressure to do it.
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 3.8 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Melges 20
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.16 | 4.22 | 4.41 | 4.40 |
| 52° | 4.78 | 5.96 | 6.22 | 6.37 |
| 60° | 5.03 | 6.18 | 6.54 | 6.77 |
| 75° | 5.18 | 6.42 | 7.07 | 7.52 |
| 90° | 5.33 | 6.44 | 7.57 | 8.45 |
| 110° | 5.44 | 7.04 | 8.02 | 9.46 |
| 120° | 5.30 | 7.11 | 8.55 | 10.30 |
| 135° | 4.78 | 6.61 | 8.61 | 12.07 |
| 150° | 4.05 | 5.86 | 7.42 | 11.77 |
| Run VMG | 3.51 | 5.09 | 6.42 | 10.20 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 320 kg.
Rigging
Melges 20 rig and sail dimensions
A Melges 20 carries 7.39 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.00 m boom, a forestay 6.91 m above the deck and a 3.70 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 39 to 45 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.