Melges 32
MELGES · Reichel/Pugh · 2005
Updated
- ORC World Championship · Class C2017
Each title was won by a boat of this design, not by the design itself.
The Melges 32 is a 9.69 m planing racing yacht designed by Reichel/Pugh and built by MELGES, first launched in 2005. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 99% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 99% of the boats it races against.
1st of 159 in its class.
Not verified. On planing hulls this score has no match in the race results we hold: designs scoring the same win anywhere from one race in ten to seven in ten. Read it as what the measurements say, not as a ranking.
This design has been found in real race results — 124 starts across 20 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
9.69 m
31′ 9″
Beam
2.94 m
Draft
2.14 m
Displacement
1.7 t
Sail area
65 m²
On the podium
Where a Melges 32 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
27%
of 124 starts by 13 boats
Wins
14%
Read from 124 starts by 13 boats between 2019 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Melges 32 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
- ORC World Championship2026
MIYC Winter Trophy 2026 - Act 62026- MIYC Winter Trophy 2026 - Act 52026
Bundefjorden Onsdagsseilaser2026
43. Montfort 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
21%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
14%
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 Melges 32 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Melges 32 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
5.51
37°
Beam reach
10.16
90°
Broad reach
13.55
135°
Downwind VMG
12.48
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. Give it a fresh day and long legs and it delivers more than it promised; in a drifter it is working uphill.
Where it gains
Its best ground is downwind when it blows, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on a broad reach as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short to windward in a strong breeze, 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 32
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.23 | 5.23 | 5.45 | 5.51 |
| 52° | 6.36 | 7.36 | 7.67 | 7.88 |
| 60° | 6.64 | 7.64 | 8.02 | 8.31 |
| 75° | 6.83 | 8.04 | 8.61 | 9.15 |
| 90° | 6.81 | 8.16 | 9.20 | 10.16 |
| 110° | 6.88 | 8.28 | 9.36 | 11.54 |
| 120° | 6.78 | 8.58 | 9.93 | 11.89 |
| 135° | 6.22 | 8.40 | 10.71 | 13.55 |
| 150° | 5.23 | 7.35 | 9.48 | 14.41 |
| Run VMG | 4.53 | 6.38 | 8.21 | 12.48 |
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 630 kg.
Rigging
Melges 32 rig and sail dimensions
A Melges 32 carries 13.43 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.72 m boom, a forestay 12.43 m above the deck and a 5.90 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 38 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 115 to 126 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.