Moody 39
Moody · Angus Primrose · 1975
Updated
The Moody 39 is a 11.65 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Angus Primrose and built by Moody, first launched in 1975. It races in Class C.
Length
11.65 m
38′ 3″
Beam
4.05 m
Draft
1.70 m
Displacement
8.8 t
Sail area
80 m²
On the podium
Where a Moody 39 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
15%
of 46 starts by 2 boats
Wins
4%
Read from 46 starts by 2 boats between 2018 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Moody 39 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Φιλιας Σ.ε.ν.α.δ.π. - Ν.ο.δ2026- "Μακης Πανταζης" - Αγκιστρι2026
- 'Σαββα Γεωργιου 2026' (Α+γ)2026
- 3ος Ιστιοπλοϊκός Αγώνας Α/Θ ¨Πέρδικα 2026¨2026
- "Κυπελλο Χριστουγεννων"2025
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
16%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Moody 39 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
X-40 (7 meetings), Elan 410 (7 meetings), X-562 (7 meetings), X-452 (7 meetings), ILC 40 (6 meetings), J/99 (6 meetings), First 34.7 (5 meetings), First 35 (Farr) (5 meetings), Sun Fast 37 (5 meetings), Dromor 26 (5 meetings), Sweden Yachts 45 (5 meetings), J/80 (4 meetings), J/11 (4 meetings), First 36 (4 meetings), Farr 40 (4 meetings), First 31.7 (3 meetings), Mount Gay 30 (3 meetings), First 38 (6 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Moody 39 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
4.90
42°
Beam reach
7.98
90°
Broad reach
8.30
135°
Downwind VMG
7.43
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 across the wind in a strong breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short on the beat when the breeze is soft, giving away time it never gets back.
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 0.8 kn either way.
At 10 knots it gives away time on the upwind — the rating asks more than the boat returns.
How fast is a Moody 39
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.70 | 3.84 | 4.54 | 4.90 |
| 52° | 4.27 | 5.92 | 6.77 | 7.19 |
| 60° | 4.62 | 6.25 | 7.00 | 7.42 |
| 75° | 4.87 | 6.50 | 7.22 | 7.73 |
| 90° | 4.79 | 6.60 | 7.45 | 7.98 |
| 110° | 4.81 | 6.72 | 7.56 | 8.46 |
| 120° | 4.64 | 6.61 | 7.52 | 8.48 |
| 135° | 4.17 | 6.22 | 7.32 | 8.30 |
| 150° | 3.58 | 5.62 | 6.95 | 7.95 |
| Run VMG | 3.11 | 4.88 | 6.22 | 7.43 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 590 kg.
Rigging
Moody 39 rig and sail dimensions
A Moody 39 carries 12.19 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.62 m boom, a forestay 14.00 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 77 to 108 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.