Thompson T 8
Lightning Yachts · Steve Thompson · 1999
Updated
Measured under the previous VPP (2021–2024)
The Thompson T 8 is a 8.42 m planing racing yacht designed by Steve Thompson and built by Lightning Yachts, first launched in 1999. It races in Sportboat.
Length
8.42 m
27′ 7″
Beam
2.53 m
Draft
2.15 m
Displacement
0.8 t
Sail area
41 m²
On the podium
Where a Thompson T 8 finishes when she goes racing.
Not enough data yet to show how this design finishes. It has not been found in the race results we have collected so far.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Thompson T 8 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
No regattas found yet.
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 Thompson T 8 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Not enough data yet to say who this design races against. No result we have collected puts it on the water beside another design we track.
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
5.33
37°
Beam reach
11.29
90°
Broad reach
15.41
135°
Downwind VMG
15.23
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.
How fast is a Thompson T 8
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.77 | 5.21 | 5.36 | 5.33 |
| 52° | 6.71 | 7.32 | 7.64 | 7.83 |
| 60° | 6.93 | 7.69 | 8.12 | 8.47 |
| 75° | 7.14 | 8.31 | 9.00 | 9.77 |
| 90° | 7.08 | 8.74 | 9.88 | 11.29 |
| 110° | 7.33 | 8.59 | 10.35 | 13.71 |
| 120° | 7.39 | 9.05 | 10.50 | 14.45 |
| 135° | 6.96 | 9.42 | 11.62 | 15.41 |
| 150° | 6.12 | 8.18 | 11.05 | 17.21 |
| Run VMG | 5.30 | 7.08 | 9.57 | 15.23 |
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 470 kg.
Rigging
Thompson T 8 rig and sail dimensions
A Thompson T 8 carries 10.73 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.62 m boom, a forestay 10.21 m above the deck and a 5.69 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails