Class BSemi-displacementCruiser/Racer

Vismara 38

B.N. Stella Maris · Alessandro Vismara · 1999

Updated

The Vismara 38 is a 11.60 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Alessandro Vismara and built by B.N. Stella Maris, first launched in 1999. It races in Class B.

Vismara 38 - Alessandro Vismara - B.N. Stella MarisP 14.06 mLOA 11.60 m

Length

11.60 m

38′ 1″

Beam

3.51 m

Draft

2.20 m

Displacement

6.2 t

Sail area

80 m²

This design does not carry a Race Edge. The speeds below still come from measured boats.

On the podium

Where a Vismara 38 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 Vismara 38 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.

No regattas found yet.

Raced one we are missing?

Report a regatta

Round 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 Vismara 38 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.

36930°60°90°120°150°WIND10.0

Upwind VMG

5.43

38°

Beam reach

8.71

90°

Broad reach

10.00

135°

Downwind VMG

8.14

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 does most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.

Where it gains

Its best ground is on the beam in the light stuff, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage cracked off 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.

True wind
Upwind+0.15 kn
Beam reach+0.21 kn
Broad reach+0.12 kn
Downwind+0.10 kn

Full width is 0.4 kn either way.

At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.

How fast is a Vismara 38

Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.

Angle6 kn10 kn14 kn20 kn
Beat VMG3.654.965.325.43
52°5.577.147.517.62
60°5.897.367.717.85
75°6.157.547.998.26
90°6.147.678.198.71
110°6.047.758.529.32
120°5.797.678.579.78
135°5.177.318.3210.00
150°4.366.577.819.15
Run VMG3.775.706.958.14

How they are set up

The range each sail spans across the fleet.

Mainsail40 m² – 43 m²
Headsail32 m² – 44 m²

Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 640 kg.

Rigging

Vismara 38 rig and sail dimensions

A Vismara 38 carries 14.06 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.10 m boom, a forestay 15.93 m above the deck and a 5.27 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.

Rig

Mainsail hoistP14.06 m14.00 – 14.12
Boom lengthE5.10 m5.10 – 5.10
Forestay heightIG15.93 m15.85 – 16.00
Fore triangle baseJ4.48 m4.47 – 4.49
Spinnaker hoistISP15.95 m15.86 – 16.04
BowspritTPS5.27 m5.27 – 5.27
Boom above deckBAS1.67 m1.67 – 1.67

Sails

Mainsail41.7 m²39.9 – 43.4
Headsail37.8 m²32.2 – 43.5