Young 88
Roger Land · Jim Young · 1981
Updated
The Young 88 is a 8.95 m displacement racing yacht designed by Jim Young and built by Roger Land, first launched in 1981. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 42% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 42% of the boats it races against.
92nd of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 12 starts across 1 event — not only in measurement files.
Length
8.95 m
29′ 4″
Beam
3.28 m
Draft
1.72 m
Displacement
2.8 t
Sail area
54 m²
On the podium
Where a Young 88 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
33%
of 12 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 12 starts by 2 boats between 2024, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Young 88 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Pittwater Regatta - NSW ORC Championship2024
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
30%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: 2 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Young 88 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Young 88 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
5.04
37°
Beam reach
7.89
90°
Broad reach
8.87
135°
Downwind VMG
7.50
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 a broad reach in a strong breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on the beat as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off in moderate air, 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 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Young 88
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.38 | 4.58 | 4.94 | 5.04 |
| 52° | 5.12 | 6.45 | 6.77 | 6.92 |
| 60° | 5.38 | 6.58 | 6.95 | 7.12 |
| 75° | 5.54 | 6.69 | 7.17 | 7.50 |
| 90° | 5.42 | 6.77 | 7.26 | 7.89 |
| 110° | 5.40 | 6.86 | 7.58 | 8.37 |
| 120° | 5.21 | 6.76 | 7.60 | 8.93 |
| 135° | 4.66 | 6.47 | 7.33 | 8.87 |
| 150° | 3.91 | 5.90 | 6.96 | 8.21 |
| Run VMG | 3.38 | 5.12 | 6.38 | 7.50 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 550 kg.
Rigging
Young 88 rig and sail dimensions
A Young 88 carries 11.25 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.47 m boom, a forestay 9.76 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 8 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 53 to 67 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.