| Melges 40 | |
| Insignia: | File:Melges 40 class logo.png |
| Insignia Size: | 250px |
| Designer: | Botin Partners |
| Location: | United States |
| Year: | 2017 |
| Builder: | Melges Performance Sailboats |
| Role: | Racer |
| Crew: | 8-9 |
| Draft: | 10.5feet |
| Displacement: | 71650NaN0 |
| Hull Type: | monohull |
| Construction: | epoxy infused carbon fiber with a foam core |
| Loa: | 39.35feet |
| Lwl: | 36.42feet |
| Beam: | 11.58feet |
| Engine: | 200NaN0 diesel engine |
| Keel Type: | canting fin keel with weighted bulb |
| Ballast: | 26460NaN0 |
| Rudder Type: | spade-type rudder |
| Rig Type: | Bermuda rig |
| Sailplan: | fractional rigged sloop |
| Sailarea Main: | 775square feet |
| Sailarea Headsail: | 527square feet |
| Sailarea Gen: | 2153square feet |
| Sailarea Upwind: | 1302square feet |
| Sailarea Downwind: | 2928square feet |
The Melges 40 is an American sailboat that was designed by the Spanish design firm of Botin Partners as a one-design racer aimed at the European Grand Prix yacht racing circuit and first built in 2017.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
The design was named Yachts and Yachting magazine's 2017 Keelboat of the Year.[5] [6]
The design is built by Premier Composite Technologies in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for Melges Performance Sailboats of the United States. It has been in production since 2017.[1] [2] [7] [8]
The company sells the boat with an optional turnkey program whereby the owner pays a monthly fee and the company manages the boat's maintenance, technical requirements and logistics, allowing the owner and crew to "simply show up and race".[5]
The Melges 40 is a racing keelboat, built predominantly of epoxy infused carbon fiber with a foam core. It has a fractional sloop rig with a square-topped mainsail. The hull has a plumb stem, an open plumb transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller and an electrically actuated canting fin keel with a weighted bulb. The keel may be canted up to 45° to either side to provide additional righting moment with a lighter ballast weight or for operation in shallow water. The boat displaces 71650NaN0 and carries 26460NaN0 of ballast, of which 24250NaN0 is in the bulb.[1] [2] [9]
The boat has a draft of 10.5feet with the canting keel fully extended.[1] [2]
The boat is fitted with a diesel engine of 200NaN0 with a retractable propeller, for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds .[1] [2] [9]
For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with an asymmetrical gennaker of 2153square feet, flown from a retractable carbon fiber bowsprit.[1] [2]
The design has a hull speed of 8.09kn and is intended to be sailed by a crew of eight to nine sailors.[2] [9]
In a 2016 review in Sailing World, Dave Reed wrote, "the boat is technical, yes, for it will be all carbon and epoxy, with a canting keel and yards of sail area aloft, but it also comes with a class-management plan that's founded upon delivering a turnkey experience for owners. That'll include class management, dedicated race officers, and assistance with logistics."[9]
In a 2019 review in Yachting World, noted, "The Melges 40 is something of a slow-burn success story. As the only canting keel, all carbon, strict one-design grand prix racer it remains unique. It is very much an elite, niche class. It was never targeted at the wider horizons of the one-design production racing class, such as is the new Melges 37. So far it appeals only to a small cross-section of experienced, competitive owners who want electric downwind speed, and quick and efficient upwind sailing. The canting keel adds a whole new dimension to windward-leeward racing. Melges 40 owners want to go quicker than anything else of a similar size, and to travel and race internationally with their team. They are owners who might otherwise be in the TP52 fleet, but perhaps don't want to employ full-time shore crew or to be running a development programme."[10]