The Melges 32 is an American sailboat that was designed by Reichel/Pugh as a one-design racer and first built in 2004. The design is an accepted World Sailing international class.

Production

The design has been built by Melges Performance Sailboats in the United States, since 2004, with 230 boats completed and remains in production. It was also at one time built by SOCA Sailboats of Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago.

Design

The Melges 32 is a racing keelboat, built predominantly of composite material. It has a 7/8 fractional sloop rig with dual swept spreaders, a keel-stepped mast and carbon fiber spars. The hull is built from fiberglass reinforced epoxy and a PVC fiberglass epoxy sandwich. The hull has a nearly-plumb stem, an open reverse transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable carbon fiber lifting keel with a lead bulb weight. It displaces 3774 lb and carries 1570 lb of lead ballast. The boat has a draft of 7.00 ft with the keel extended. With it retracted the boat can be operated in shallow water or transported on a boat trailer. The boat is normally fitted with a small 10 hp outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with an asymmetrical spinnaker of 1302 sqft, a reaching gennaker of 774 sqft or a light air reaching asymmetrical spinnaker (VMG) of 1113 sqft. The design has a hull speed of 7.15 kn.

Operational history

The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, the International Melges 32 Class Association.

Events