Design and Construction
At just 3,200 kg, the all-carbon Melges 40 sits around 800 kg lighter than a Fast 40+. Its electrically operated carbon fin keel cants to 45 degrees. The keel comprises a 3.4-metre carbon fin weighing just 100 kg and a 1,100 kg bulb, for a total bulb weight of 1.1 tonnes.
Instead of twin daggerboards cluttering the deck, the boat has a single centreline canard. The pit crew controls it through a simple purchase system, keeping the working area clear. Twin rudders and a retractable bowsprit complete the underwater and forward-end architecture.
Cariboni manufactures the keel technology, a direct development of the systems used on IMOCA boats and Volvo 65s. A single ram with a double-acting cylinder both pushes and pulls the keel.
Rig and Sail Plan
The boat carries a two-part, twin-spreader, high-modulus Southern Spars rig that’s deck-stepped and supported by EC3 composite rigging.
The sail plan is enormous. A 72 m² square-top mainsail and 49 m² jib provide 20 per cent more sail area than a Fast 40+, while a broad-shouldered 200 m² spinnaker flies from the retractable bowsprit. The boat carries yards of sail area aloft. Botin Partners describes both the sail plan and rig as huge and very tall.
TP52-style deflectors are controlled by a PCT-developed magic wheel, one of four such systems aboard. The rig also has masthead and jib halyard locks, runners, and adjustment at the forestay and mast butt. Altogether, it’s a package built for outright pace.
Performance and Power
The Melges 40 accelerates very quickly and, in the designer’s words, will reach 23 to 24 knots. Sailing World recorded a downwind polar of 17.15 knots in 20 knots of true wind. Testers also noted that boats in the class make 22–23 knots downwind and usually sail upwind with the keel fully canted to 45°.
Although the bulb weighs roughly half as much as that of a Fast 40+, it delivers 10 per cent more righting moment—a remarkable measure of the canting configuration’s efficiency.
The boat has a 20 hp diesel, and the propeller is lifted before racing. Two batteries power the canting-keel hydraulics. After three races, around 60 per cent of the battery capacity usually remains, so the boats should be capable of racing autonomously for two days.
Racing Format and Crew
This isn’t a boat for short-handed sailing. The class races with nine or ten people, subject to a maximum crew weight of 750 kg, while Sailing World states that eight to nine professional crew are required to race the boat.
A six-speed Harken MX Air pedestal at the stern is fundamental to its operation, centralizing the grinding and trimming stations for a coordinated pro crew. A simple keypad on the turn of the cockpit, beside the helmsman’s back leg, allows either the tactician or runner trimmer to operate the keel.
Verdict
The Melges 40 stands apart in the grand-prix one-design world. It’s a lightweight, all-carbon, canting-keel racer with more sail area and righting moment than its nearest rivals, engineered from offshore-racing systems and built to a strict class rule.
It’s also completely uncompromising. The boat demands a full professional crew and offers nothing to the cruiser.
Pros
- The world’s only production one-design yacht with a canting keel
- 800 kg lighter than a Fast 40+, with 20 per cent more sail area
- 10 per cent more righting moment from a bulb of roughly half the weight, using a 45° cant
- Cariboni keel system derived from IMOCA and Volvo 65 technology
- Downwind speeds of 22–24 knots
- Battery capacity for two days of autonomous racing
Cons
- Requires eight to ten professional crew, with no short-handed capability
- A pure grand-prix racer with no accommodation or cruising provision
- Deep 3.2 m draught and bulb-on-fin architecture limit berthing versatility
