A maxi yacht usually refers to a racing yacht of at least in length.

Origin

The term ''maxi'' originated with the

International Offshore Rule The International Offshore Rule (IOR) was a measurement rule for racing sailboats. The IOR evolved from the Cruising Club of America (CCA) rule for racer/cruisers and the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) rule. Rule context - past and present rating ...

(IOR) rating system, which in the 1970s and 1980s measured offshore racing yachts and applied a single-number rating to each boat. This number was approximately equal to the sailing waterline length in feet, plus or minus speed enhancing or reducing factors in the design. A yacht with a rating of was generally about in length overall. The IOR had upper and lower rating limits of and , so a yacht designed and built to exceed the maximum limit of rating was known as a ''maxi''.

Competition

The IOR Maxis were generally long overall, and raced boat-for-boat without handicap, unlike the rest of the IOR fleet which raced with a time correction factor depending on the boat's rating. In the 1980s they were the most glamorous, exciting, expensive and high-visibility racing yachts in the world, with regular appearances at most of the great races such as the Fastnet,

Sydney-Hobart The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately . The race is run in ...

Bermuda Race The Newport Bermuda Race, commonly known as the ''Bermuda Race'', is a biennial, 635 nautical miles (1175 km) sailing yacht race from Newport, Rhode Island to the British island of Bermuda. According to its website, the Race is the oldest r ...

, and their own private series of regattas in the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas. The maxis were also prominent as

line honour Line honours is the term given to the first boat to cross the finish line of a yacht race. This is in comparison to the handicap honours or corrected time winner, which is theoretically equally accessible to all boats as slower boats have a lower h ...

contestants in the

Whitbread Round the World Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Rac ...

from 1973 to 1993.

Modern maxis

Modern maxi yachts are usually custom-designed and built to the IRC rule but regardless of handicap in order to achieve

victories. In 2001 however two

Reichel/Pugh Reichel/Pugh is a yacht design company based in San Diego, California, United States. It is led by John Reichel and Jim Pugh. Since the late 1990s, Reichel/Pugh-designed yachts have successfully competed in many major races, including the Ame ...

boats were built to the "maxZ86"

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

in order to match boat speed evenly, but the class did not generate further interest. For the 2009 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) was established in 1944 in Darling Point, inner-east Sydney. The club is known as one of Australia's premier yacht clubs, and is acknowledged as one of the leaders in ocean racing in the country. The ...

increased the IRC rating upper limit for length of hull from , and most yachts have been lengthened to this size. In order to achieve higher speeds, maxi yachts were early adopters of modern materials and technologies such as carbon fibre,

thermoformed Thermoforming is a manufacturing process where a plastic sheet is heated to a pliable forming temperature, formed to a specific shape in a mold, and trimmed to create a usable product. The sheet, or "film" when referring to thinner gauges and cert ...

sails, rotating wingmasts, water ballasts and

canting keel A canting keel is a form of sailing ballast, suspended from a rigid canting strut beneath the boat, which can be swung to windward of a boat under sail, in order to counteract the heeling force of the sail. The canting keel must be able to pivot ...

s. Previous smaller maxi yachts are still raced with corrected time class victories in mind whilst the "mini-maxi" yachts now have a class of their own. Maxi yachts are raced in both inshore and offshore races.

List of largest maxi yachts

• LH designates the length of hull as measured by IRC, excluding bowsprits

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxi Yacht Sailboat types

Origin

Competition

Modern maxis

List of largest maxi yachts

See also

References