Testimonials

 

The Melges 24 is such a strict one-design fleet and it’s been around for 30 years. Why should people come into the class now? 

"Since its inception, the Melges 24 has been such a fun boat to sail in regards to its performance. It goes well upwind, and downwind it’s a hoot. The last day at Key West Race Week, we had big wind and huge waves, and we were just ripping around, ploughing through waves and planning.

If you are looking for a class where you get to sail not only against other Corinthian teams, but also against fully professional teams, people like Jimmy Spithill, Vince Brun, Morgan Larson, Terry Hutchinson—you want to get on the same starting line as Terry Hutchinson? Get yourself a Melges 24 and you can go against the world’s best. That’s a very cool thing. You can go out with your friends, do well, beat guys like Terry Hutchinson, or myself, be proud of it, and brag about it at the bar."

- Chris Rast, Melges 24 World Champion 2015 and European Champion 2016 -

 

“It’s one of the nicest boats I’ve ever sailed. It’s a terrific class, with really nice people, and it’s really competitive.”

- Peter Duncan, 2022 Melges 24 World Champion and 2017 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year 

 

"The Melges 24 class stands out as the most technical and enjoyable among the 20-30 feet one-design keelboat classes, boasting a significant high-performance element. It provides a platform for continuous learning and improvement, a prospect we embrace wholeheartedly." 

- Akos Csolto, Chinook HUN850, Overall and Corinthian winner of the 2023 Melges 24 European Sailing Series

 

“I was aware of a new, fast boat being developed by Melges and the Reichel/Pugh office in San Diego, and remember when I first saw the Melges 24 sailing in our backyard. I loved the simplicity of the layout and how easy it was to sail. My experience up to then was other one-design boats with a regular spinnaker pole, which awkwardly had to be moved from side to side for gybes. The Melges had a super light carbon mast that could be easily stepped, retractable keel for trailering and ramp launching. It came standard with everything we always dreamed of on a boat. There is still no other sportboat on the market that offers the thrill and fun that one will have on the Melges 24.”

- Vince Brun, first ever Melges 24 World Champion, the winner of nine world titles in five different one-design classes (Soling, Star, J/24, Melges 24 and Etchells) -

 

“Everyone always thought it was too technical or whatever, but that’s not true. We’re putting people from other classes in our boat and they fall in love with it immediately. It’s a fun boat, technical and quite frankly anything else is boring. I’m not sure if it’s unique to the Melges 24 class, but the top competitors are so helpful. We’re much higher on the learning curve now. We’re getting our butts kicked, but we’re having fun.”

- Tim Bowman,  Rhumb Runner USA786, Corinthian -

 

"Melges 24: Still the Gold Standard. Simply put, the Melges 24 is still the best sport-boat ever built. It was ahead of its time when introduced in the early 1990’s and it’s still the gold standard today. Challengers come and go, but we all tend to circle back to the Melges 24. It’s fast, lively, feels great to drive, can handle the full range from calm and flat to big breeze and waves — all the things you look for in a class."

- Dave Hughes, 2016 Melges 24 World Champion, Conor Clarke's team Embarr with Stuart McNay at the helm -

 

"The Melges 24 sails very well in all conditions; including light air. The thrills only increase when the breeze comes on and the boat is in its happy place: planing conditions. The level of competition is what I love most - whether on the lake or at any of the incredible regatta venues we've traveled to over the years, the competition is very high."

- KC Shannon, Shaka USA801, Corinthian - 

 

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