Review of Maxi 84

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

The boat is equipped with 2 cabins, 5 berths, a galley, 90.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

Maxi 84 anno 1979 with spinnaker. S/Y Obsession crossing the English Channel back from France to England. We reached 10.5kts under spinnaker.

Rig of Maxi 84 anno 1979.

The boat has more than one rig.

One option is a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Another option is a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

Fin keel

The Maxi 84 is built with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated. As the surface of a fin type keel is just a fraction of the total wet surface, the difference between an iron keel and a lead keel can in reality be ignored for cruising yachts.

Maxi 84 can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.50 - 1.60 meter (4.92 - 5.22 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD7A diesel engine at 13 hp (9 kW). The speed is 7.0 knots.

The transmission is a saildrive.

The fuel tank, which is made of stainless steel, has a capacity of 30.0 liters (7 US gallons, 6 imperial gallons).

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Maxi 84 is 1.94, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.5 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Maxi 84 is about 142 kg/cm, alternatively 796 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 142 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 796 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Maxi 84 is 23.9.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Maxi 84 is 2.85.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Maxi 84 is 45%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Maxi 84 is 268 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Maxi 84 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 13.1, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 15.8.

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Maxi 84 is 42

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 24m² (258 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Maxi 84 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.