Review of Maxi 80 Racer
Basic specs.
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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 hull is a sandwich construction which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.
The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany. Mahogany belongs to the hardwood species, known for being water-repellent and resistant to decay. It has an attractive wood grain and holds wood polish and varnish well.
The boat is equipped with 6 berths, a galley and toilet facility.
The Maxi 80 Racer is built with 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.
Unknown keel type
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.
The boat 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.
An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case Maxi 80 Racer will typically require a power of 3 - 4 hp, alternatively 71 - 85 lbs thrust if you prefer an electrical motor. Electric outboards are becoming popular for sailboat owners who want clean instant power with less noise and no exhaust fumes.
Sailing characteristics
This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for Maxi 80 Racer is 2.38, indicating that this boat would not 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 80 Racer is about 131 kg/cm, alternatively 735 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 131 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 735 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.
Sailing statistics
This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.
What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?
The Motion Comfort Ratio for Maxi 80 Racer is 11.9.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Maxi 80 Racer is 2.88.
The ballast ratio for Maxi 80 Racer is 50%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for Maxi 80 Racer is 124 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for Maxi 80 Racer with ISO 8666 reference sail is 22.6, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 26.1.
What is Relative Speed Performance?
The Relative Speed Performance for Maxi 80 Racer is 96
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 23m2 (247 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.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Mainsail halyard | 26.3 m | (86.3 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 26.3 m | (86.3 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 26.3 m | (86.3 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 8.0 m | (26.1 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 8.0 m | (26.1 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 19.9 m | (65.2 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 17.5 m | (57.4 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Cunningham | 3.4 m | (11.2 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 6.8 m | (22.3 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 6.8 m | (22.3 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
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