MX Ray Sailboat

A number of dinghy sailors have inquired about it but probably not many were buying it, so the MX-Ray sailboat is no more manufactured. It is a truly swift and amazing sailboat that has a top speed of about 20 knots and can easily plane in winds as low as 6 knots.

How is the MX-Ray sailboat so fast? The concept behind it is the same as the one for the Moth sailboats that are used in international races for years now. Similar to the Moth, the MX-Ray sailboats have a very narrow hull with a small wetted area which widens above the waterline. This allows the crew to sit and counterbalance the sail force.

Where the Moth was wooden with a mounted trampoline on the hull; the MX-Ray sailboat is made of plastic so the space for the sailor is molded. This is how the name ‘ray’ got added to MX-Ray sailboat. If you get an aerial view, the MX-Ray sailboat resembles a stingray. Even though it is a single hander, the MX-Ray sailboat has a lot of sail. There is a bowsprit just like any modern high speed allowing it to carry a large foresail despite the short hull.

The MX-Ray sailboat has a mainsail with a deep roach, a genoa, jib, spinnaker and a stowing tube. With so much sail, no doubt the sailboat is so fast it even leaves the Lasers far behind! Advanced materials like carbon fiber for the mast, daggerboard and bowsprit are used on the MX-Ray sailboat. This works great on a new sailboat but now that they are not manufactured anymore, getting a replacement could be a problem. The carbon fiber parts on the sailboats are expensive too.

Specifications of the sailboat are – weight: 175 lb; LOA: 12’ 11”; beam: 8’, 2’6” at the waterline and; draft: 2’8”.

If you had a small budget but wanted to get the excitement of going really fast on water, the MX-Ray sailboat had the most amazing design. It is a pity that these remarkably superb beasts are not manufactured anymore!