Will Melges 19 strike gold too?

The doublehanded Melges 15 was designed by Reichel/Pugh and launched in May 2020, with now over 1,000 boats worldwide. Hoping to continue their success, Melges Performance Sailboats has again recruited R/P, stretched the design by four feet, and has unveiled the Melges 19, their new three-person one-design.

Eerily similar to its younger sibling, it is more much more dinghy than the Melges 20 keelboat launched in 2007 and enters a lane now filled by the VX One (19-feet) and Viper 640 (21-feet) Class boats. However, Melges thinks they have found a niche.

“The Melges 19 fills an important gap in the market,” said Harry Melges III. “It’s built for sailors who love speed, simplicity, and sailing with their family and friends. The boat is designed to allow for a variety of three-person crew combinations to sail and be competitive.” Melges anticipates a target crew weight of 485–535 pounds.

The Melges 19 is priced at $34,500 which includes sails – dacron main, mylar jib, and asymmetrical spinnaker – and rigging.