THE MELGES 15 & YOUR CLUB

Picking a boat for your yacht club can be overwhelming. With so many options available, it’s hard to decide what is the best fit for your club. Decades of experience have shown that making sailing easy and accessible to the masses on an exciting and intriguing platform is a recipe for success. The Melges 15 is a boat that serves as your club’s primary teaching platform and a fun, exciting platform for adults and junior sailors to sail and race.

Offering an exciting, easy-to-use platform at your club will attract new members, add value for existing members, and spur new club activity.

The Melges 15 bridges the gap between youth programs and adult club sailing. Easy conversion from the club configuration (non-spinnaker) to a one-design setup (spinnaker) allows the boat to be a multi-use platform for your program. Unparalleled stability and cockpit ergonomics allow the Melges 15 to be sailed by a broad cross-section of sailors, from two adults to younger sailors.

How the Melges 15 Fits Your Club

The Melges 15 is modern fast platform which allows for all shapes and sizes, the M15 helps to keep youth sailors in the sport. Taking the leap from a youth boat to an adult class can be intimidating for many young sailors. The Melges 15 eases the transition by offering a platform to learn to sail and race as a kid or an adult. Teach beginner sailors to sail on the boat that the club offers adult and youth racing in, and you are more likely to retain those sailors down the road.

We envision it being used as a teaching boat during the day and for evening club racing. It is perfect for couples, parents with children, and teenagers. Multigenerational/family sailing is the cornerstone of the Melges 15 Class. Adopting the M15 will promote the family aspect that sailing has been missing recently.

With rapid growth with nearly 900 boats worldwide (since launch in 2020) and 24 now in Ireland, the Melges 15 takes advantage of all the advances in boat design and thus will remain relevant and appealing to your members for years to come.

TEACHING

With a focus on durability and stability, the M15 is better suited for institutional use than any other option on the market. Other small dinghies used for teaching are often tailored for youth sailing or only raced on youth circuits. The Melges 15 can be a teaching platform for both adults and kids and can be raced by both. This flexibility gives sailing programs a platform where youth sailors can easily transition into adult sailing, and beginner adults have a clear pathway to racing/future sailing opportunities.

Youth Learning

The Melges 15 is well suited to teaching beginner youth sailors to advanced junior sailors. The boat's stability and durability were critical aspects of the design. At every turn, Melges has focused on building the boats to withstand the rigors of daily club use. A more stable boat means less intimidation for new sailors when they step on or move around it.

A large open cockpit lets you put up to six small sailors in the boat and have fun learning together.

Adult Learning

The Melges 15 is designed to foster a comfortable environment through its stability and deep, ergonomic cockpit. New sailors feel like they are in the boat rather than on top of it allowing them to focus on sail trim, rudder movements, and weight placement.

By using the M15 as the primary teaching platform for adult programs and then offering weeknight club races, you can present an easy and clear path for adults to become more involved in the club and sailing

RACING

The Melges 15 offers an affordable way for clubs to increase interest in sailing! Additional membership programs and revenue streams can be generated through charter opportunities, weeknight club races, hosting regattas, and educational programs.

Club Racing

One of the biggest perks of a club fleet is the opportunity for more club racing, which increases local activity and helps drive member revenue. Dedicate a weeknight to Melges 15 racing and offer your club boats for charter or use by members. A rotation-based system that allows sailors to watch, socialize, and sail.

A first-come, first-serve system where the club boats race against private owners. Howth Yacht Club has used this program to offer an easy way for new members to get involved in racing.

An annual charter/lease program for those who want to participate in club racing but don’t own a boat. A weekly clinic/regatta for members and invites the adult sailing program students. This helps build community and incorporate new sailors with established club members. This has been highly successful at Nantucket Yacht Club.

The goals of this type of racing would be:

Encourage sailors who are learning to sail in the Melges 15s to become active in club racing. If the ultimate goal of your learn-to-sail program is to encourage young sailors to participate in the club, then giving them an easy pathway to adult racing is key.

Encourage former sailors and young adults to join the club. Easy and inexpensive access to fun, exciting boats will encourage new members to get involved. Support other racing. Club racing like this brings sailors from different local classes together.