Nelson Marek 40
Description
The Nelson Marek 40 (often referred to as Nelson/Marek 40 or similar custom variants like NM Design 111) is a high-performance racing-oriented sailboat designed by the San Diego-based firm Nelson/Marek Yacht Design (Bruce Nelson and Rodger Marek), known for America's Cup and custom race boats. These were typically one-off or very limited custom builds (e.g., Kevlar/composite hulls from builders like Scorpio Yachts in Canada around 1992, Westease in Michigan for a 1999 carbon/Kevlar example, or Cookson for others), with no large production series—likely fewer than 10–20 hulls total across variants based on rarity in listings, forums, and historical mentions. Construction emphasized lightweight yet strong materials (Kevlar, carbon fiber, advanced composites) for speed, with a fin keel (often with bulb), spade rudder, masthead sloop rig, and accommodations for racing crew (up to 10 in some setups) plus basic cruising features like galley, heads, and berths—prized for competitive IRC/ORC racing, good breeze handling (moderate displacement, sometimes described as "short" rig for power in wind), and thrilling performance.
Construction Details
| Designer | Nelson/Marek |
|---|---|
| Builder | Scorpio Yachts (Canada) |
| Length | 40.000 ft |
| LOA | 40.000 ft |
| LWL | 37.000 ft |
| Beam | 13.580 ft |
| Displacement | 18500 lb |
| Max Draft | 8.000 ft |
| Year Built | 1992 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 55.20 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 16 ft |
| p | 48 ft |
| e | 15 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55.20 ft | 16 ft | 48 ft | 15 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Nelson Marek 40 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 48 ft - (14630 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Leech | * 49.52 ft - (15094 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 49.79 ft - (15176 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 370.23 ft² |
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Nelson Marek 40 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 45.98 ft - (14015 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.87 ft - (6361 mm) |
| Leech | * 40.55 ft - (12360 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 18.4 ft - (5608 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.98 ° |
| Area | * 423.05 ft² |
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Nelson Marek 40 - GENOA
| Luff | 53 ft - (16154 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 26.5 ft - (8077 mm) |
| Leech | 50 ft - (15240 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 154.5 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 24.72 ft - (7535 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.94 ° |
| Area | * 655.16 ft² |
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Nelson Marek 40 - GENOA
| Luff | * 54.6 ft - (16642 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 25.57 ft - (7794 mm) |
| Leech | * 51.69 ft - (15755 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 24 ft - (7315 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.01 ° |
| Area | * 655.22 ft² |
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Nelson Marek 40 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 56 ft - (17069 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
| Leech | 53 ft - (16154 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1134 ft² |
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Nelson Marek 40 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 54.6 ft - (16642 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 28.8 ft - (8778 mm) |
| Foot | * 28.8 ft - (8778 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 1337 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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