Get tuned up with Melges
The Melges/Quantum Sails Zenda Team is thrilled to present an exciting lineup of clinics for Spring! Led by our renowned experts, each event will provide invaluable insights into the intricacies of Melges boats. You won’t find this level of expertise anywhere else!
Our clinics will cover everything you need to know to sail faster this season, including tuning for specific forecasted conditions, sail trim techniques, and tips for navigating larger fleets. These are truly can’t-miss opportunities for any sailor looking to take their skills to the next level.
May 12 – Melges 15 Spring Regatta
Lake Geneva Yacht Club
May 12 – Spring Tune Up
Cedar Lake Yacht Club
May 19 – E Scow Spring Regatta
Lake Geneva Yacht Club
May 19 – MC Spring Shakedown
Evening Clinic with Andy Burdick
Grand Rapids Yacht Club
May 27 – Melges 15 & Scow Clinic
Minnetonka Yacht Club
Details & Registration
June 9 – E Scow Clinic
Wawasee Yacht Club
Springtime on the water!
Three Colorado Teams Race Melges Winter Series Event 2
A Blast to Sail
Melges Owners Hope for Strong Fleet at 2021 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta at St. Petersburg
The Melges 15 Winter Series in Florida takes off!
BIG NEWS - Colorado has a fleet of 13 boats!
Join the Melges 15 Movement!
Cherry Creek - Denver Sailing Association, 2 boats so far…
Union Reservoir - Union Sailing Club, Longmont, Colorado, 2 boats so far…
Grand Lake, Colorado - We have a fleet of 9 in 2021, maybe more.
The first Melges 15 fleets are popping up across the country with boats being delivered weekly. Dirk Richter from Longmont, Colorado, Union Reservoir sent in this cover photo to Sail World
Advantages of the Melges 15
Performance and Stability
Big enough for two adults or adults with kids.
High boom so it’s friendly for casual sailing. Modern rig and hull shape so very fast too.
Ergonomic cockpit
Very sporty when you want it to be with an asymmetrical spinnaker.
Single-Pull Spinnaker SystemGnav Vang
Tapered Aluminum Mast
Aluminum Foils
Flip-up Rudder
Light and compact so much less to worry about for storage.
Simple to rig
Melges 15 fleets are starting to pop up coast to coast! The design is ideal for one-design racing as well as a teaching and club sharing platform.
The M15 is gaining in popularity in Colorado! We had a very successful demo in Grand Lake, Colorado over the summer of 2020. In the spring of 2021, there will be 9 new Melges 15’s coming to Grand Lake. Melges is hosting a 2-day clinic for all new owners and current M15 Colorado owners. Hopefully, by then we will have less of an issue with COVID. Learn more about the Melges 15 >>
If you’re interested in knowing more about Melges events in Colorado contact Richard Allen / richard@180marine.com
Authorized Rocky Mountain Melges Dealer for Melges 14, 15, 20, and 24
Richard Allen / CEO 180 Marine
ABOUT MELGES PERFORMANCE SAILBOATS:
Melges is a leading performance sailboat and powerboat supplier that has proudly delivered high-quality boats around the world since 1945. Headquartered in Zenda, Wisconsin, the three-generation family business is proud to be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020. Innovation, performance, quality, and passion are the hallmarks of the Melges brand. For more information about Melges, visit www.melges.com.
MELGES 15 Product Overview
Features
Ergonomic Cockpit – The Melges 15 features an ergonomic platform and a broader weight range for competitive racing. Melges conducted extensive research and product testing to produce this layout factoring in cockpit depth, backbone height, and floor plan. The result is a comfortable environment for both the skipper and crew. The deeper cockpit takes the load off the sailor’s knees and helps them feel more locked into the boat. Creating a boat that adults can feel comfortable while sailing was a key design factor in the hull and cockpit design of the Melges 15.
Performance & Stability – With the main design goals focused on stability and performance in a variety of conditions, the Melges 15 features a narrow overall beam and a flat cross-section shape for stability, righting moment, and ease of planing. For a more forgiving feel upwind and to navigate larger sea states, the Melges 15 has just the right amount of fore and aft rocker.
Single-Pull Spinnaker System – The asymmetric spinnaker offers an additional performance element while the single-pull launch and retrieval system makes handling the sail easy and fast. One line pulls the halyard up, bowsprit out, and tack line out. To take the kite down, simply release the pull-up line and pull the douser line to take the kite back down again. The kite douses into a bag located in the front of the cockpit.
Cockpit Layout – Every aspect of the deck hardware has been designed for simplicity and ease of use. With blocks and cleats situated in easy-to-grab locations making it easier on the skipper and crew to maneuver the boat.
Gnav Vang – The Gnav vang system gives the crew substantially more space to maneuver in the cockpit.
Tapered Aluminum Mast – The Melges 15 mast features a tapered mast tip allowing for maximum depowering when the breeze is up. The stiffer bottom of the mast combined with the softer mast tip allows the M15 to be sailed competitively by a wider range of weights in both light and heavy air.
Aluminum Foils – Aluminum foils maximize performance and durability in one package. Consistent foil shape helps ensure fair racing across the class while being extremely durable.
Flip-up Rudder – Never has been getting your rudder up been so easy. No need to get wet, no lines to pull, just pop the tiller up and pull it forward, this action pulls the rudder into its flipped up position.
Club Sailing or Racing – Transitioning from a non-spinnaker to a spinnaker platform is quick and easy. Set the bowsprit and spin back in the boat and you are ready to go. This is a great feature for clubs who want to teach during the day and race at night.
Closed Transom – Comfort and safety were at the forefront of this design. Closing the transom of the Melges 15 has eliminated the need for a false floor, allowing for a deeper more comfortable cockpit. Any water that enters the easily drains out of the scupper holes in the transom and the bailors in the cockpit.
How to Rig the Spinnaker on a Melges 15
If you’re interested in knowing more about Melges events in Colorado contact Richard Allen / richard@180marine.com
Authorized Rocky Mountain Melges Dealer for Melges 14, 15, 20, and 24
Richard Allen / CEO 180 Marine
ABOUT MELGES PERFORMANCE SAILBOATS:
Melges is a leading performance sailboat and powerboat supplier that has proudly delivered high quality boats around the world since 1945. Headquartered in Zenda, Wisconsin, the three-generation family business is proud to be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020. Innovation, performance, quality, and passion are the hallmarks of the Melges brand. For more information about Melges, visit www.melges.com.
MELGES 15: A new boat in town
Thought Process…By Mark Werder
In a haze of infinite working from home boredom and a deep longing to be back on a racecourse, many hours were wasted pouring over the internet watching videos, searching for tips and techniques, dreaming of what might be the next boat. It was in this mode that the next addition to our home fleet would be added.
I, like many of you reading this, already have a great little fleet of boats at home. Our fleet may even be excessive, but you really need to cover all the bases when you live in the middle of California. All our boats are meticulously maintained in excellent working order, yet every week I find myself cruising Craigslist for the next chunk of fiberglass. Something faster, some new element of sailing not previously explored, some great bargain. Craigslist because the thought of buying something brand new always seems out of reach. Sure, you see the announcements – some new, shiny boat will save sailing in the USA and, by the way, it only costs $25,000. Nope… Back to craigslist.
So, there I sat back in May, working from home, clicking away for work and to get some taste of sailing with limited access to water and no racing to be seen. Then I see a Facebook post from Melges, “Big announcement. Coming soon.” And, to my surprise, instead of a new 37-foot sled or a hot new version of the 24, there on the webpage was a concept for a two-person, 15-foot dinghy. A dinghy big enough to race with my wife, Stacy. It was all there – fiberglass hull with a dreadnought bow, hard chines leading to a flat planing bottom, fractional rig flying an asymmetrical spinnaker, single line for launching and retrieving the kite, gnav for more space in the cockpit, high boom, deep cockpit for those burning knees, aluminum boards and a springy tapered mast. It was love at first sight.
As thoughts of buying one in ten years after someone with more money used it and tossed it to Craigslist at a bargain rate, I clicked on. I watched the videos, read the material, and finally clicked request a quote. Wait. That price can’t be right. And it comes ready to sail? Sails, lines, boards, throw in a trailer, and this can be ours. I must know more!
I ended up on a call with the very same sailor in all the Melges 15 videos, Eddie Cox. He told me about the prototyping process, the decisions made along the way, the capacities, the materials, and most importantly how they sail. Just keep checking those boxes. Armed now with my own set of marketing materials, it was time for the most important conversation – the one with Stacy.
The conversation was short and right to the point. This is the right boat for us, at the right time, for the right price. Stacy is an excellent keelboat racer, teaches new foredecks on the Santana 20, and has grown in her confidence on the helm and as a skipper. She’s dipped her toes in dinghies, but most were overpowered, difficult to right, and too intimidating. The desire was there, but not the right boat until the Melges 15 came along. A dinghy we could sail together, learn in, and grow a new fleet from the ground up. Something lightweight we can take on the road to all the wonderful lake series races from Fresno to Eugene. This is a boat we can race, a boat to teach others in, a boat for our daughter to grow into. The answer was a confident, “Yes, let’s make this happen.”
So, in the midst of a pandemic with so much uncertainty swirling around, a brand-new boat was ordered. Ordering was simple, pick a spinnaker color, give a credit card number for the deposit and congratulations, you are #17 on our build schedule with possible delivery in late July. Now, we wait.
In the time that passed, I felt like I was becoming a Melges stalker, craving any word on the build process, watching every video… By the way, where is Zenda? After driving by the Melges plant a dozen times on Google street view, the message came: “On track for delivery July 29.” We watched the updates as our boat was loaded on the top of a trailer with 3 other M15s, all heading West. Text messages along the way, updates on timing, introductions to the other M15 buyers. We would all meet Eddie and take delivery in Tahoe Keys Marina.
As the boats were unpacked, it was all a bit surreal. Taking shrink wrap off all brand-new sailboat parts. Building the mast sections, finishing the trailer, sorting out which boat gets which sails. We carefully packed our new gear and worked our way down the hill from Tahoe avoiding every pothole, going the speed limit, even stopping to check the straps.
Safely back in Folsom, our neighbors watched the show as we rigged for the first time. Everything was familiar but different, sail controls like the Vareo, rigging and stepping the mast like the Santana 20. The years of experience paid dividends as we figured out all the little details. Rigging the boat took 4 hours the first time and less than 30 minutes by the third attempt.
Then came the first sail. In fine Folsom drifter fashion, our first race saw a max of 8 knots. The buzz at the ramp was exciting. Who doesn’t want to check out the shiny new toy?
On the water in light conditions, the M15 did exactly what we expected – sailed beautifully upwind and downwind but struggled to run deep angles and was far more fun to reach with. The tradeoff of an asymmetrical on a flat bottom boat is no planing means no apparent wind to shift the angle forward. Later that night, we got just a taste of what was to come as a small gust sent us planing on the sail back to the marina. Like a drug, you get hooked.
Our second sail was on a Beer Can Wednesday with a solid delta breeze forecasted. The forecast and the M15 did not disappoint. Short, steep chop and 13 knots of breeze sent the M15 into FUN mode. Upwind punching thru waves, water shooting up, over and everywhere, crew testing the hiking straps and our out of shape abs. While physical, it never felt like it needed to be. Had we not been racing, we could have simply sat on the rail, depowered the sails, and cruised comfortably. Then we turned downwind, and it was like falling in love all over again.
Stacy executed the spinnaker launch flawlessly, I eased the main, and we shifted our weight back. Our reward for good sail trim was a boat now skipping over waves with double-digit speed and the grace of a dolphin. As we looked back while rounding the leeward pin, the large gap between us and the rest of the fleet was something to see. Nothing but smiles as we punched our way back to the finish line.
The Melges 15 has created a true bright spot amongst all the bad news and challenges we are all facing this year. In my opinion, the builder has truly hit a sweet spot with a fun, planing, approachable, comfortable, and fast two-person boat that people can afford. Stacy and I can’t wait to see what adventures await us. We look forward to growing the fleet, meeting new people, and seeing just how fast this little 15-footer can go.
If you’re interested in knowing more about the Melges 15 we’d love to hear from you. Colorado contact Richard Allen / richard@180marine.com
Richard Allen / CEO 180 Marine
ABOUT MELGES PERFORMANCE SAILBOATS:
Melges is a leading performance sailboat and powerboat supplier that has proudly delivered high-quality boats around the world since 1945. Headquartered in Zenda, Wisconsin, the three-generation family business is proud to be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020. Innovation, performance, quality and passion are the hallmarks of the Melges brand. For more information about Melges, visit www.melges.com.