The Young 88 Sailboat

Designed and built by Jim Young Marine Ltd in New Zealand, the Young 88 is a cruiser/racer yacht as well as a family boat.

The Young 88 Cruiser/Racer is a multipurpose sailboat with speed and agility for racing, and space and comfort for cruising

There is an active Young 88 class racing series and it has recently been announced that a two-handed mixed offshore keelboat event has been added to the programme for the 2024 Paris Olympics - it's something the Young 88 class association have embraced.

Published Specification for the Young 88

Underwater Configuration: Fin keel with spade rudder

Hull Material: GRP (fibreglass)

Length Overall: 29' 4" / 8.94m

Waterline Length: 26' 4" / 8.02m

Beam: 0' 10" / 3.30m

Draft: 5' 9" / 1.75m

Rig Type: Fractional Sloop

Displacement: 5,843lb / 2,650kg

Designer: Jim Young

Builder: Jim Young Marine Ltd (NZ)

Year First Built: 1981

Year Last Built: ?

Number Built: 158

Owners Association: ?

Published Design Ratios for the Young 88

Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 19.0

Less than 16 would be considered under-powered;
16 to 20 would indicate reasonably good performance;
Over 20 suggests relatively high performance.

Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 38.0

Under 40: less stiff, less powerful
Over 40: stiffer, more powerful

Displacement/Length Ratio: 143

Under 100: Ultralight
100 to 200: Light
200 to 275: Moderate
275 to 350: Heavy
Over 350: Ultraheavy

Comfort Ratio: 13.9

Under 20 indicates a lightweight racing boat
20 to 30 indicates a coastal cruiser
30 to 40 indicates a moderate offshore cruising boat
40 to 50 indicates a heavy offshore boat
Over 50 indicates an extremely heavy offshore boat

Capsize Screening Formula: 2.4

Under 2.0 (the lower the better): Better suited for ocean passages
Over 2.0: Less suited for ocean passages

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Summary Analysis of Published Design Ratios for the Young 88

She's a reasonably good performer under sail;
She's less stiff than some of the other vessels in her class;
She's in the light displacement category;
Crew comfort in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with that of a lightweight racing boat;
She's better suited for inshore passages than ocean passages;