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One-Design Class Type: Dinghy
Was this boat built to be sailed by youth or adults? Both
Approximately how many class members do you have? 60
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About Megabyte
Specifications: Length: 14′ 3″ (4.34 m) Beam: 5′ 2″ (1.57 m) Mainsail area: 100 sq.ft. (9.29 m²) Hull weight: 130 lb. (59 kg) Sails & Rigging: Fully battened Mylar sail (MK II rig) or the original and more conventional MK I rig which has the stiffer mast and partially battened sail. Carbon fiber 2-piece mast – flexible for controlling the power in the sail. Vang, Outhaul and Cunningham control lines are well led to the cockpit sides.
Boats Produced: Approximately 385
Class boat builder(s):
Zim Sailing 33 Broadcommon Road Unit 1 Bristol RI, 02809 Call us: (401) 237-6117
Approximately how many boats are in the USA/North America? 360
Where is your One-Design class typically sailed in the USA? List regions of the country:
New England Mid Atlantic Mid West Northwest Coast
Does this class have a spinnaker or gennaker? No
How many people sail as a crew including the helm? 1
Ideal combined weight of range of crew: 130 lbs. to 220
Portsmouth Yardstick Rating: 90.80
Boat Designed in The Megabyte was designed by Bruce Farr and Ian Bruce in 2000
Length (feet/inches): Length: 14′ 3″ (4.34 m)
Beam: Beam: 5′ 2″ (1.57 m)
Weight of rigged boat without sails: Hull weight: 130 lb. (59 kg)
Draft: raft: 2′-6″
Mast Height: 23′
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- Sailboat Guide
Megabyte is a 14 ′ 2 ″ / 4.3 m monohull sailboat designed by Bruce Farr and built by Performance Sailcraft and Zim Sailing starting in 2005.
Rig and Sails
Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.
The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.
Classic hull speed formula:
Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL
Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL
Sail Area / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.
SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3
- SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
- D : Displacement in pounds.
Ballast / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.
Ballast / Displacement * 100
Displacement / Length Ratio
A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.
D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
Comfort Ratio
This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.
Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
- LOA: Length overall in feet
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
Capsize Screening Formula
This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.
CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)
Now available through Zim Sailing. Newport, RI (USA)
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Sail1Design
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April 16, 2014 by Sail1Design Editor 1 Comment
The Megabtye is a fast, yet stable boat that can be sailed with two crew or raced singlehanded. The boat was designed to carry some “serious weight” with a proper cockpit laid out for two people, but with the simplicity of a single sail. The Megabyte’s lightweight, tapered, carbon fiber mast and battened Mylar sail provide plenty of power when needed, and are easy to depower with well led controls. Sailors well over 200 lbs can singlehand the Megabyte competitively and comfortably thanks to its powerful sail plan, deep cockpit, and high boom. The two piece carbon fiber mast and 130 lb hull make Megabytes easy to car top and transport. The Megabyte was designed by Farr Yacht Design and selected as Boat of the Year by Sailing World in 2000.
Reader Interactions
August 31, 2022 at 16:43
I have a Megabyte purchase din 2001, in goo shape. Any suggestions about listing this boat for sale?
Ted Chapman
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J-Boat quality and performance come through in this 33-foot daysailer
Following the race, the bulk of the fleet streamed along the garish edge of Key West headed for their slips while crews coiled lines and savored their final few moments on the aquamarine waters off Southern Florida. It was at this point, in the early hours of Friday afternoon, that I met Kai Bjorn on a dirty, sandy public beach in the heart of Old Town Key West.
Kai is a former big-time football player, a Starboat sailor who represented Canada in the 2000 Sydney Olympic regatta, and a representative for Performance Sailcraft-builders of the 29er, Byte and Megabyte sailboats. He had rigged a "sea-foam green" Megabyte, and the boat was waiting in the shallow waters just off the beach. I had been told that the Megabyte is a large singlehanded dinghy aimed squarely at the 225-pound sailor who has outgrown the Laser. Unfortunately, I check in about 55 pounds short of that mark. And this was only the beginning of my worry list.
"It's real puffy out there," Kai said by way of introduction. "Somewhere between 2 and 18 knots." He eyed my pale frame with a friendly bit of what seemed like concern. Photographer Walter Cooper was lurking offshore in his center-console powerboat-circling and waiting like a salvage wrecker straight from a Key West history book. Did I mention that I am, at best, an average Laser sailor? I've won a Tuesday night beer can race or two. But my modest goal in weekend regattas has always been to finish in the top half of the fleet. And I reach that goal about half the time.
I could just feel a disaster coming on: the eyes of the record-size Key West fleet upon me as the boats streamed through the testing area; the gusty southwesterly; the thought of getting pushed around by a bulky sea-foam green boat; an Olympic sailor on the beach telling me to play it conservatively; and, of course, a photographer to record my antics for all posterity.
But as luck would have it the chaos and destruction never arrived.
In fact, the contrast between the anticipated disaster and what actually happened couldn't have been more different. Ah, the Megabyte-I handled it, managed it, blasted around on it, even jibed in it-and brought it home in one piece.
Okay, when I got back to the beach, Kai grabbed at least three different control lines and pulled good lengths out of each saying, "You needed this much tighter. You needed this much tighter. You needed this much tighter."
But sail trim be damned, I could not stop smiling. I was in control of the boat and not the other way around.
The Megabyte is what happens when designer Bruce Farr and small-boat impresario Ian Bruce team up with the goal of updating both the Laser and the Finn. And it's what happens when big and talented sailors such as Kai are looking over their shoulders.
A good friend of mine sails a Finn at the top level of the class and upon hearing of my Megabyte adventure said matter-of-factly, "The Megabyte is for big guys who don't want to hike anymore. They call it 'The Gentleman's Finn.'"
The Megabyte hull weighs as much as a Laser, but is about 5 inches longer and carries 20 additional square feet of mainsail. The Megabyte's beam is a generous 5-foot, 2-inches-a full 8 inches wider than the Laser. It was this beam, and the accompanying added stability, that smoothed out my ride-and my jibes-in the big puffs off Key West.
There are other improvements beyond sheer size. The bigger hull allows for a real cockpit, which is more than a foot deep in most areas. The mast is carbon, and the sail is Mylar. The traveler is mounted in the middle of the boat, which allows for a greater throw arc. Together the combination allows for a much better looking and more tweakable sail than one typically finds on a Laser.
Upwind, I was working hard, feathering and dumping the southwesterly from my sail in the big puffs. I'm certain that if I had not been in my "deer in the headlights" posture, I would have taken a moment to "bone" the outhaul, cunningham and vang to smooth out the ride.
Off the wind, I felt surprisingly in control, even when planing on a broad reach. The heavy-air jibes were far less traumatic than aboard a Laser. I will admit that, while tempted, I did not try any extended by-the-lee runs or jibes.
Although I sailed singlehanded, the Megabyte appears well suited for two adults or even an adult and a kid or two. There is an extra set of hiking straps forward as well as plenty of cockpit room. The hull certainly carries enough stability and volume to support two adults without the ice rink feel often provided by a Laser in a similar configuration.
After a healthy session blasting around the harbor, I logged some additional upwind time and headed back for the beach and the big boats. On the way back to shore I realized that I had not capsized. Weathered sports adages pushed through my mind. "You're not skiing hard enough if you don't fall at least once a day. You're not playing defense hard enough if you don't pick up a couple of fouls."
I hadn't capsized.
It crossed my mind for a moment: maybe I needed to go back out, ease the mainsheet out to the knot and try a little by-the-lee dead downwind planning a la Mendelblatt, Torgerson, Myrdal and Hardesty.
Maybe not I'm over 30 now, and the gym seems more and more distant from my home and office. Teeth-shaking capsizes with the boat coming off a plane 15 yards down the track from where you lost control are no longer highlights of the small boat experience. If I can go out on a big, fast dinghy, blast around the harbor and NOT go swimming-well maybe that's not such a bad thing.
The horsepower necessary for full-bore adventure was there. I just chose not to tap into it.
This latent potential is my favorite thing about the Megabyte. But my Finn sailor friend likes the Megabyte for different reasons. And other Megabyte aspects attract a family up the river who load father, daughter, and snacks aboard their Megabyte on warm summer evenings. It is a versatile, fast and simple boat. It is everything the Laser is, and more.
I do find it ironic that a boat spec'd and designed specifically for a narrow segment of the dinghy market delivers much more than its intent. The Megabyte is appealing to a much broader market than first impressions belie.
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COMMENTS
Megabyte. The Megabtye is a fast, yet stable boat that can be sailed with two crew or raced singlehanded. The boat was designed to carry some "serious weight" with a proper cockpit laid out for two people, but with the simplicity of a single sail. The Megabyte's lightweight, tapered, carbon fiber mast and fully battened Mylar sail provide ...
The Megabtye is a fast, yet stable boat that can be sailed with two crew or raced singlehanded. The boat was designed to carry some "serious weight" with a proper cockpit laid out for two people, but with the simplicity of a single sail. The Megabyte's lightweight, tapered, carbon fiber mast and laminated polyester sail provide plenty of power when needed, and are easy to depower with ...
Fully battened Mylar sail (MK II rig) or the original and more conventional MK I rig which has the stiffer mast and partially battened sail. ... Boat Designed in The Megabyte was designed by Bruce Farr and Ian Bruce in 2000. Length (feet/inches): Length: 14′ 3″ (4.34 m)
It takes into consideration "reported" sail area, displacement and length at waterline. The higher the number the faster speed prediction for the boat. A cat with a number 0.6 is likely to sail 6kts in 10kts wind, a cat with a number of 0.7 is likely to sail at 7kts in 10kts wind. KSP = (Lwl*SA÷D)^0.5*0.5
Megabyte is a 14′ 2″ / 4.3 m monohull sailboat designed by Bruce Farr and built by Performance Sailcraft and Zim Sailing starting in 2005. ... Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay). D: ...
Megabyte Tuning Guide. Getting the Most from Your Megabyte Mark I Rig. By Leszek Vincent and Jim Crabtree. First, you need to sail the boat flat, as flat is fast. Also, do not try to over-trim the boat to windward, as the boat will slow down quickly if you over-trim or pinch. If there is a chop, you must fall off a few degrees and go for speed.
The Megabtye is a fast, yet stable boat that can be sailed with two crew or raced singlehanded. The boat was designed to carry some "serious weight" with a proper cockpit laid out for two people, but with the simplicity of a single sail. The Megabyte's lightweight, tapered, carbon fiber mast and battened Mylar sail provide plenty of power ...
The Megabyte, unlike its smaller siblings, will comfortably hold two people up to a combined weight of about 400 pounds. In Bjorn's mind that means mothers can teach their sons how to sail in a boat that is still manageable. Seating in the cockpit accommodates two with ease, either on the chamfered side decks or right down inside the boat.
The result is a big singlehanded dinghy with a 14-foot, 3-inch LOA and 5 foot, 2 inches of beam. These proportions give the MegaByte stability and, more importantly, the sail-carrying power to allow it to be muscled up in the sail-area department. The displacement of the MegaByte also means you can have friends with you on this dinghy.
1 of 1. If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of MEGABYTE. Built by Performance Sailcraft and designed by Bruce Farr, the boat was first built in 2005. It has a hull type of Dbrd. Dinghy and LOA is 4.34. Its sail area/displacement ratio 62.38.
3.5'. Maryland. $4,200. Description: Megabyte for Sale in Annapolis. 2000 Megabyte Dinghy in immaculate, like new condition. Super stiff hull from quality Canadian builder PS2000, barely used! Great singlehanded racing design, 2000 Sailing World Boat of the Year. Stable, very fast planing hull, this boat is by all accounts a joy to sail!
107 sq. ft. The Megabyte is built in Canada. Contact Performance Sailcraft in Quebec for purchasing information in North America. Distribution in the UK is through The Dinghy Store: www.dinghystore.co.uk. Performance Sailcraft 2000. 2555 Dollard, Unit 14B. Lasalle, Quebec, H8N 2A9, Canada. Phone: (514) 363-5050. Fax: (514) 363-1552.
The Megabyte is an awesome boat and while it has a good bit of power, it's not really a beast. One thing to do is to practice capsizing in calm conditions. I don't know what went wrong but I'd be willing to bet that things got out of hand and you did not have a solid routine to fall back on. 18 knots is a lot of wind for a beginner in a boat ...
Megabyte preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Megabyte used sailboats for sale by owner.
The Megabyte hull weighs as much as a Laser, but is about 5 inches longer and carries 20 additional square feet of mainsail. The Megabyte's beam is a generous 5-foot, 2-inches-a full 8 inches wider than the Laser. It was this beam, and the accompanying added stability, that smoothed out my ride-and my jibes-in the big puffs off Key West.
The 2001 Mega Byte Mega Byte sailboat has a fiberglass hull and has an overall length of 14.25 feet (sometimes referred to as LOA). The width (or beam) of this craft is 52 inches. The sail area for the sailboat is 100 square feet. The displacement for the boat is approximately 130 lbs. The draft of this sailboat is approximately 0'0".
New York. $3,000. Description: 2002 Megabyte PS2000. 130 lb hull designed for heavier sailors (Optimum Single handed weight - 225lbs) 100 sq ft sail area. Extremely fast boat. Launching Dolly included. Now being made by Zim Sailing - Cost new $10,000.
Sailing Megabyte Dinghy on Lac St Louis, Quebec
A Byte seems to be a nice boat, especially suited for lighter sailors. But it is not very popular in the USA or Europe (as pointed out in the earlier post). Marketing/presence is stronger in Canada, where the boat is built, and in the Orient (lighter weight sailors on the avg). Check the Byte website to find out more. Aug 14, 2005.
36' Islander Islander 36 Crescent Sail Yacht Club Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan Asking $12,000
MKII Upper mast section for the Megabyte Sailboat. Comes with track installed. Carbon fiber construction. Megabyte Carpet, Thin, Grey. $6.30. Used to replace carpet on rudderheads and centerbords for a variety of boats. Sale 53% Megabyte Sail Cuff. Macdiarmid Sails $7.35. $3.45. Sail Cuff Sale 56% ...
In which we learn the value of wetsuits for dinghy sailing in Northern Michigan in September.