megabyte sailboat

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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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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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The idea behind the new boat was a dinghy that could combine performance with a greater weight-carrying capacity than Performance's The Byte. We are talking serious weight here. In fact, at 225 pounds, I am at exactly the target crew weight for this design. 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.

The bigger hull (bigger than a Laser's) allows the MegaByte to have a real cockpit with an average depth of 15 inches. The sides of the cockpit well bond to the bottom of the boat, so there is no cockpit sole per se. Side decks are broad and chamfered on the edges and identical to those on the Tasar dinghy. In fact, the entire deck is identical to that of the Tasar. This is a comfortable cockpit and much easier on the knees than the shallow well of a Laser. You will also stay drier on this boat due to the increase in freeboard. Dinghy bailers will keep the cockpit from filling up.

The mast is carbon fiber and the sail is Mylar. There is 20 more square feet to this sail than on a Laser, but hull weights are listed as identical. Upwind in flat water the Laser can give the MegaByte a run for its money, but once you turn the corner, the extra length of the Byte works to make it faster off the wind. A unique bungy cord in the luff of the Mylar sail allows for good sail draft control. This allows a sail with generous luff roach to match the bendy stick. There is also a traveler. Both the daggerboard and the dagger rudder are built from aluminum extrusions.

The size of this dinghy makes it suitable for family daysailing. As a training boat it has the advantage of allowing both student and instructor aboard at the same time. The boat is fitted with an additional set of hiking straps forward for the crew. I've taught people to sail by putting them into my El Toro and shoving them out and calling out instructions from the beach, but it's much nicer and far more elegant to be able to take those first few rides together so the student can build confidence.

Performance Sailcraft just launched its 150th MegaByte. It has also signed on an additional hull and deck builder (the boats are finished at the Performance Sailcraft plant). This is becoming a popular dinghy.

This is definitely the type of dinghy that can slap you around a bit if you are not diligent with your weight distribution and your sail trim. But that's one of the best ways to learn. A little swim now and then can reinforce good sailing habits. Personally I'm beyond the days when I enjoyed a dunking. In Puget Sound the 49-degree water tends to be a bit too bracing for my attitude, and I'm starting to look really weird in a wet suit. Of course, you can always start out in the light stuff and slowly graduate to planing across the bay in total control.

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Also from Robert H. Perry

Megabyte 14' Performance Sailboat with Trailer - one or two person

2002 megabyte.

• Price: Contact seller
• Make: Megabyte
• Location: Pompano Beach, Florida, United States

Description

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• Sailboat Guide

2008 Zim PS2000 Performance Sailcraft Megabyte

• Description

Seller's Description

Megabyte performance dinghy in good condition. Lightly used in the waters off Fort McHenry, using the ramp at the Canton Waterfront Park. This is a fast, fun performance sailboat with stiff, planing hull. Carbon fiber mast, aluminum boom, extruded aluminum foils, Mylar Dimension Polyant sail, 100sf sail area.

Great singlehanded racing design, 2000 Sailing World Boat of the Year.

Equipment: Galvanized Trailer with New Tires Seittech dolly Protective Foil Case Mylar Mainsail All Rigging 6 Hiking Straps 2 Piece Carbon Fiber Mast Aluminum Boom Boat Cover

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)

This listing is presented by SailboatListings.com . Visit their website for more information or to contact the seller.

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The Bruce Farr designed Megabyte is one of those dinghies that does everything just right. This dinghy has a single, powerful 100 sq. ft. main carried on a marvelously, light, flexible carbon fiber mast. Incorporated in its 14 ft. 7 inch frame, are all the years of dinghy manufacturing experience of Ian Bruce, the builder of the original Laser. The cockpit is wide and deep with perfectly beveled sides allowing the sailor to hike or sit inboard in maximum comfort. The boat plains easily, upwind and down. Originally designed as the “gentleman’s Finn” it was targeted for a single sailer in the 200-225 lbs. weight range. But that attempt to categorize the Megabyte falls short. First, it comes with two sets of hiking straps so it is easy to load a crew on board. The boat sails well even with 400 lbs. on board. The full amidships traveler, powerful vang, Cunningham and outhaul on the flexible mast means that the lighter sailer can easily de-power the boat and handle higher wind conditions.

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Mega Byte Hull Cover

Mega Byte Mast Cover

Mega-byte blade bag, mega-byte spar bag.

Megabyte – Deck Tent

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Megabyte Parts

Call to order - mast, megabyte, mkii upper.

Megabyte Carpet, Thin, Grey

Megabyte Sail Cuff

Megabyte Mylar Sail Batten Set

Batten 5, Megabyte

Batten 4, Megabyte

Batten 3, Megabyte

Batten 2, Megabyte

Batten 1, Megabyte

Megabyte Upper Gudgeon

Megabyte Hiking Strap, 23"

Megabyte Plug, end MKI Upper

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