2 min read · Updated 18 June 2026
A maxi yacht is a large racing yacht at the big end of the fleet — today typically from around 18 metres up to the supermaxis of roughly 30 metres that chase line honours in the great ocean races. They are the giants of the sport: the boats that lead the Sydney Hobart out of the Heads and cross the line first, built for outright speed.
Where the term comes from
"Maxi" originally referred to the maximum size of yacht allowed under an older offshore handicap rating rule. Over time the word loosened into a general label for big racing yachts. There is no single official cut-off today, but in practice "maxi" describes large racing yachts from around 18 metres upward, with the very largest — about 30 metres, or 100 feet — known as supermaxis.
Supermaxis
The supermaxis are the headline act. At roughly 100 feet, with towering rigs, deep keels, canting ballast and large mostly professional crews, they are among the fastest monohulls on the planet, capable of well over 30 knots in the right conditions. These are the boats — names like Wild Oats XI and Comanche — that contest line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart and are paraded on Sydney Harbour at the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge each December.
Maxis don't always win
Being first home is not the same as winning. Maxis almost always take line honours — first across the line, on pure speed — but most races also award an overall result on handicap, where corrected time can give the win to a far smaller, well-sailed boat. The Sydney Hobart famously awards both: a trophy for line honours and a separate one for the overall handicap winner. The distinction is explained in our guide to line honours versus handicap.
Maxis vs Grand Prix one-designs
A maxi sits at the opposite end of the fleet from a Grand Prix one-design like the Melges 40. A maxi is large, often custom-built, and chases outright speed; a one-design such as the Melges 40 is a smaller, strictly identical production boat where close boat-for-boat racing decides everything. Both are forms of grand-prix yacht racing, and both are keelboats — they simply answer different questions about what makes racing exciting. For the rest of the language, see the sailing terms glossary.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a maxi yacht?
- A maxi yacht is a large racing yacht at the big end of the fleet. The term originally came from the maximum size allowed under an older offshore rating rule, and today is used broadly for big racing yachts — typically from around 18 metres up to the largest, the supermaxis, which reach about 30 metres.
- What is a supermaxi?
- A supermaxi is the largest class of maxi racing yacht, around 30 metres (100 feet) long. These are the giants that contest line honours in races like the Sydney Hobart — boats such as Wild Oats XI and Comanche — built for outright speed, with towering rigs, deep keels and large professional crews.
- How fast are maxi yachts?
- Maxis are among the fastest monohulls in the world. The big supermaxis can exceed 30 knots in the right conditions and have set records like sub-two-day Sydney Hobart times. Their size gives them a high top speed, which is why they are almost always first across the line in the races they enter.
- Do maxi yachts always win races?
- Not necessarily. Maxis usually take line honours as the first boat home because of their speed, but most races are also decided on handicap, where corrected time can hand the overall win to a much smaller, well-sailed boat. The Sydney Hobart awards both a line-honours trophy and a separate overall handicap trophy.
- What is the difference between a maxi and a Grand Prix one-design like the Melges 40?
- Size and purpose. A maxi is a large yacht, often custom-built and crewed by many, chasing outright speed and line honours. A Grand Prix one-design such as the Melges 40 is a smaller, strictly identical production boat where close boat-for-boat racing, not size, decides the result. Both are high-performance, but they sit at opposite ends of the fleet.