TP52
Box rule: limits, built by many designers
- Boats
- 26
- Results
- 129
- Wins
- 71
- Races
- 37
- Length
- 15.85m
- Beam
- 4.42m
- Draft
- 3.5m
Why sailors choose the TP52
The TP52 is a box rule, not a single design: owners commission their own boat within fixed dimensions and race it level, boat for boat, without handicaps. They choose it because it is seen as the top tier of monohull grand prix racing, with very close competition and a circuit (the 52 Super Series) that the owners themselves steer. It is a high-budget arena; in the early years sponsors paid large sums just to brand a mainsail.
- Real-time racing with no handicap: first boat home wins
- Box rule lets designers keep developing within fixed limits
- Seen as the top level of monohull grand prix racing
- Rule changes have aimed at fewer crew and sails to contain costs
- Owner-run circuit in good Mediterranean and Atlantic venues
- High-budget programmes
Our note
Specifications
Box rule: limits, built by many designers
- Length
- 15.85m
- Beam
- 4.42m
- Draft
- 3.5m
Box rule: length, beam and draft are the rule limits; each boat is its own design.
Published figures for the design; individual boats are often modified. Sources: yachtingworld.com
What sailors and testers say · in our words, from the linked pages
Owners tired of IMS handicaps adopted the TP52 for line-honours racing; rule tweaks made boats quicker while trimming crew and sails to hold costs.
52 Super Series organisers · 52 Super Series, 2026
He prefers head-to-head racing to handicaps and considers 52 feet the ideal size and layout for a grand prix class.
TP52 owner Austin Fragomen, in a Seahorse feature by Andi Robertson · Seahorse, 2021
Against its rivals
The TP52 against four designs like it, from published figures. Swap any of the four. Each spoke is scaled to the largest of the five; a figure that isn't published sits at the centre (— in the table).
| Design | Length | Beam | Draft | Weight | Sail area | Power (SA/D) | Boats racing | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP52 | 15.8 m | 4.42 m | 3.50 m | — | — | — | 26 | 71 |
| Pac52 | 15.8 m | 4.50 m | 3.60 m | — | — | — | 2 | 5 |
| ICE 52 | 15.8 m | 4.65 m | 2.85 m | 12.5 t | 157 m² | 29.6 | 2 | 6 |
| First 53 | 16.0 m | 5.00 m | 2.50 m | 15.5 t | 166 m² | 27.1 | 3 | 1 |
| Wallyrocket 51 | 15.5 m | 4.30 m | 3.50 m | 6.3 t | 160 m² | 47.9 | 2 | 1 |
| Boat | Sail no. | Skipper or owner | Years | Results | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velos | GRE-440 | Παναγιώτης Μαντής / Παύλος Καγιαλής | 2021–2026 | 19 | 11 |
| Scorpio | CRO 5252 | Filip Babić | 2024–2026 | 14 | 8 |
| Generali | SLO 878 | Samo Žvan | 2021–2026 | 12 | 8 |
| Polet Furioso | 11152 | Nikola Deskovic | 2023–2026 | 12 | 8 |
| Arkas Blue Moon | TUR3535 | Bernard Arkas | 2022–2026 | 10 | 7 |
| Red Bandit | — | Carl-Peter Forster | 2022–2024 | 4 | 4 |
| Sled | — | Takashi Okura | 2021–2026 | 6 | 3 |
| Blue | — | Bonfiglio Mariotti | 2024–2026 | 5 | 3 |
| BULLET | GRE-76R | Σίμος Καμπουρίδης | 2023–2024 | 4 | 3 |
| Vudu | AUS52 | Mauro Gestri | 2025–2026 | 4 | 3 |
| Team Guenifey | — | Kito de Pavant | 2025–2026 | 4 | 2 |
| XIO | — | Marco Serafini | 2021–2022 | 3 | 2 |
| Summer Storm 52 | — | Andrew Berdon | 2026 | 2 | 2 |
| Aproperties Blue Carbon | — | Toni Guiu | 2025–2026 | 3 | 1 |
| Corsario Thunder | — | Jorge Durán | 2026 | 3 | 1 |
| Hispania | — | Armada Española | 2026 | 3 | 1 |
| TEAM ACADIA / CHEETAH | ESP7396 | — | 2024–2026 | 3 | 1 |
| Arkas Sailing Team Blue Moon | — | Arkas Bernard | 2025 | 1 | 1 |
| ARKAS Sailing Team - Bluemoon | — | Serhat Altay | 2024 | 1 | 1 |
| Napan-Arkin Karpaz Gate Marina | ESP 7396 | Deniz Fici | 2025 | 1 | 1 |
| Aifos | — | Armada Española | 2023–2024 | 5 | — |
| Blue Moon Arkas | — | Bernard Arkas | 2022–2025 | 4 | — |
| Air Is Blue | ITA5252 | Roberto Monti | 2021 | 2 | — |
| Blue Carbon | — | Antonio Guiu | 2023 | 2 | — |
| Arobas 2 | — | Gerard Logel | 2022 | 1 | — |
| Bluenext | — | Bonfiglio Marotti | 2025 | 1 | — |