Seven great race yachts for you - from an Elliott 9.6 to a no-compromise 72ft racer.
by Miranda Powrie, Boatseekr.com 27 Aug 18:19 NZST
Mr Kite - Doyle Sails RNZYS Winter Series - July 9, 2022 © Richard Gladwell - Sail-World.com/nz
There's nothing quite like sailboat racing to make you completely forget your ordinary life for a few hours, from the work dramas to the washing pile.
If you've been meaning to get back out there, or get in for the first time, there's a proper spread of race yachts on Boatseekr right now to suit almost any budget and ambition.
The Good Buys:
Elliott 9.6 "Rum Runner" — $34,000 AUD, Newport NSW
The cheapest boat on this list and arguably the smartest entry point. Sixteen years with the same owner, a brand new Nanni diesel fitted in 2024, new winches in 2022, a full spinnaker wardrobe. This is a boat that's been used properly and looked after the whole way through, not left to coast. For club racing and twilights, it's hard to find a boat you'd enjoy sailing more for the money right now.
View the Elliott 9.6 "Rum Runner" on Boatseekr
1999 Young 88 — $49,900 AUD, Sandringham, Victoria
Another cost-effective racer, this superbly presented Young 88 was one of the last of her class built and has always been professionally maintained to an exceptionally high standard, retaining an outstanding performance record alongside all the family cruising comforts the Jim Young design is so highly regarded for. Light, fun to sail, and fast for their size, Young 88s punch well above their weight on the race course, and this one backs that up with a competitive North sails wardrobe, excellent B&G electronics, and fully upgraded deck gear that have delivered consistent success across multiple club championships and regatta wins.
View this Young 88 on Boatseekr
Cape 40 "Mr Kite" — $125,000 AUD, North Island NZ
This one makes the case better than anything else on this list. A canting keel carbon race boat that isn't the newest or the most expensive thing in its class, and it doesn't need to be. Continual investment since 2019, rigging replaced, mast serviced, keel rams and batteries redone in 2025, fresh antifoul, and the results follow: 2nd overall in the 2025 Two-Handed Series, podiums in the Northern Triangle and Three Kings Offshore Race. Nobody bought this boat to impress anyone at the dock. They bought it to enjoy sailing it hard, and kept spending on upkeep rather than a bigger boat, which is exactly why it's still a joy to race.
View this Cape 40 on Boatseekr
The Middle Ground
Step up in budget and the boats get more capable without losing the plot. These two sit between the club racers above and the grand prix campaigns below — more boat, more silverware, but still bought to be sailed hard rather than shown off.
Cookson 12 "Trouble & Strife" — $179,000 AUD, Queensland
Cookson 12 – Trouble and Strife
A Bruce Farr design built in New Zealand, and one with real silverware to back it up: 1st IRC and 1st ORCi in the Brisbane to Hamilton Island Yacht Race, and a regular at the front of Queensland's offshore fleets. Light, powerful and genuinely quick off the breeze, but built for reliability rather than fragility, which is exactly what makes a boat fun rather than stressful to own.
View this Cookson 12 on Boatseekr
2021 Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 — $249,000 NZD, Auckland
The Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 is a modern, high-performance sailboat built for speed, precision, and competitive sailing, with the versatility to be sailed single-handed, double-handed, or with a full crew. Its advanced hull design and responsive handling keep it competitive on tight buoy courses and demanding offshore passages alike, and this 2021 model comes well-equipped with Garmin electronics and a reliable Yanmar 2YM15 shaft drive. She's proven herself on the circuit too, taking 1st place at the Balokovic Cup 2026 and finishing 6th overall in the Round North Island Race 2026.
View the Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 on Boatseekr
The Aspirational Picks
It's always fun to look, and these two are proof the same rule holds at any budget: how well a boat's been kept matters just as much as her record. Matador and Vesper back up solid pedigree with meticulous upkeep, which is exactly what you should be looking for in a race yacht at any price point.
TP52 "Matador" — $780,000 AUD, New South Wales
Matador is one of Australia's most successful race yachts, a TP52 with a genuine championship pedigree. Designed by Judel/Vrolijk & Co and built by King Marine in Spain, she's claimed multiple TP52 Gold Cup wins, an Australian Yachting Championship title, and regular podiums at Hamilton Island Race Week. A 2024-2025 refit brought fresh topside and deck paint, full rig servicing, upgraded electronics, and refined keel and bulb work, and she now carries carbon EC6 standing rigging, hydraulics, current instrumentation, and a full Doyle sail inventory. Sold with cradle, covers, tools, spares, and race-ready systems, she's a turn-key grand prix package for an owner who wants runs on the board.
View this TP52 on Boatseekr
"Vesper 72" — €3,800,000, La Ciotat, France
Vesper 72, originally launched as Momo in 2014, was built by Persico Marine in Italy to grand prix race boat standards, designed and built as a no-compromise Maxi racer representing the pinnacle of performance, technology, and reliability. A two-owner yacht, she's benefited from continuous professional ownership, with each owner maintaining and upgrading her to keep Vesper at the forefront of Maxi racing performance.
View more of Vesper on Boatseekr
These are a selection of boats that will prove that fun racing is so much more than just the latest tech.
Do you think we got it right? Drop us a line and let us know! and for more reading check out Boatseekr's guide to buying a race yacht which covers what to look at before you commit.
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