--- title: "How much does an offshore racing boat cost?" description: "From €60,000 for a Mini to nearly €20 million for an Ultim like Gitana 18: the price of a new boat and of a racing season, class by class, with sources." url: "https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/offshore-racing-boat-price-ultim-imoca-class40" lang: "en" --- # How much does an offshore racing boat cost? Published November 5, 2026 by [Antoine Labbe](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/about) ![The IMOCA 11th Hour Racing in Lorient for the 2022 Défi Azimut](https://www.offshoreraces.app/photos/classes-imoca.jpg) *Photo: Jug81, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:11th_Hour_Racing_Imoca_%282021%29_au_D%C3%A9fi_Azimut_2022_02.jpg)* **In short.** A new offshore racing boat costs from about **€60,000** for a production Mini 6.50 to nearly **€20 million** for an Ultim: Charles Caudrelier's Gitana 18 is estimated at €18 million. In between, a new Class40 is close to €1 million, an Ocean Fifty about €5 million and an IMOCA €5 to €12 million depending on the source. The boat is only part of the bill: it then has to be sailed, season after season. ## The price of a new boat, class by class | Class | Price of a new boat | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Mini 6.50 (production) | €60,000 to €110,000 | Sailorz, 2026 | | Mini 6.50 (prototype) | up to €300,000 | Sailorz, 2023 | | Figaro Beneteau 3 | €155,000 to €175,000 excl. VAT at launch | Bateaux.com, 2018 | | Class40 | about €1 to €1.2 million | Sailorz and RCI, 2026 | | Ocean Fifty | about €5 million | RCI, 2026 | | IMOCA | €5 to €12 million | Figaro Nautisme 2025, RCI 2026 | | Ultim | €18 to €25 million | Wikipedia, RCI 2026 | The figures come from press articles and statements by people in each class: no yard publishes an official price for these custom boats. They are orders of magnitude, not quotes. ## Ultim: Gitana 18, about €18 million Gitana 18, the only new Ultim in the [Route du Rhum 2026](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum), took some 50,000 hours of design and 200,000 hours of construction, for an estimated cost of **€18 million** ([Wikipedia, Gitana 18](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gitana_18)). Radio Caraïbes Internationale puts the class at €20 to €25 million ([RCI](https://rci.fm/guadeloupe/infos/Sport/Route-du-Rhum-2026-combien-coutent-les-bateaux-engages-dans-la-course)). Its innovations, Y-shaped foils and U-shaped rudders, are covered in [Gitana 18: cost, foils and secrets](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/gitana-18-caudrelier-new-trimaran-route-du-rhum), and the fleet on [the Ultim page](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/ultim). ## IMOCA: estimates that vary twofold For the IMOCA, the monohull of the [Vendée Globe](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/vendee-globe), published figures diverge. Le Figaro Nautisme estimated in 2025 that a new IMOCA built for the round-the-world race costs **about €5 million**, and that a competitive second-hand boat sells for €500,000 to €2 million ([Figaro Nautisme](https://figaronautisme.meteoconsult.fr/actus-nautisme-courses/vendee-globe/2025-01-21/73058-budget-pour-un-vendee-globe-combien-ca-coute-de-courir-leverest-des-mers)). RCI gives **€10 to €12 million** for the build ([RCI](https://rci.fm/guadeloupe/infos/Sport/Route-du-Rhum-2026-combien-coutent-les-bateaux-engages-dans-la-course)). The gap depends on what is counted: the hull alone, or also design work, foils and spares. Le Figaro Nautisme puts the full budget of a Vendée Globe campaign at €1 to €8 million depending on ambition. The boats are on [the IMOCA class page](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/imoca). ## Ocean Fifty and Class40 An **Ocean Fifty**, a 50-foot trimaran, costs about €5 million, and a **Class40** about €1.2 million according to RCI ([RCI](https://rci.fm/guadeloupe/infos/Sport/Route-du-Rhum-2026-combien-coutent-les-bateaux-engages-dans-la-course)). For the Class40, Sailorz notes that a new build "now approaches one million euros" ([Sailorz](https://sailorz.com/class40/class40-le-rhum-entretient-la-dynamique/)). It is the largest class in the Route du Rhum 2026, with nearly fifty boats ([the Class40s and their skippers](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/route-du-rhum-2026-class40-skippers)). ## Mini 6.50 and Figaro: the entry points The **Mini 6.50**, the boat of the [Mini Transat](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/mini-transat), remains the most affordable way in. According to the class president, a fully equipped production Maxi 6.50 costs €100,000 to €110,000 and a Pogo 3 €60,000 to €80,000 ([Sailorz](https://sailorz.com/en/mini-6-50-en/classe-mini-dips-in-the-wave-but-dense-calendar/)). A prototype can reach €300,000 ([Sailorz](https://sailorz.com/en/mini-6-50-en/the-mini-class-between-success-and-saturation/)). The **Figaro Beneteau 3**, the one-design of the [Solitaire du Figaro](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/solitaire-du-figaro), launched at €155,000 excluding VAT for the first fifty boats reserved for class members, then €175,000, without sails, electronics or safety gear ([Bateaux.com](https://www.bateaux.com/article/27559/figaro-3-un-tarif-a-2-vitesses)). ## The boat is only the beginning Once built, a boat costs money every year: shore team, sails, transport, entry fees. In the Class40, Sailorz reported in 2026 one skipper sailing the Route du Rhum on €80,000 in total while others aim for up to €500,000, and another who had to pay **€18,000 in entry fees** plus a €5,000 deposit ([Sailorz](https://sailorz.com/class40/class40-le-rhum-entretient-la-dynamique/)). Winnings are modest by comparison: the winner of the Vendée Globe 2028 will receive €250,000 ([Vendée Globe 2028 notice of race](https://www.vendeeglobe.org/sites/default/files/2025-11/avis-de-courses_2028.pdf)). Without a partner there is no project, which is why boats carry their sponsor's name, and change it with them. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does Gitana 18 cost? Gitana 18, Charles Caudrelier's Ultim launched in February 2026, is estimated to have cost €18 million, for about 50,000 hours of design and 200,000 hours of construction. ### How much does a new IMOCA cost? Published estimates range from about €5 million (Figaro Nautisme, 2025) to €10 to €12 million (RCI, 2026), depending on whether the hull alone or also design, foils and spares are counted. A competitive second-hand IMOCA sells for €500,000 to €2 million. ### How much does a Class40 cost? A new Class40 is close to €1 million in 2026, around €1.2 million according to RCI. ### What is the cheapest offshore racing boat? The production Mini 6.50: €60,000 to €80,000 for a Pogo 3, €100,000 to €110,000 for a fully equipped Maxi 6.50. ### How much does the Vendée Globe winner earn? The winner of the Vendée Globe 2028 will receive €250,000, out of total prize money of €1 million. In this article 1. The price of a new boat, class by class 2. Ultim: Gitana 18, about €18 million 3. IMOCA: estimates that vary twofold 4. Ocean Fifty and Class40 5. Mini 6.50 and Figaro: the entry points 6. The boat is only the beginning 7. Frequently asked questions ## Races in this article - **[Route du Rhum](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum)** The solo transatlantic race from Saint-Malo to Guadeloupe. Start: Saint-Malo · Finish: Pointe-à-Pitre · 3,542 nm · Racing since November 1, 2026 [Ultim](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/ultim) [IMOCA](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/imoca) [Ocean Fifty](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/ocean-fifty) [Class40](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/class40) - **[Vendée Globe](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/vendee-globe)** The solo, non-stop, unassisted race around the world. Start: Les Sables-d'Olonne · Finish: Les Sables-d'Olonne · 24,300 nm · Next start: November 12, 2028 [IMOCA](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/imoca) - **[Mini Transat](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/mini-transat)** The solo transatlantic race on 6.5-metre boats. Start: Les Sables-d'Olonne · Finish: Saint-François (Guadeloupe) · Next start: September 12, 2027 (to be confirmed) Mini 6.50 - **[Solitaire du Figaro](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/solitaire-du-figaro)** The solo multi-leg race on one-design Figaros, the school of offshore racing. Start: Perros-Guirec · Finish: Le Havre · 1,660 nm · Next start: 2027 (to be confirmed) [Figaro Bénéteau 3](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/figaro-beneteau-3)