What’s the difference between a One-design and PHRF boat anyway?
A One-design, or “Class” racing boat gets its status from its hull, which is built exactly like every other hull in the same Class. Racing One-design boats where all boats in the class are identical puts the emphasis on crew work, strategy and tactics. PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet ) boats are dissimilar boats that compete against each other using a rating handicap system based on predicted and observed “performance”. PHRF Ratings are stated in seconds per mile raced. For example a typical 24 foot race boat, the J-24 is rated at 168 seconds per mile when racing in a PHRF fleet. A 0 rated boat (much faster and likely much larger with a longer waterline length) would need to finish a one mile race at least 168 seconds before a J-24 to win a race they both started at the same time. But this system allows them to both compete in the same race with some semblance of fairness.
