high-performance raceboats we’re still seen almost universally as racing boat designers… and that’s a challenge. This is despite the fact that clearly designing shorthanded racing yachts such as Class 40s and Open 60s has a lot in common when it comes to developing modern cruising yachts that are invariably sailed shorthanded themselves.’
Two of the most recent designs from OCD that are currently being built happen to both be twin-rudder boats: a perfor- mance cruising yacht for an owner with high-latitude sailing in mind and a custom 40ft racing yacht, the latest in a line of 15 to be built to the Class 40 box rule. This latest Class 40 will be part of the ever- expanding class in North America, the latest addition to a fleet of some 20 boats there, and is currently under construction in female tooling at Carbon Ocean Yachts, in Bristol RI. When launched she will be the only yacht in the class to be designed primarily for the conditions encountered on the east coast of the United States, rather than for the higher mean wind speeds encountered inshore and offshore by her European-based cousins. OCD worked once again in partnership with US designer Clay Oliver developing the hull lines for their new Class 40 design, carrying out an in-depth weather-based performance analysis using data provided by Massachusetts meteorologist Chris Bedford. One of the significant challenges for the design team was to create a machine that is comfortably quicker in
R
light airs than the narrower, lower wetted surface older-generation boats, while still maintaining a hull form powerful enough in righting moment terms to be quick enough to challenge the latest ‘trans - atlantic’ reaching designs in moderate breeze. Computer modelling was used extensively on a large number of candidate designs which were raced ‘virtually’ on windward-leeward, Olympic triangle, Bermuda Race and Atlantic Cup courses, before final hull lines were released to the yard in July.
The result, which will be looked at in more depth in next month’s issue of Seahorse, is a yacht with a hull that com- bines a chine around the maximum beam, with lower wetted area and more rounded surfaces towards the transom and the bow. The low rocker hull form with a centre of buoyancy and keel position relatively aft still demands that the yacht is fitted with twin rudders; however, predictions are that performance in the predominant wind speeds of 8-10kt encountered off the east coast will be far higher than OCD’s original targets when starting the project. As Owen explains: ‘The results of our Class 40 research also have us now review- ing our thinking of the potential crossovers in wind speed terms that would be applic - able to our 36ft, 41ft and larger IRC designs. A variation of the Class 40 hull form we’ve developed would probably be applicable to all of them, increasing the viability of designs across a larger range of inshore and offshore events than we had
previously imagined.’
A lot of water has passed under the marina pontoon since Maverick turned heads in 1993. Reflecting on some of today’s practices, OCD had cautionary words for those attracted to the concept of twin-rudder sailing: ‘Trickledown technol- ogy from the open class world, where a small group of designers including our- selves have been developing high-speed hulls with twin-rudder systems for years, has now found acceptance in mainstream grand prix yachting. I’m thinking particu- larly of Volvo, and large maxi yachts. ‘Lately, however, there seems also to be a momentum towards fitting twin rudders and drawing chines into a wider range of racing and performance cruising yachts, because it’s thought to be the quick and smart thing to do by owners and perhaps some designers too. Well, that certainly isn’t necessarily so… There’s definitely a good deal of “style over substance” involved in this evolution.
‘It’s been good business for us in the past few years; however, we much prefer designing our own boats to consulting for others “after the fact”… But I don’t think we’ve seen for a while the end of calls from owners to “please come and look at our rudders, will you?”’ Andrew Hurst
As well as consulting on Volvo, IRC and many high-performance racer-cruiser designs, Owen Clarke Design (OCD) are most well known for their own numerous Class 40 and Open 60 designs
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SEAHORSE 35
Visit us at METS 2014 in Amsterdam! 18.-20.11. Hall 1, Stand 01.820.
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