Above: JPK’s latest FC38 ‘fast cruiser’ displays her powerful and racy hull form. This twin-rudder and modest-draft design has already proved capable of delivering rapid passage-making in considerable comfort. The JPK design philosophy is seen (left) on a recent 1010 launch… full hull sections with a low-drag fin keel. Nothing extreme or greedy: good interior volume in an excellent all-round package
us to quickly organise ourselves and grow, by extending the size of the yard and growing the team.’
‘His designs also rely on being generous when it comes to putting weight in the keel and to favouring “full-bodied” shapes overall (hence the reputation of JPK designs being slightly “bulky” with regards to their general aesthetics), to deliver hull forms that make for a boat that remains well balanced with heel. ‘In France especially, and increasingly in the UK, there is also now a big emphasis on shorthanded racing within IRC, and our
38 SEAHORSE
boats are well suited to that,’ adds Jean- Pierre, a successful soloist in his own right. So how did it all really start? Were the partners in crime expecting the success they have since encountered? ‘To begin with we did not have a specific strategy, and success completely depended upon the 960’s inher- ent qualities [a boat that went on to win the Fastnet Race in 2007, incidentally – ed]. The – for us – staggering results obtained by this first JPK right out of the box forced
In retrospect, Jean-Pierre reckons that the 960 had an advantage due to its ability to shine both around the cans and offshore. ‘It was also the first “light” IRC design able to plane from 15-16kt of wind, when the majority of boats in the same class were still ploughing through the water. I think this boat brought an early high-perfor- mance, high-tech dimension to IRC production boats. At the time there was still very little between the high-end expen- sive protos and heavier, mass-produced cruiser-racers; and the 960 filled that gap nicely and for a reasonable price tag. ‘One good move early on was to recruit someone who was very competent in resin infusion techniques, a process that was still relatively rare in 2003. He trained up our build team and still leads it today. Then of course our range had to be developed to meet the evolution and demands of the market.’
When asked about the underlying
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