Top: the Class40 acted swiftly after Raison’s 2011 Mini Transat win to close off a development avenue that could have made the existing 150-boat fleet obsolete; however, in 2017 Marc Lombard had a go at ‘pushing the envelope’ with his latest Class40 Carac. An early retirement in the TJV meant that it will be a few more months before we know just how well Lombard’s ‘compromise scow’ plays out. Meanwhile, Raison is now working with the ambitious SEAir team behind this fuel-efficient RIB and the foiling development on the original no747 – which is now regularly being clocked at 30kt and models 30 per cent faster over a Mini Transat course…
willing to put their faith in me. SH: Foiling… DR: Scow designs are very well suited to foiling as they are very stable longitudinally, which is important when dragging a foil through the water in displacement mode – in terms of drag and to ensure the angle of attack of the foil is correct for lift-out. Scows also have high form stability, which makes them particularly suited to high-powered designs with low ballast ratios… actually just like the new AC75 class. We have been contacted by two AC
syndicates already and, class rules depend- ing, I suspect the next generation of AC boats will go in that direction. I’m currently just hoping scows are not outlawed in the AC75 rules as they have been for Imoca 60s. At SEAir we have also developed a reliable,
stable and cost-effective foil system for use in our RIBs. And we have big plans to use the
40 SEAHORSE
same foil arrangement in other applications. The foil system we have developed on 747
is stable enough that the boat can now be helmed by a normal autopilot when foiling – without any foil adjustment and with the ride height self-regulating. We have published a ‘Flying Forty’
concept and have enough interest that I am confident it will go ahead. The idea is to create a 40ft foiling one-design that can be raced over a mix of inshore, coastal and off- shore races. Coincidently the design fits the criteria to be a test boat for the next America’s Cup as well, which could be a nice boost for us. The Flying Forty will have a fixed bulb
keel, twin foils and twin rudders. It will be able to foil fully in 12-14kt of wind when sailing VMG downwind or reaching up to about 60° TWA, and will sail in full or semi-displacement mode in under 12kt of
wind or when sailing higher angles. The boat will have around 50 per cent more righting moment than a Class40 so will certainly be very powerful and fast even when not foiling. The sailplan will be kept simple with all
headsails on furlers and strict sail limits to limit costs, and also to ensure the boat is accessible to amateur sailors who might be deterred by the idea of hoisting conventional spinnakers shorthanded on a foiling boat. There are many other uses for the same
foil system and I hope it will be seen on a wide range of racing yachts and motorboats in the not too distant future. SH: Final secrets? DR: Despite the ban set by Imoca and the Class40 there are plenty of other nice opportunities elsewhere. I have many ideas on my hard drive but you are not going to hear about them today!
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CHRISTOPHE BRESCHI
PILPRE ARNAUD
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