Rob Weiland Cold light of day
It is vulgar to write about money but sometimes it helps to provide a perspective. In terms of build cost a new WallyCento roughly represents three Maxi72s, or 10 TP52s, or 25 Fast40s. The complete team including shore staff to go yachting at this level means a minimum of 30 people for the WallyCento, 25 for the Maxi72,
16 for the TP52 and 12 for the Fast40. One could conclude that the smaller the boat the relatively more
one spends on crew. Just pin an average number per day per crew member, why not 800 euros for fee/food/travel/accommodation/ clothing and multiply it by the number of crew and sailing days. Guess the Cento sails the least events, maybe four or five, but
will also have a rather large permanent crew to cater for. A Maxi72 or TP52 soon clocks up six events at eight sailing days each; the 72s usually have more training days, typically something like four or five training days before racing starts, whereas the TPs are restrained to three by the 52 Super Series rules. The Maxi72s also have some offshores in the mix. The Fast40s race more but at shorter events and I guess clock up fewer sailing days than their bigger sisters. Certainly, as the Fast40s have so far been based in one area (the Solent) and had most crew living in the UK, it helps to restrain spending, although the UK is not a cheap place to have a boat and go yachting. Sails… winners love to spend on the motor and
it really makes a difference. The cost of a complete set of new WallyCento rags will be impressive; the mainsail alone roughly equals a full set of new sails for a TP52, but so far the Centos are not replacing sails like the 72s or the 52s. Let’s say the WallyCento and Maxi72 budget for
annually replacing sails is well over one million euros per year, the 52 Super Series TP52s spend at least 350,000-400,000 euros apiece and for the top five of the Fast40s I take a stab at 120,000-160,000 euros? Related to the miles sailed per year, boats racing offshore spend relatively less but need specific reaching sails, which are an expensive commodity, certainly when measured by the amount of use. What am I trying to communicate? That it is a better
building one-offs in the smaller size ranges – one reason why the build costs for these smaller custom designs rose well above inflation over the past decade. Consequently smaller one-offs are now often being built by
builders set up to build much bigger boats and so carrying much bigger overheads. Yards specifically set up to build a short run of 40-50ft racing boats at close to one-off standards are a logical development to achieve lower prices but we are unlikely to see this without many more boats to build. So the trend is clear: building and racing one-off racing boats
will continue to see a focus on ever bigger boats. Also the TP52 sooner or later will be too small a boat to sustain as a pure one- off. Already sharing moulds is quite common and from there it is a small step to greater streamlining of production. Looking back to 2017 and forward to 2018, I will miss having
TP52 or Maxi72 events in the US and Caribbean – the ones we had in 2017 were great fun. I am looking forward to going to the first ever 52 Super Series event in Croatia, hope they will bring us the
investment to go bigger? Certainly not, just try to sell the love of your sailing life and be confronted with her secondhand value… So the smaller, less expensive boats obviously have a larger market and the TP52, without making a full study of the past 10 years of trade, seems the bestselling small big boat or if you wish big small boat. TP52s generally find a new owner within six months, finding a
Super Series TP52s do not race offshore, at least not in their ‘first life’ but, as the success of Ichi Ban in the recent Sydney Hobart proves, using TP52 moulds to build what is in fact a TP52 but with some variation in layout and equipment choices provides a powerful offshore handicap rule racer, whether in IRC or ORCi. Years of fine-tuning the TP52 concept enables what at first sight is a simple boat with a single rudder and fixed keel to compete offshore with more complex choices, twin rudders, canting keel, daggerboards etc. It is one thing to create the potential to go fast but another thing to realise it to the maximum
recent boat is a plus in itself and you won’t pay give-away rates which is quite encouraging. Depreciation of a new 2017-build TP52 over the first three years can be pinned down at about 500,000 euros per year. Thereafter about 100,000 euros per year for the next three years assuming one bought a three-year-old boat at about 850-900,000 euros. Those second three years probably offer the best balance of
performance for the buck, but then I ignore the ‘importance of winning’. All the original equipment will still be functioning well and be reasonably up to date. From year six onwards, for sure, one buys a budget big boat, but
every serious item you replace costs a measurable percentage of what the boat cost you. Buy old racers because they are ‘cheap’ but also buy them because you love to take care of boats. You will be rewarded by the boat as well as by the admiration of others who fell in love with her over the years and appreciate your efforts. The above new build and depreciation comparison also explains
the shift of one-off boatbuilding towards ever bigger boats. It is hard for yards to find a continuous flow of work and make a profit from
same positive vibes that we had when we first visited Corfu with the Maxi72s. Greek hospitality must be experienced to believe it. We were treated like gods – although some of the locals remained a little more cautious just in case we actually were gods in disguise. Would be packing now for Key West Race Week, but sadly no
January sun, no Florida Keys green water, no Storm Trysail friends and volunteers. The Storm Trysail Club celebrates her 80th anniversary in 2018.
Founded in 1938 as a club for sailors who had proved capable of handling themselves offshore in bad conditions, the first dues fittingly were a bottle of rum. Now Storm Trysail has almost 1,000 members, each of them selected for experience offshore, willingness to share this experience and knowledge with others, to be a tough competitor who respects and enjoys spending time with his fellow competitors as well as someone who knows how to have fun. This could all be just words but the reality is Storm Trysail are
translating their ideals year in year out into inspirational and often endearing action. Happy anniversary, friends! Enough words, from April it is all go again – the western Med will
be my second home once more. Palma, St Tropez, Capri, Porto Cervo, Valencia, sailors’ and sailing classics. Good times ahead! Rob Weiland, TP52 and Maxi72 class manager
q SEAHORSE 35
CARLO BORLENGHI
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