Design
Rewriting the playbook T
he Gunboat 80 belongs in a different category from any other sailing yacht. On one hand it offers thrilling full Grand Prix performance, sailing faster than
the wind from a mere four knots upwards, reaching maximum boat speed of over 30kts when cracked off the breeze, and will average well over 350 miles daily on an Atlantic crossing. Yet it’s also a superyacht with space, comfort and amenities that can only be matched by 100ft monohulls. At this level of the market, owners
naturally want a vessel that’s precisely tuned to how they intend to use it. However, custom builds require owners to have their own large and skilled team, while the entire project duration can be as much as six years. In an era in which both yacht design and sailing systems are advancing at a relentless pace, that's a huge lead time. By contrast, Gunboat’s very flexible
“box rule” customisation concept enables owners to create a tailored high-tech boat, with state-of-the-art design, materials, engineering and systems, in a typical timeframe of only two years. While the shape of the structure, including main bulkheads is fixed, almost everything else can be modified. The first two boats – both for hugely
76 SEAHORSE
experienced, well-known serial owners – illustrate how wide the range of possibilities is for this platform. Boat number one is Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s Highland Fling XXVll, which will be used solely for coastal racing in Maxi Multihull regattas in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. It therefore has a very stripped out interior and is optimised to fly a hull in around 12kts of true wind. The second boat is for a totally different
purpose – she will be a family cruiser for an equally well-known owner, who has a decorated history of campaigns, including the GC32, M32 and Melges 32 classes. Both boats have a common core design
developed by VPLP’s racing division, using the same tools and processes as the latest Imoca 60s and Ultime trimarans. They also share sail handling and performance technologies developed for the last two America's Cups. Highland Fling, which launched in
‘Our specific in-house area of expertise is in composite assembly systems and interior fit out’
gives owners the same level of technology they would expect on a custom build,’
summer 2023, is raced with a 10-12- strong professional crew and is fitted with huge eight-metre asymmetric daggerboards. The ability to raise and lower the boards, even at speeds of more than 20kts, was a key priority for the team. To overcome the huge loads
says Gunboat’s chief operating officer William Jelbert. ‘But we project manage it, so the client isn’t taking on all the risks. Our specific in-house area of expertise is in composite assembly, systems and interior fitout.’ These are all the complex details that are essential in creating a really great yacht. Every effort has been made to minimise
weight at every stage and construction is of pre-preg carbon, with a high percentage
Technology and design tools from the America’s Cup, Ultime trimarans and Imocas have been combined to phenomenal effect in the Gunboat 80
involved, they looked to the high-tech reciprocating roller bearings of the systems employed by the AC72s and the AC50s. Designers for those bearings were asked to redevelop the concept for 80-01. This is just one example of the
overarching philosophy applied by Gunboat - collaborating with top specialists in each field to create the best engineered boat possible. Partnerships in component manufacturing leave Gunboat to focus on its fortés. Hulls, for instance, are built to the same rigorous standards as those of Imoca 60s at FibreMechanics in the UK, while decks aremoulded by renowned composite specialistMultiplast in Brittany. ‘This approach
GILLES MARTIN-RAGET
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