VPLP live simulator showing GB80-02 with T-rudders in a sea state sailing away from the “ghost” boat behind it, with the same setup except no T-rudders. This allows the design team to accurately assess benefits of specific features in different weather conditions and sail angles over time


of uni-directional fibres. However, a conundrum in the very high-performance superyacht world is that the hotel systems that make these such comfortable and luxurious places to spend extended periods of time are typically disproportionately heavy. Gunboat therefore bypassed many traditional marine suppliers for these elements and instead prioritised those in the aerospace sector where feasible. The windows, interior and wiring, for instance, all come from the aerospace industry, helping create a very light displacement for a boat of this size. In contrast to Highland Fling’s stripped


out interior, when she launches in June 2024, 80-02 will have fully fitted accommodation, with an icemaker, oven, generous amounts of refrigeration and air conditioning, plus three VIP cabins, a twin cabin for children and civilised quarters for three crew. As a result, she’s four tonnes heavier than Highland Fling, at 28 tonnes light


ship displacement, and has a maximum payload of six tonnes. Yet this is still a yacht that’s capable of sailing ridiculously fast, with speeds of 30kts possible. Highland Fling is also engineered for


‘GB80-02 will be four tonnes heavier but still capable of 30kt speeds’


a maximum loaded displacement of 34 tonnes. This opens the possibility of retrofitting a luxury interior and associated systems to give the boat a second life after her all-out racing career. It’s an important safeguard against depreciation. Beyond the vast


deck spaces and


single-level living arrangements, shallow draught is one of the key attractions of a performance cruising multihull. Boat 80-02 therefore has cassette style lifting rudders that allow the boat to anchor in very shallow water. VPLP’s in-house dynamic simulator


showed that this cruising-optimised Gunboat 80 would benefit from 1.2-metre long T foils on the rudders. In a Caribbean swell these will reduce pitching by around 30 per cent, creating a much more comfortable ride, while simultaneously


increasing average speeds. However, the simulator showed the


foils would not benefit Highland Fling, given her predominately inshore/coastal regatta programme, which will mostly be in lighter Mediterranean and Caribbean airs and a smaller sea state in coastal waters. On the other hand, in place of Highland Fling’s complex and high maintenance daggerboard bearings, Gunboat 80-02’s boards have maintenance-free self- aligning bearings. These still allow them to be raised and lowered at boat speeds of up to around 15kts. Both boats have Gunboat’s trademark


forward cockpit, with big hydraulic winches to handle halyards, reefing lines, daggerboards, tack lines and furling lines. Sheets for overlapping headsails lead to coachroof winches to the side of the helm stations, while downwind sails are trimmed from winches aft. While Highland Fling races with a large,


professional crew, for their cruising programme 80.02 has an array of 16 buttons to operate the hydraulics at each helm station. This means one person can lift the daggerboards up and down, sheet


�


Key features of the Gunboat 80’s accommodation layout include huge outside and inside living spaces, four large cabins for the owners and guests, working crew quarters with galley and pantry, for added privacy and Gunboat’s signature forward cockpit where most of the lines and halyards are controlled


SEAHORSE 77


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130