the refined to the radical. They used CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software to analyse various components of the boat. This initial design process took almost a year. But once they had settled on an overall configuration it was time to build a couple of prototypes. ‘P1 and P2 as we called them
were based on a low windage, low freeboard configuration and were a big departure from the current Moth shape where the hull, rig, wings and the gantry were a more complete, integrated design. For example the hull morphs into the wings which work in a certain way that allow us to get more drive out of the rig. ‘We spent a year testing two
prototypes where we were sailing around three or four times a week. After his Olympic 49er gold medal, Dylan Fletcher then came on board to help with the development. ‘The boat that has resulted from
this development is the Aerocet and one of the distinctive features of this design is its low freeboard. In fact it looks quite striking from some angles but the interesting thing is that we’ve managed to maintain the volume by putting it in other places.’ It’s still early days for the Aerocet
but the initial indications are good after a win at this year’s Foiling Week on Lake Garda. However, while the world’s top sailors help to drive development in the class and performance continues to increase, some are asking whether the Moth is becoming harder to sail as a result of its continual refinement. ‘It’s an interesting question,’ says Maguire. ‘The initial developments that we made with the Exocet actually made the boat easier to sail, for example getting onto the foils earlier certainly makes life easier. But it is also true to say that some of the upgrades that followed made the later Exocets harder to master. A deck-sweeping sail makes any boat more difficult to sail. On the other hand we’ve always worked very hard on creating the best control systems we can, which in turn means you can push the boat harder with confidence. So overall it’s not a straightforward answer.’ Below the waterline the
development on the foils and the vertical strut have also been important areas. Roughly speaking, as speeds go up so the span of the foil can come down which reduces drag. And while there’s nothing new in this, it is clear that the ability to fly early also depends on what happens above the waterline. Most recentlyMaguire has been
working on the vertical strut which has a reduced chord and reduced thickness. This in turn hasmeant a
Above: the Aerocet’s defining features include low freeboard and ultra-thin foil struts with a very short chord, but the same bending and torsional properties as the Exocet’s foil struts. Fletcher won the 2022 Moth European
Championship in Quiberon, France recently as well as Foiling Week. Right, upper and lower: all resins, adhesives, additives and fillers for this challenging build are supplied by Pro-Set
focus on the structural aspects of the foil. ‘We spent a lot of time on this to create something that has the same structural characteristics as the original struts with the same bending and tortional properties. But again, the influences on this have changed. An increase in speedsmeans that what was once our small foil is now the standard foil because we’re going much faster. So now we need to develop an even smaller one.’ All of which points towards
materials and highlights why Pro- Set’s involvement is so important. ‘Primarily in the foils we have been using resin infusion for which Pro-Set has provided a great deal of help to us. Foil struts are typically long and thin and have lots of unidirectional fibres in them so as a structure to infuse it’s about as hard as it gets. ‘Then on the hull side we use
hand layup and vacuum bagging and here we use all Pro-Set products from infusion resins and adhesives to additives and filler powders.
‘Aside from the quality of their
products the level of support that we get is superb and reflects our own objectives when it comes to supporting our customers, which in turn has been such an important part of our success to date. ‘The level of knowledge that Pro-
Setmakes available is already really impressive and on top of this they will also run test pieces as well, which is another way that they help us to feel confident about what we’re building. Part of the Exocet’s success is that it is such a reliable boat and having a strong relationship with your supplier is so important. ‘The other thing to bear inmind
is that these boats clock up huge distances in their lives. During the testing of the prototype Fletcher racked upmore than 7,500km. Durability and reliability is very important.’When it comes to the cutting edge, success is clearlymore than just about speed.
www.wessexresins.co.uk
❑ SEAHORSE 67
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