Design
The AC40 is set to be launched as a one-design class for owner-drivers as well as being the women’s and youth boat for the next America’s Cup
of drawings and amendments quite straightforward.” From ETNZ’s standpoint, where the
primary focus is on one-off custom yachts, designing a production boat added a new dimension, which Bernasconi says will help in developing their AC75 for 2024. ‘Our in-house build team expects reasonably detailed drawings from us anyway, so we have developed good internal processes and very clear communication between the design team and our own build team,” he says. ‘With the AC40, the biggest change was
with the hydraulics and electronics. Usually the installation is done with the boat in front of us – obviously with a lot of design beforehand, but not down the level of detail that we had to apply for a boat being built remotely. By the AC40 forcing us to get thatmuchmore detailed in our design drawings, we see where we canmake efficiency gains in building our own boats.’ Through delivery and commissioning of
the first boat off the production line, ETNZ has been hugely impressed by the product and the process. After being subjected to rigorous on-shore load tests and dry-sail
80 SEAHORSE
‘Four guys can pick up this 40ft hull and walk it down the factory’
systems checks, followed by tow-tests to check the foiling system, the boat was sailing just three days after delivery. Its first outing was in light to moderate conditions. Within 15 minutes of hoisting the sails for the first time, the AC40 was foiling upwind at 29-31 knots. During that debut session it executed five foiling tacks, 11 foiling gybes and reached a top speed of 36 knots. The polars indicate a top speed of 44 knots
in 20 knots of true windspeed, with an upwind speed of 39 knots. ‘I don’t think we will breach the 50-knot barrier with this boat, but it might get pretty close,’ says Bernasconi. ‘I was absolutely blown away by the
boat’s performance and how everything worked straight out of the box,’ says Ray Davies, who was part of initial on-the- water test crew. ‘We have had no issues with the boat. The sea trials have been completed and she ticked all the boxes. from day one. It is everything we wanted it to be. We are very confident the AC40 will become a class in its own right and will be fit for purpose for the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup contests, as
well as for a private owner-driver class.’ ‘You do not need to be an elite helmsman to sail this yacht,’ Davies emphasises. ‘You just need three other very good people around you. This has been the vision for this class from the outset. It is really satisfying to see it happening. We can put hand on heart and say it is real.’ With the flight control fully automated
– the helmsman can set the height in 100mm increments – and all the other functions including foil deployment, multiple sail trim inputs, mast rotation and rudder rake powered by hydraulics, it is a push-button boat. That takes nothing away from the
excitement, the action or adrenalin rush. Along with the tremendous speed rush, there are plenty of speed-generating inputs to test the sailing skills, tactical intelligence and teamwork of crews, while taking physical size and strength out of the equation. This makes the AC40 ideal for women
and youth teams, for efficient America’s Cup training and testing purposes as well as opening the possibility of an exciting new owner-driver foiling class.
www.mcconaghyboats.com
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