measurements which also means that when we get both of those things together, we know that the diamond tension is spot on and we're ready to go.’ Such technology and techniques
are of course well known in the racing world where at the very leading edge, the America’s Cup has been an important driver. But, modern multihulls are bringing their own set of conditions and requirements into the mix. Righting moment is one particular area where multihulls by definition can generate very high loads and the power that goes with it. But now the development in foils on multihulls is taking the power game onto yet another level. ‘We are currently working on the
Persico 72, a 72ft performance cruising cat that is fully foiling, and this looks set to be just the start,’ says Hauser. ‘While not everyone will want to head down this route, it is clear to us that we will be needing to work in this area more and more as foiling becomes the norm and where the speeds take another step up. Even just from an aerodynamic point of view the greater speed thanks to foils has a big knock-on effect for our design and engineering.’ Indeed, the integration of the
complete rig package with the rest of the boat will be influenced as Wallace explains. ‘The Persico 72 project was a
good example of the collaboration that’s required. One of the key decisions was where to put the forestay. Given the size and proportions of the desired sail plan, the balancing act involved establishing the right place so that the mast bends where it needs to, but at the same time supports the various configurations of foresails while still achieving the lightest solution. Sometimes knowing where the forestay needs to go from the sails’ point of view will lead to a heavy topmast which is clearly not desirable. So, being involved at an early stage allowed us to work with
Top: the Persico 72 is likely to be the first of many large, foiling cruising cats that will have a major influence on rig design in the near future. Above: the overall weight of Highland Fling’s rig package was significantly reduced by bringing Southern Spars into the design loop at an early stage
the entire team to achieve a lighter overall package while still achieving the original design objectives.’ An area of required development
that is less obvious, but can have big implications, is in providing accurate loads for designers and other equipment manufacturers. ‘Producing accurate load mapping
is really important for the overall design,’ said Wallace. ‘From the total amount of mast compression, to the amount of torque that is required to rotate the mast on the ball, these are key factors that feed into making the rig easy and safe to handle, especially for small crew numbers. ‘If the boat has a rotating rig
there is another level of detail that is crucial when it comes routeing control lines from the mast into the deck superstructure.’ A bi-product of modern multihulls
is that their stability and structural rigidity along with high loads can sometimes make it difficult to assess just how loaded the boat is. ‘Becausemultihulls don’t heel like
amonohull, knowing when loads are building and getting close to their peak can be quite difficult,’ says Hauser. ‘The risk is that loads can go through the roof quickly, so load monitoring is a big part of these powerful new boats. Load cell
monitoring systems have become increasingly important and the Synapse systemdeveloped together with Future Fibres has taken this onto another level by accuratelymeasuring and recording the loads as the rig, rigging and boat are seeing them. ‘This allows the North Design
Services software to compare the designed loads with those that are being experienced across a full range of real-world conditions. From here we can set limits and red lines along with being able to create accurate tuning guides.’ A good example of the latter
in operation came with a recent rig installation. ‘The recent Highland Fling 80
rig was stepped in a day and the boat was sailing the next day. From arriving on the dock, to dressing, stepping and sailing was less than 36 hours,’ says Hauser. ‘One of the big advantages we
have throughout the process from concept to delivery is that within the North Technology Group we have the mastmaker, the rigging supplier and the sailmaker all working together. Given just how sophisticated, refined and complex the process now is I honestly don’t know how you would do it without that kind of group.’
www.southernspars.com
❑ SEAHORSE 59
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