and the essential trades that make operating a state-of-the-art composite shop a reality. Michigan’s central location also means that sourcing products and shipping goods are cost-effective and quick, two key ingredients to running a shop of this nature. ‘We started Composite Builders
not to be the best custom boat- building factory, but to be the best composite factory, period. As we continue to grow, we have succeeded in aerospace, automotive, energy, sporting goods, and building state of the art boats like the Infiniti 52. When Infiniti Yachts approached Composite Builders about constructing this new take on a 52ft racing yacht, we were intrigued by the concept, styling and performance numbers presented. After the design was put through the ringer by rules and rating experts, the consensus was clear, this boat was going to be a weapon. Just the sort of project we would love to sink our teeth into. ‘We immediately got started with
preparing the appropriate female tooling for the hull and deck and getting materials ordered for the construction of the yacht. As with any new boat project, a great deal of time was taken to assure that the engineering, sail design, and mast and rigging teams all had time to get the ducks in a row before we got the nod to start construction. This boat is designed to be flogged at pace in the middle of the ocean, so best to work through any of these issues now’, says McInnes. The build team at Composite
Builders is working meticulously to
Above: the Infiniti 52 hull gets its first glimpse of daylight. Narrower in the beam
than a typical TP52, the hull is optimised for the use of DSS foils; with less form stability
required the shape is significantly different. A key benefit of Composite Builders is the availability of top class machining facilities on site
assure every layer of cloth, de-bulk and cure cycle are done with absolute care, and we are seeing the boat taking shape. The hull is now complete, and the internal structure is being painstakingly fitted and bonded to the inner skin of the hull. The whole team at Composite
Builders is very excited to see the boat hit the water and be able to put her through her paces on Lake Michigan before she heads overseas for her first series of races. The culmination of all this energy,
passion and hard work is a yacht that fully expects to deliver what it promises. Exhilarating performance for a crew that is typically 25-30% fewer people than a conventional 52ft racing yacht. For the Transpac that means seven people on board, for a more rounded course, then nine, and for a humdinger then you might consider 11... compared with 15 under IRC rating. That is an awful lot of lunches, flights and hotel rooms over the lifetime of the yacht! There is a belief that to perform
well under IRC you have to sail a yacht with the complete crew complement and with many designs, that may well be true. However, the Infiniti 46 proved that under IRC, ORC and ORR that was not necessarily the case. Class wins under IRC and ORC and an overall win under ORR in the 2019 SoCal 300 made people sit up and think that maybe, there was another way to step up (or down) in size and not be feeding an army just to go sailing. The Infiniti 52 is designed to be
fun, seriously quick and to tick the boxes the owners have asked for:
namely, not having to take an entire rugby team sailing just to find enough stability to sail to the rating. Foils are another hot topic. How to
maintain them, what to do with them, how to service the boat and so on. All of which are part of the design and engineering process; ensuring that as far as possible all parts are “off the shelf” and no captain is left fuming that a part was installed without it being very clear how it is to be uninstalled and serviced. The fun part, however, is sailing. Sailing with DSS is not complicated, proven by the success of the yachts, campaigned by largely Corinthian crews. Beautifully balanced, with increasing righting moment the faster you go, what’s not to like? Just prior to the aforementioned Rolex Middle Sea Race on the Infiniti 46 the team was approached by a highly experienced Volvo/AC/Imoca sailor, concerned that with the forecast of 30-40kts would they still be starting the race? When it was confirmed that they would be starting, he said ‘but surely not using the DSS foils?’ This massive misconception
about use of DSS foils in tough conditions is frankly shocking. The well-documented fact that when the going gets tough in an Imoca the foils get taken in is completely contrary to the experience of sailing with DSS foils. The team pointed out that if they ended up with bare poles, they would still be using the foil! One of the two finished the race and the other ended up in Sicily with structural problems – one of those funny shaped boats…
www.infinitiyachts.com
q SEAHORSE 91
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