this experiment does prove as successful as we suspect it will. A proposal will be voted on at the AGM next year but there are a number of reasons why I think the devel- opment is a positive one which should be considered favourably. The most important and also the most


immediate benefit is that being able to trim the hull shape expands the competitive crew weight spectrum. At the moment the 12 class is dominated by light crews who are faster in almost all conditions. However, taken to its logical conclusion,


look further ahead and we may be able to reduce the cost of staying competitive long term, upgrading as hull shapes develop. The build arrangement we have employed on Paradigm 4 separates the tasks of the hull shell and the structure of the boat. Develop this idea and in future when you want to upgrade your boat you could keep the rig, deck, foils and all the fittings the same and just change the outer shell. The lower cost of changing to a ‘new’ boat may also stimu- late newer innovative shapes as there is less financial risk attached to failure. It was interesting to read in a recent


issue of this magazine that America’s Cup and Imoca designer Guillaume Verdier, talking at the time about the Class40, feels so strongly that we should be less obsessed with building new boats when we could be much more aggressive – and save a lot of time and money – by putting a new hull shape under a perfectly good existing platform. And who am I to argue with Guillaume Verdier.


60 SEAHORSE


q


Top/centre: appropriately named Really? the first Paradigm 4 with two lines showing the shape-shifting range that is currently possible. In the top image red represents full planing with straighter centre sections and a flat run aft; the blue line illustrates the opposite case at maximum rocker for light conditions and/or upwind sailing. The stern shot illustrates the vertical movement seen at the transom – the difference may look modest but on a sensitive 12-footer the difference in feel when sailing is significant. The levers (top left) that generate the power to force down the pressure pads in the hull, either singly or together emerge just ahead of the mast foot. Note the blue valve which allows air to pass in and out of the hull with the changes in hull shape. The Paradigm 4 features flatter stern sections than the Dead Cat Bounce (which has a very low wetted surface area) but shape shifting then allows that additional wetted area to effectively be removed when needed. And (above) a slightly simplified illustration of how it all works


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