Design
Demolding the hull of Regent Craft's first full scale prototype seaglider
twin rudders, the idea had been batted around for quite a while before they committed to the change. ‘Once we decided to do the ballast project, it made sense to do it all at once because the aft tanks are built around the new rudders.’ That first pair of rudders were what
Henderson describes as “Volvo 70” sized; subsequent designs have seen an area reduction. ‘We’ve built two sets of rudders plus a spare, all part of the ongoing development,’ says Day – before clarifying that Moore Bros had to subcontract out one of those sets, because ‘we just didn’t have the time.’ ‘The pure sailing performance
improvement has been huge,’ the boat captain says. Shortly after the rudders and ballast
were installed, Bella Mente showed off those performance improvements with a win at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Owner Hap Fauth quipped at the prize-giving, ‘Our boat had great speed – which compensated for my age!’ Less than a
year later, the team posted another significant victory at the IMA Maxi European Championship. ‘She has legs is all I can say,’ her proud owner said. Hap Fauth is constantly challenging his
team to make improvements, Henderson explains. ‘He says, “If you’re not making the boat better, you're falling behind.”’ Along with improving the ballast
‘If you’re not making the boat better, you’re falling behind’
system’s transfer rate, the boat captain and designer are also playing with rudder rake. In recent months Moore Brothers has modified all of the rudders to adjust their rake. ‘At certain
angles, the single rudder could get quite loaded. Particularly reaching, the twin rudders are really nice. As we continue to develop the twin rudder setup, we are fine- tuning the rake to find a happy medium with the helm load,’ Henderson adds.
Turning ideas into working parts Once the Bella Mente team commits to another upgrade, Henderson says that Moore Bros’ attention to detail is
absolutely key to its success. ‘We have a performance group that discusses concepts and the development path,’ he explains. ‘Once the performance group makes the decision on the path forward, I become the conduit between our boatbuilding team and Moore Bros, and I jokingly give them a hard time; “guys, concepts are one thing, executing is another”. We coordinate all that together, then get it to work, and then go and test it.’ Moore Bros’ execution has been
flawless, he adds. ‘When we did the ballast and the twin rudders, that was an insanely big change to the boat. And we only had one day of testing before the next regatta.’ On their practice day, ‘the first time
the rudder loaded, we had a small interference where it passes through the hull; that had to come out and get trimmed up. That was it – and then we went out and raced the next day! That just doesn't normally happen.’ ‘The other 72 teams keep a close eye on Bella Mente ’s modifications, as we
Wing fabrication for Regent Craft’s prototype seaglider 74 SEAHORSE
One of five rudders – two sets plus a spare, for BellaMente
MOORE BROTHERS
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