34th America's Cup: multihulls!

I thought the NACRA 17 was selected? No?

 

yes correct a boat designed specifically for the tender

 

Ok, so assuming that the Nacras will be used for several Olympics would it be
relatively easy to add foils to them?
Obviously some other mods might have to be made to enable that, but I'm
thinking of some standard pathway to foilers from a common starting point. An
Olympic class boat would seem to be the logical choice IMO, but I'm happy to
be mercilessly mocked for my naivete.

 

I didn't follow Cowes week, but perhaps it looked something like the Round the Island race. There, out of some 1000 boats there were 30-odd multihulls, many quite aged and only one newer racing machine - the Seacart.

And probably the Seacart was 5-7 years old. This actually fits well with my own impression of multihull racing of this type; there was a self-builder and 'early adopter' period from the 80's until recently, but the wind has gone out of it.

One reason I think is that there are fewer young people who wish the build their own boats. Another reason is no doubt that the cost has risen a lot, to build a boat which will amaze people with its speed.

I had a good friend who was by no means affluent, but he built a catamaran in the mid-80's which was the fastest sailboat in his country for several years. That is not possible anymore and today you need a lot more money to do the same thing.

But it was fun while it lasted.



But despite this aging of the cruising/racing grownups, I'm still impressed by all the more recent racing activity in smaller cats. There's more of that now, and it has gone mainstream, more then ever.

 

Baby steps ... first get rid of three singlehand classes

Then add a foiling multi as a second multi class ...

With a 4 year cycle NZ killing foiling multis should they win won't help.

 

Olympic boats are chosen by the silly old farts from ISAF, got any Finns at your club..now you know
The T was removed as their research said multihulls are not popular

 

LOL I know.

I still have a complete set of DIY Tornado plans from Russia ...

There was a sound bite from Team Portugal during the ACWS (to stay on topic) where they said "Learning the wing was not as hard as we thought it would be, but we have been sailing together since Opti's"

That is what the sport needs if it is to be healthy IMO.

 

34th AC

Why not start another thread about new foiling cats, the next Cup, the color of Santa's beard etc., and keep this on the America's Cup? Please.

 

34th AC

Letter to the editor from Scuttlebutt tonight:

From John Riise:
Like many others, I was openly critical of the decision to sail AC34 in foiling catamarans. And I have to say I agree with Grant Dalton (in Scuttlebutt 3924) that we will probably never see them again if the Cup goes to New Zealand. But I'll tell you what - watching those two magnificent boats and crews tearing up the Bay, I think I know how the suits at Kodak must have felt when they saw the first digital camera...

 

I suspect that if the Kiwies win the cup they will have a hard time if they try to go back to the 12s.
Multihulls are addictive.
During the 70s, my most intensive racing years, I sought out girls from the Lazer, fast dingies and sport boat racing classes. They loved the speed, the winning and displayed a killer instinct when racing. I have met so many mono sailors who were converted by their first race on a trimaran for instance.

 

I say - the next cup, regardless of who wins, will be multihul foilers with soft sails. Smaller size than the AC72, more rational and safe flight-control systems will be allowed. Some limits on the nationality of the sailors might be re-introduced, though I hope it will not be too tight. I just like the idea of the crowd from one country cheering for sailors coming from all around the world to race for that country. We need this sort of message, in these times.
Bets (beer, vine and apetizers) are accepted.

 

The wings are ... extremely good, equals less main sheet loads, less platform bending, way better efficiency than "flapping horse covers" - so need to keep them. Need large and medium sized versions though.
The thing about foilers; they don't have to be monsters to go at the same speed as AC72's - therefore smaller platform, say 55-60 feet; more manoeuvrable, and less expense.
But smaller boats, less impressive. That's the main reason crowds love the big guys.

 

It will be difficult to "sell" two boat race to the general public if they are small.
I think bigger the better, less rational and far more expensive. Like the Roman games, we need unsafe, dangerous races. Thumb down to the looser.
That is the way TV works. Two small boat competing will be quite the end of TV retransmission. A blow to the greedy, of the chart, ego maniac, sponsors, drama queen, of the America's Cup.

 

Other stuff Oracle coulda done, prior to that slowdown on the downwind?

From Scuttlebutt:

 

This sounds too good to be true, doesn't it. A countercurrent of 2 knots will for example allow the AC72 to then sail 6 knots faster...