This...
"Historically IMOCA 60s have taken this to the maximum, gaining extra righting moment through ultra-beamy hull shapes and canting keels."
And this...
"The end result could weigh approximately 6 tonnes, almost two tonnes less than the present lightest IMOCA 60s. And once again, a substantially narrower and lighter boat, with a fixed, rather than a canting, keel and with straight foils, as opposed to L-shaped ones, can all result in a less expensive boat."
Looking at two Maxi's for example, Wild Oats XI and Perpetual Loyal, Wild Oats (an older design) is narrower and has utilized DSS successfully and proven to be the faster boat.
WOXI/LWL = 30.48m Beam = 5.4m NB Transom tapers.
Loyal/LWL = 29.99m Beam = 7m NB that beam is carried through to the transom.
My question. What do they mean by "substantially more narrow" under the rules? How narrow? And if there were no rules, how narrow could you theoretically go? Wouldn't DSS at the transom of a narrow boat and DSS forward compensate for the RM of a wider boat and significantly reduce wetted surface and provide more lift? (Forget about where to put the chain plates for now)
I'm picturing a canoe outfitted with all sorts of retractable dagger boards and foils.