Since it has been stated by at least two teams that this will be the first & last we see of AC 72’s (if they win of course) raises topic for speculation of …what could be the next generation AC boat design & why ?
Hi Marc
This drawing was published by new papers few years ago after 2007 to be used for the next generation of AC and called AC33. Was so credible that my self I have anticipated the story by designing and building the AC33 model reported on this forum : http://www.rcsailing.net/forum1/showthread.php?4991-IACC120Cup/page3&highlight=AC33.
Someone later was calling for the AC90.
Cheers
ClaudioD
Could it be that most sailors aren’t used to going “this” fast on a multihull - so a much slower design would be inevitable, along with more lead/weight to slow them down even more? Time to forget about calling it a race and simply refer to the event as “America’s Cup Sailing”. And if this kind of design is still too fast for some, perhaps they will need to add crew, keel weight, smaller sails, or anything else to reduce speed and make the boats even slower.
I’m positive had technology been around 100+ years ago, the owners would have continued to build toward the fastest boat possible. If not, a lot of money has been spent trying go the fastest at going slow over the years.
Just my own personal opinion - Personally, I’d like to see a class where anyone could enter, and it would be a one person boat to eliminate the “arms race where rectangular dollars = linear speed” :banghead:
Few recent interviews with sailors racing with both types of boats ac45 , ac72 , rc44 and Farr40 are telling that a small mistake on the multi cannot be recovered since the number of possibles maneuvers are rather limited while with mono there is more fun since an eventual error and due to the wider range of possible setting, it is possible to recover a “lost” race.
So the sailors themselves find more fun racing with mono then with multi that they consider frustrating but they are ‘workers’ and responding to the sponsor investments !!! .
For me it is clear and I find boring when a multi stop suddenly with the speed after a “wrong” turning around a buoy and definitively loosing the race because the only possible recovery is “if” all the others contenders make the same mistakes !
ClaudioD
http://www.flixxy.com/2013-americas-cup-sailing-boats-fly-over-water.htm#.UZrJnkq9h1E
Apologies if you’ve seen this - but 7 tons??? Moving this fast??? So far it “looks” like Larry Ellison (Oracle) has got it figured out as well - or better - than the others. Seems if one can do it, so should the others… given enough $$$$$$
Prada is thumbing their collective noses at the AC committee who recommenced that folk stay off the water until the 22…looks good…
Bertelli ask the AC Committee, among others, to let start racing only to a max wind speed of 22knots (actual 33kt) during selections and up to 25knots max for the final.
If these requests are rejected, Prada will withdraw from the Cup !
Interesting to observe that in the video presented above, Oracle hulls have the nose slightly tilted down while the Prada, in the above picture, the hulls appear slightly tilted up !.
ClaudioD
great, lets be just like NASCAR and put restrictor plates on the cars so they can’t go so fast…
what was the orginal tag line “the best skippers and the fastest boats”
now its “the best skippers*, and the fastest boats**”
- with great lawyers
**so long the wind doesn’t blow over 25 knots
whats next…we can race so long as the wind doesn’t blow during and ebb tide with 2’ chop. if you built a boat for a specific condition lets say light air and flat water, and you race day comes and its rough and high winds, if you don’t sail, you are listed as DNS…
the Ac has been raced before in winds over 20 knots… Bring on the carnage…
Marc
if I remember well also with mono-hull AC racing up to 2007, where imposed minimum and maximum wind speed.
Some races were canceled due to low wind speed below 2kt and few times also due to strong wind while spending hours in front of TV waiting for a good start.
Races were also canceled if not concluded within 2 hours !
Not surprised if , in view of recent facts, the wind speed is becoming an important argument after all money spent and life lost for this event !
Cheers
ClaudioD
I can understand a low limit. not fun bobbing around. and to a point I can understand an upper limit no point in tearing up boats and risking men
that being said, I hate to see boats built for a specific wind range and when that range exceeds what they built for, they whine…
they built these boats for a specific wind condition… and since they can’t easily “depower” they are screwed…
Of course now this close to the event and the boats being built, they have few options but to “run what you brung” and limit the speeds…
should they step back and make foiling illegal? will that make the boats safer buy cutting the speeds. or do the foils make the platforms more stable…
Hi, i am still young and not as experienced in sailing or boat construction as many of you here, but i really like the render claudio posted.
Let’s face it if ac doesn’t get the media coverage it does’t really have a future. And multihulls brought it into the spotlight around the world.
But multis are not the only fun way of sailing nor are they the only ones who are spectacular.
I mean look at the tp52s close-racing upwind and screaming downwind. Take a look at the volvos or the imoca60s, planing monohulls are amazing to watch, and i believe that boats with moving ballast(not only canting keels) can demonstrate close racing nowdays.
And for foiling, how about a foiling 80footer monohull? That would be spectacular for the general audience, and a giant technical challenge.
And danger is the price if they want to fly, i guess.
All best, Erik
I wonder if the dangers could be reduced by having foiling zones on the course, with the intent of forcing the boats to reduce speed as the come into the turns?
Clearly, this wouldn’t have prevented the problem with Artemis. I think that the bigger issue is really to do with the specifications. If the boats were forced to be significantly over engineered they shouldn’t break, of course, they might not foil either.
Hmm …want to fly, buy a plane !
Foils & Wings are not and will never become main stream sailing, just as the AC will never be major media event either … too many “capitalist dreamers” on that soap box. Just wait until LVC cup begins and see how much live coverage there will be …Nil !!!
The only time AC became major media material was when Australia took the cup away from the U.S … and it was significant “history” that excited the world then, not technology.
a solution for 50knots speed ?
http://www.speeddream.org/site/index.html
http://speeddreamblog.blogspot.fr/
ClaudioD
a couple of big wrecks, and the press is on it. If it bleeds it leads…
Its like watching daytona or indy. do most fans really care about 40 ego maniacs driving fast around a track…NO, they want to see mangled sheet metal…
The sailing audience is a small niche…
Hi K1W120, That certainly is not the classic style of boat I like to sail but it is one hell of a machine. Maybe it is not sailing
anymore but flying. I am about to start building one in one meter size. Regards
Norman
Fantastic soft landings and “touch and go” in sequence and always with the noses slight ‘up’
Can be only the winner !!
ClaudioD
how bout foiling beach cats… with soft sails…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5doBIv3TVbA
Hello everyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dokkkqBcyPQ
I wonder what would happen if, instead of putting a bulb in the windward side (as in the video), we somehow, we put a float on the leeward side, so that the boat does not heel.
This is my question to myself for several months, how to change the float from side to side.
With this technique we would save the heavy bulb.
Maybe this is a stupid idea, but I will keep thinking about it.
Regards