IRC Yacht Optimisation & Yacht Preparation The majority of new boats purchased for IRC racing are standard production cruiser / racers. The hulls, foils & rigs have often been designed by a popular architect, well known in Grand Prix racing circles; however the deck, interior & structural design are completed by the builder and their "in house" designers. If the best is to be attained from a "stock" boat, there is much to be done save placing the order and buying a suit of racing sails. The ideas and services discussed below may apply equally to existing yachts as new builds. Owners may choose to update their existing yacht rather than buy new. Equipment fitted as standard is often not up to racing loads for that size of yacht - for instance, the size of winch suggested by the hardware manufacturer's guide might have been borderline between sizes however the smaller was chosen by the builder to save money, that's fine for cruising! Indeed some manufacturers are better than others in this respect but different builders appear to economise in different areas. This is just one item of many to consider before placing the yacht order, it's far easier to fit the right gear at build. Most manufacturers will take on a semi custom deck layout of a production boat. The rig needs to be considered. I'm not going to suggest changing the dimensions or proportions of the rig at this stage however it's worth having a look at the materials used and their impact on TCC against improved performance. On the most part, yachts are supplied (standard) with aluminium rigs and steel wire rigging. Some will supply a carbon fiber mast and/or rod rigging as standard however this appears to be the exception. Recent experience shows that it is worth pursuing the lighter weight options, boat speed increases are large when compared to the increase in TCC - the handicap penalty is usually worth taking. Sail plan. This is irrespective of whether the yacht is new or older & due for an update. Usually it's best to leave the P & E* measurments as large as will fit the spars, and unless considering significant changes, J & FL will also remain unchanged. There is still plenty of scope, lets look at some examples with each sail. Although P & E might be fixed, the mainsail roach is entirely open for discussion - the main considerations being TCC and backstays, squarer sails are becoming more popular & they do offer some advantages. The designer may have drawn overlapping genoas of perhaps 140% or even 150% LP and the builder fitted sheeting tracks to suit however it may be "IRC efficient" to sail with non-overlapping headsails of maybe the 105% to 115% LP range. Spinnakers have been cheap in TCC terms for some time now and so sailing with oversized spinnakers is a cheap way of going faster. Often fractional rigs are supplied with spinnaker halyards that exit at the head and then run down the outside to spectacles at the hounds. One or both halyards could be masthead if additional spectacles are added giving scope for a larger spinnaker. Sail aspect ratio may now become a problem and so an overlength spinnaker pole may be needed in some cases. A study into sail plans can be commissioned to assertain whether a yacht will have enough power if jibs are chosen over genoas for example. This will start as a parametric study of similar yachts (length, displacement, sail area) followed by a data analysis and finally recommendations. Such a report may also include a VPP study with the production of polar charts. Additional deck gear is often needed. Many yachts are supplied without cunninghams, spinnaker tweakers / stranglers / twinning lines, toe rail headsail tracks and cars for reaching (hook sheet), asymmetric spinnaker tack line, etc... Regattas run under IRC also usually require yachts to comply to an ISAF Special Regulations category with respect to safety. Most of this is tied into the ISO and RCD standards that the yacht is built to and so fixed items should be able to be taken as compliant. There are as ever, a number of places that manufacturers slip up on. Guard rails are a prime example; from 13 metres length overall and longer, 5mm guard rails are required however there are a number of yachts sold today in the 13 to 16 metre band with 4mm rails. If you were to be strict, this is not legal for racing in the Solent! At the time of writing there is a split on guard rail materials and what is allowed. ISAF have allowed Spectra / Dyneema guard rails but RORC so far have outlawed it. Spectra / dyneema has a number of advantages over stranded wire and a second set of "soft" guard rails for non-RORC racing might be considered. Another common ommission is a (plumbed in) second manual bilge pump, this is needed for ISAF category 2 races of which the RORC Fastnet Race is one. Scott offers a project management service to purchasing owners to pull together all technical aspects of their yacht, some of which are described above, to ensure that it's launched from new with the correct gear and set up to win races. Converting a stock boat into a semi-custom racing yacht. As this service is tailored to each specific yacht and client, please contact me to discuss your project whether it be a new build, re-fit or just getting a little more from your current yacht. * IRC Definitions. P = Although measured on the spars, P broadly equates mainsail luff length. E = Although measured on the spars, E broadly equates mainsail foot length. J = Length from mast at deck to forestay at bow. FL = Broadly, this is forestay length. |