| America's Cup: Naiad to build four Oracle Racing support boats |
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Naiad is proud to announce that it has recently signed an Official Supplier agreement with Oracle Racing, the champion America's Cup team based in San Francisco. Naiad has been appointed to design and build four support vessels for the Defender's AC45 and AC72 yachts. Because of the high speeds of the race yachts, all of these new race tenders use Naiad's proven and highly efficient stepped-hull design. These complex hull forms allow Naiad to maintain high rates of speed while retaining a deep-V shape and minimizing drag for maximum fuel efficiency. Naiad has designed and produced RHIBs for private, commercial and military use for almost 30 years. In the past Naiad Design has also produced designs for support tenders for America's Cup competitors, dating back to the 1992 event in San Diego. All of the new Oracle Racing tenders will be built by Naiad Inflatables of Newport, on the USA east coast. Naiad Newport have been building Naiads under license from Naiad Design for more than seven years. Oracle Racing’s AC45 tenders are based on the Naiad 10 metre stepped-hull platform, designed to accommodate up to 700 HP. Many of these hulls are in service in New Zealand and Australia as police and rescue boats.
ORACLE Racing's pair of AC72 tenders are a new 12.9 metre stepped-hull design. Powered by twin Cummins QSB 5.9-litre, 480 HP marine diesels coupled to Mercury Racing's new NXT1 diesel stern-drives supplied by Cummins Northeast, these 50+ knot vessels are the core of ORACLE Racing's support fleet. Designed specifically for towing and race support of the AC72s which will be launched this summer, the Naiad RHIBs are fitted with the B&G Zeus12 MFD, combined with B&G Broadband 4G radar and StructurScan, to ensure that Oracle Racing has the very latest in marine electronics technology. 4G radar was selected as it has lower emissions than a cell phone. Zeus offers high performance, ultra-bright, robust chart plotting, and AIS interface. These vessels also feature hydraulic bow thrusters, cuddy cabins with storage and head facilities, and seating for six crew. Crew connection points will be provided for laptops and equipment. Integrated crew communications systems and shock mitigating seating systems are being considered. The first hull is currently well underway at Naiad Newport’s facilities in Rhode Island. The second hull will be started late February. The boats will undergo performance testing in Narragansett Bay in late May 2012 prior to being delivered to Oracle Racing in San Francisco.
For further information about Naiad please contact: John Cowan Naiad Design Ltd Phone: +64 21 994-751 Email: john@naiad.co.nz
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