Now we’re talking!
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 31 Dec 2017 17:25 PST
Mean machine - MW680F OD © wilson-marquinez.com
Yes indeed. Got to get any red-blooded sailor’s heart pumping, but not too much if you have a few kays on the clock, huh! Here’s a sports boat for the time, so much so you think Thompson who? Now normally some pretty CAD images are not enough to get you waxing on, but the MW680F is a bit of an exception.
It is the product of Argentina’s Wilson Marquinez Naval Architecture/Design House, that is the brainchild of Laureano Marquinez and Nahuel Wilson. (Now when you think of Argentina, think Soto 40 and one Juan K, too.) Their site says Laureano and Nahuel are both passionate sailors since childhood, and have worked together most of their professional lives, from the time they graduated as Naval Architects from the University of Quilmes in Argentina in 2003.
Since their time at university they have had the chance to work together on a wide array of yacht design projects, ranging from cruisers, super yachts, maxis and grand prix boats such as V70’s, TP52 and America’s Cup foiling cats. 15 years of experience dealing with the top professionals in their field, makes them a team with a great level of experience in both the design aspect as well as the management of top-level yacht design projects.
Yet, and apart from the images and CFD work shown here, it is the numbers that make the story. Just 6.8m LOA, 2.5-3.5m in beam, a retractable keel that is 0.35m up and 1.6m down so that it is super stiff and the whole lot weighs just 300kg plus 250kg in crew. Little wonder the OD rocket has just 40m2 of sail, but then remember that the MW680F is just 22 and a half feet. It also has a low freeboard, so you’d think time up on foils would be very handy.
Wilson-Marquinez say of it themselves, “The MW680F OD is a natural evolution in performance yacht design and comes to apply the latest technology to monohull One Design racing. With a crew of three, it will be of wide appeal to sailors from many skill levels, ages, and genders searching for fun, fast, and exciting sailing at the edge of sailing technology. The boat will be also capable to sail fast and easy in conventional mode with the foils retracted when necessary.”
So if the design is listed as 2016, and with these sort of looks and speed data, why have we not seen them as yet? Not totally sure, but with OD, the rule book and manufacturing protocols and standards are crucial, so perhaps this offers some insight, as they refer to it as a budget package. Sails, rig and aero set up are also bound to be a huge component of the development process. Just look at our friends at SuperFoiler.
What then of those numbers, then? Well it is a non-trap boat, can be sailed in low-rider mode, but in her V-foiler mode can match wind speed in anything over 10 knots TWS. The rudder foil is set ashore and the V-Foils are adjustable on the water to maintain stability. She comes standard with mainsail, job and an ace, that looks a lot like screecher. That last point is important when you look at it in light of these comments by the designers, “It has modes that make it fast, but also safe; it should interest the keelboat racer wanting to step up towards multihull-level performance but on a more familiar platform.”
Perhaps Nahuel Wilson sums up the whole process best by saying, “It comes naturally to us to search for performance and style in design, which is of great importance to our clients. A boat that is beautiful brings to its owner a strong sense of pride and that means a lot to us too.”
Right then. Happy New Year to all, and here are some gems for you to review. Sydney to Hobart, including awesome videos from Dale and Crosbie Lorimer, wicked images by that man ‘Drew’, Studio Borlenghi chipped in with theirs as well, Peter Campbell kept us informed of the goings on with the Launceston to Hobart, North Sails had a killer year with records going down like the proverbial dominoes, the Clipper, the AC, B14s, 420 Worlds out of Perth, a load of classes to run National or World titles soon like Etchells, Skiffs and Contenders, Festival of Sails looms, as too Heaven Can Wait, Pantaenius took us for a close in look at the aftermath in the Caribbean, the first Pantaenius Newport to Coffs Coast Yacht Race crawled up the coast to a great time ashore, the Volvo prepares to depart Melbourne and we have all the intel on that here, and much, much more.
Remember, if your class or association is generating material, make sure we help you spread your word, and you can do that by emailing us.
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