Please select your home edition
Edition
PredictWind - GPS 728x90 TOP

Sail trials commence for the new mxNext skiff + Video

by Brian Hancock on 7 Jun 2013
Sail trials commence for new mxNext Mark Langlois
Over the last two months as the weather in the Northern Hemisphere has warmed we have been conducting sail trials on the brand new mxNext. The boat, with its unique swept back wave-piercing bow and sculpted hiking wings is different and quite revolutionary for a small, single-handed skiff. After months of designing and even longer building it was finally time to splash the boat. Computer modeling is one thing; the real environment is quite another and so it was with some tingling anticipation that we set about putting the boat through it’s paces.

The initial trials were in relatively light winds and flat water and the boat sailed pretty much as expected. It’s light, carries a pile of sail area and is very narrow on the waterline so we expected the boat to be quick, and it was. As most of the test pilots agreed, mxNext is quite athletic to sail but once you get the hang of things it handles just like any other boat – only much faster. They, along with ourselves, wondered how well it would handle in a breeze and this past Sunday in Marblehead harbor we finally got our chance.

After three days of a late spring heat wave the land was warm and with an approaching squall line the sea breeze started to pipe up. We tapped our best pilot, Bill Lynn and he arrived enthused. The white caps at the harbor mouth were much to his liking.

For a couple of exhilarating hours Bill blasted back and forth across Marblehead harbor, the boat at times almost out of the water as it flew off the tops of waves and at other times half buried as the bow dug into the wave ahead only to have the bouyancy of the wave piercing bow kick in and raise it up again. The interesting thing was that while there was a lot of spray flying Bill remained out of the firing line. The hiking wings allowed him to sit far from the centerline and most of the water was deflected off the sculpted hull and away to leeward. Top speeds? Hard to tell be cause no one had a GPS but 15 knots would be conservative.

So what did Bill Lynn think about the mxNext? 'This was my second time sailing the mxNext. Pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of breeze, but just as cool. It’s a handful in 25-30 knots, but it delivers some pretty awesome rides and the shape of the bow seems to work as Vlad advertised. I definitely stuffed it a bunch of times, but it pops right back out and keeps going. It’s a really innovative little rocket with a bright future.'

RS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERHyde Sails 2024 - One DesignLloyd Stevenson - AC Alinghi 1456x180px BOTTOM

Related Articles

52 Super Series Porto Cervo practice race
The loss of the last 'dress rehearsal' is something of a disappointment Although there was just enough breeze to execute a couple of meaningful practice starts, the breeze dropped away and thereafter proved insufficient to allow the planned two short official practice races to be sailed today off Porto Cervo.
Posted on 22 Sep
Materials That Make the Difference
Discover the performance fabrics behind the Henri-Lloyd AW25 collection Discover the performance fabrics behind our AW25 collection. This season, Henri-Lloyd has focused on advanced, responsibly sourced materials designed to thrive in demanding coastal conditions.
Posted on 22 Sep
Teams are go for 2025 Six Metre World Championship
29 boats registered and ready to race Registration is now complete and 29 teams from ten nations are ready to race for the 2025 Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club on Long Island Sound.
Posted on 22 Sep
2025 Dutch Water Week overall
From experiment to future The Dutch Water Week concluded today with the pilot finals of the Sailing Grand Slam (SGS).
Posted on 22 Sep
RORC Transatlantic Race 2026 preview
3000 miles, one epic challenge The RORC Transatlantic Race in association with the International Maxi Association and Yacht Club de France will start from Marina Lanzarote on 11th January 2026.
Posted on 22 Sep
And so, it begins…
Grand Final not run yet, but our Hobart coverage begins with something very cool Maybe a tad earlier than last year, which I think was after the Grand Final, but the 100th entrant seemed like a good place to set things off. Now with that said, Sail-World's Hobart coverage begins.
Posted on 21 Sep
ILCA Announcement
Protecting the one-design integrity of the class ILCA's mission is to protect the integrity of strict one-design sailing—the principle that ensures every sailor competes on equal terms. This principle, enshrined in the ILCA Fundamental Rule, has been the foundation of our class's success.
Posted on 21 Sep
The Ocean Race Europe 2025: The summer of racing
Biotherm delivered a masterclass - Paprec Arkéa a lesson in consistency This Saturday, after a fiercely contested final race, the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe came to a close. It was a seven-week adventure from Germany to Montenegro, full of twists and turns, resilience, and raw emotion.
Posted on 21 Sep
Germany Deutsche Bank claim first SailGP event win
Race Day 2 of the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix The Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank has entered the winners circle, claiming their first event victory at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in tricky, light conditions on the waters of Lake Geneva.
Posted on 21 Sep
SailGP: Germany score first Event win - Day 2
The German crew led by Erik Heil sailed consistently, on a day where inconsistency was punished. Perhaps it was not surprising that in a nation known for its horology, that the time-clock should have played such a dominant role for the Final day of SailGP Switzerland.
Posted on 21 Sep