The quest for a new Quest ends up flat on the mat…

by John Curnow on 29 Jun 2015 Bob Steel is effectively synonymous with sailing in Australia. The cherries atop the list of accolades for the man are Yachtsman of the Year and twice he has hoisted the Tattersall’s Cup aloft just after Christmas. The first was in the very pretty Nelson Marek 49 and then again with the Farr-penned TP52. Indeed the latter was the last in the line of like seven vessels with the navy hulls and gold, serif faced ‘Quest’ adorning their topsides probably even better known than Bob himself.

Steel had a little time on the quay after moving on from the TP. Too much time if you ask him, actually. So you cannot keep a good man down and they do not come much better than the smiling Bob Steel. It wasn’t long before Steel had to get off the couch once more and many an astute observer was keen to see what Bob went for. Well the answer is the new M.A.T. 1180. Hull #2 to be precise...

The Mark Mills penned, vinylester resin infused E-glass gem from M.A.T. in Izmir in Turkey is very much the vogue item. She has a flush deck, offset companionway hatch, with the foot of heady running along the foredeck and the curve of the prodder taking the tack of the ace down to just below the tip of the de rigueur plumb prow.

Now Steel is a regular and keen participant in Northern migration in Australia. There are more than enough successes in there as well. So if this was pure logistics management, you’d be delighted, for the M.A.T. 1180 arrives just in time, literally, even if that means some of the early events are likely to be shakedown cruises.

When you talk with Bob you get the sense that real clarity was behind his choice of the M.A.T. 1180. Steel commented, “Yes. I did believe that the fellow was picky, a small boat builder and the other M.A.T.s were made well. Also, there was the new Mills design flowing on from the new era Mini Maxis, Momo, RAN 2 and Mill’s own Alegre 3, along with the latest TPs. Equally, I was also pleasantly surprised by the cost, for based on the pricing of similar sized competitors I had expected that it would be maybe AU$200 to 250k more!”

“Gerry Hatton and Mike Fountain seemed to be winning and smiling on the new Bushranger (M.A.T. 1245). This new boat will allow me to do my best in racing and then also do well and enjoy the twilight races with mates and introduce some landlubbers, too. I considered the Bolt 37 (Jason Ker) and also the Ker40, but this is the boat for me.”

How far can you see?

The first set of regattas is the complete triad of Airlie Beach, Hamilton Island and then Magnetic Island Race Weeks. From there Steel confesses he hasn’t really thought about too much, but just as quickly, the Transpac and Antigua Race Week get a mention. “I get the feeling I will turn left at Christmas for the Pittwater to Coffs”, said the new RPAYC member, and as for intense pressure to head South once more, he simply says, “Let’s get the job done first and see what comes after that.”

The new Quest is due on the docks in the second week of July. They feel they have their ducks in a row and have all the necessary resources in place to throw at it, so as to ensure they are ready. Steel reflected, “We’ll see how we go. I like to do a good a preparation and keep maintenance up to my boats. We’ll sail her to her waterline length and keep at it. Rule One is to enjoy it, no matter what. I’m not sure that second is the new first, but I do know you have to keep the crew happy!”

Like a lot of owners, Steel was also looking for a vessel with smaller crew requirements, which means more Wednesday and Thursday racing and also lower running costs. However, and after 40 years and seven boats, there was still the desire not to be at home too much, just the right amount. “I was keen to get back into it and if we get a sniff of a win, we’ll chase it. Never say never…”

Crews for the Northern series have some pretty cool names. Mike Green, Mike Fountain, Neil Newton, Clinton Evans, Mick Slim, Adam Brown, Dave Morris and Nick Mrdjen are going to make the new Quest quick. As we said before, just how quick we’ll find out, but then that’s the excitement, and if Hull #1’s efforts are the benchmark, then it will be even cooler than the list of names on board!

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What about the boat?

Straight up, this is not really going to be your first boat. Just look at it. It is like a big dinghy, with all of the joys and pitfalls that entails. Now here’s the really big thing. Has the M.A.T. 1180 finally answered the sub 45’ IRC question?

Well it looks like it, for the 1180 is certainly the most promising attempt in ages. Light enough, without being so light as to attract a stupid penalty. You could probably lose up to 500kg by going all carbon, but the cost and rating increases are prohibitive.

As it is, the MAT 1180 has serious foam in the areas that matter, which is a direct result of all the top-end engineering that SP Sytems/Gurit carried out. By way of example, her ring frames are glassed in with bi-axial E-glass and not simply bonded. From day one and over time, that stiffness is going to help you do well, along with the huge runners and integral keel box section, which is all carbon.

There’s a large enough rig to give her grunt without having to have a huge complimentary wardrobe to account for several gear changes and of course, and without a massive rating hike to boot. The resultant smaller bulb is an added bonus here. Spool up out of the tacks and she takes off quickly, which will maybe give you three to five lengths over the displacement opposition each time. That will help with getting to the top faster, given you’ll have the same sort of straight-line uphill speed as the equivalent sized ocean graders.

At the top you’ll be heading off at 135° in the light, whereas they’ll be more like 160°, so it will be hard going, but as the breeze builds, they’ll still be doing 8s or 9s and you’ll be off matching wind speed and getting lower, say 145°. Once past 15 knots TWS it’s yours, and they won’t be able to hang on as you soak deeper and deeper. You and your crew will have to be on your game right around the track, however, remember you need to hand them over a minute per 6nm at that sort of breeze strength. Note to owner here - What the others won’t get is the smile on the dial factor.

Now if it is passage racing, well, the moment the sheets are sprung, or anything clocking further back, you will be showing even some bigger boats the track to the waypoint, so make sure the tablet’s on deck and the local knowledge hounds have the eyes out. You could be sniffing that win Bob was on about earlier, before you even know it.

Sumner-Miller.

How is it so? Well it would seem only but a few of the designers have worked out the beam/chine/LOA/LWL/wetted surface area conundrum, with Mark Mills being one of them. The soft chines allow for three distinct areas and keep hull form for maximum stability with a righting moment of 140°+. Bolt upright, the flat, wetted surface area is small and the aft waterline won’t be at the transom, it will actually be about 1.5m further back up for’ard, just behind the rudder.

At around 14°heel the maximum possible knuckle to transom length is deployed by virtue of the soft chine (close to 40’ LWL), and with maybe 40% reduced rocker you get a straighter waterline. In any form of fluid dynamics straight = fast and that’s what you’re seeing here with the whole package. A flush deck and only moderate freeboard means you’ll see water (pun fully intended), but then show me any boat doing 15 or more that isn’t wet!!! Accordingly, skippers will be choosing the three biggest to sit for’ard of them…

Sure some tweaks to sail area will be required, like with the 170m2 bags, as you get the right rating. You will give away time to the displacement craft and under 8 knots it will be really hard, but over 12 it’s game on and at 14 you own it. So Bob has the boat and assembled the crew, now it is up to them to show if Mills and MAT really have nailed this. No pressure…

Tin Tacks

Jamie MacPhail has sailed with Bob for years and will be the Sailing Master on board the new Quest. “She’s 4.3 tonnes for 39 feet, whereas a current 40 is 6-7 tonne. Very different resins and materials have enabled M.A.T. to get the weight down. The IRC crossover appears to be about 14 knots true. So you have the M.A.T. 1245 at 1.135 and then the M.A.T. 1180 at more like 1.180. In 10 knots it is likely that the 1245 will beat the 1180 in Windward/Leewards. The 1245 might be doing 8knots @ 160°, whereas the 1180 will doing 9+, but @ 135°. Come 15 knots, however, and the others will be still 8s at maybe 165°-170, but the new 1180 will have soaked down to 145° by now and be rocketing along at 12-15 knots. In 20+ knots it’s a full on dinghy. Yeehaa!”

“Add in passage racing, where reaching and running are crucial and it is another game all together. The M.A.T. should suit Hammo, where we’ll be racing in IRC DIVB, which has a mixture of W/L and passagework. It definitely puts the onus back on the sailors and you get a big dose of the fun factor as your reward. Crew weight movement and the ability to make your own breeze in the puffy stuff will be fundamental to your result. Coming out of tacks to your 7.7 knot target a lot quicker than the others will be great fun”, said MacPhail.

No doubt there will be some commissioning time required. Everything has been done to be ready to go from the outset, like having David Armitage from Quantum Sails get the rags ready. The inherent experience there from the magnificent TP52 programme will be a crucial element.

“Ultimately, to get growth in participation the owners need to have more fun to account for the dollars spent. And on that very point, with the M.A.T. 1180 you’re talking about $575,000 out there racing with safety and instruments”, said MacPhail in closing.

So spread flat before you, it is easy to see why the new Quest is a M.A.T. 1180. As a result of Bob and the crew we may get to appreciate that Multis Are Terrific, but Monos Are Tremendous. Indeed it looks like many others will be flat out trying to keep up with this IRC 39 Racer. Not for a while has the desire to see upcoming race results been so keenly felt.

Now prospective new owners won’t be laid flat on the mat when they hear the price and the other joy is that they won’t be flat out with their own quest to find details on the new M.A.T. 1180, either. Australasian skippers should simply call Jamie MacPhail on +61 408 114 477.