The future of the OPEN boats

The attraction of the Open boats
The interest of this class
The objectives
How to improve the Open boats
The cost of theOpen  boat
The progresses of the speed in future.
Two types of size
The class in the future
Consequences for cruising.

The attraction of the Open boats

The Open boats  are designed for a reduced crew, 1 to 4 persons. It is what needs the average sailor when he cruises with family or friends. Often, he is the only competent person on board, with 1 or 2 persons, and he meets the same conditions as a single handled racer.

So
- easy handling
- easy control of the boat
- safety of the boat

are qualities that he is looking for, like a racer on an Open boat.

The interest of this class

The rating is rather free and allows to exploit the whole current technology :

Hull and mast carbon
Rotating mast
Water ballast etc.

No constraint and rules leads to cheaper boats than boats built on rules as WOR, IMS (Volvo Race).
On the other hand, it is necessary that the races and the boats have not any problem of security.
These problems are linked :

- to the boat
- to the material of safety and of communication aboard
- to all that surrounds the race, the weather forecast , the follow-up of the boats, the rules etc.

They are improving, but they must continue more rigorously.
For the boat, that is our concern as architect, she has to, above all, protect the crew, come back to the port by her own..

The objectives are :

1. A boat very solid, watertight, unsinkable

2. A boat self righting in all conditions (the present test is : the boat, without mast, must right up by herself, when she is upside down to 180°, in the port).

The runners begin, nowadays, to make this test.

3. A boat with a watertight mast. Then ,it will be possible to test, at sea, the self righting capability of the boat by putting her upside down, if necessary with an helicopter. That will be for the next step.

Bit by bit, a meticulousness is set up in the initiative of the runners, of architects, of organizers etc.

As architects, we wish that the rule evolves according to the progresses so we can work in the best conditions and, more exactly, that effective means are set up to verify the stability and especially the solidity of the boats during all their life.

How to improve the Open boats.

At the same time as these problems of security, other progresses can be done .It needs following and collaboration between shipowner, builder, architect, during all the life of the boat. It is a necessity for boats who are often in stress.

1. On the control of direction of the boat (autopilot)
The balance heeling
The not charging in the waves, : the control longitudinal of the stability

2. On the ease of handling, on: the fitting, on the sails, reducing

3. The speed, the design of the hull, the efficiency the drift area of the ballast, the efficiency of the sail plan (shape of the mast, shape of the sails, the weight of the boat and her center of gravity).

These progresses can be made by an improvement of the construction but also by aerodynamic researches, hydrodynamics etc, automatism.

The cost of the Open boat

A 60 ' Open costs, everything included, between 7 and 12 million FF.
The cost of the design, for a standard boat is 600 000 FF at present.
If one wants to progress, it is necessary to spend besides between 600 000 and 1 500 000 FF for research.

A 50'Open costs about 4 million FF

The progresses of the speed in future.

We may hope, during the next 4 years, the speed of the Open boats will increase of some % (2 to 7%).

With reduced crew, the potential differences of the crew are more important than the difference of speed of the boats themselves, This is the interest of the class.

For that reason, this kind of race is cheaper than races with numerous crew (America’cup, Volvo Race, IMS etc.) in which the speed of the boats is decisive.

Two types of size

For the races around the world, there are 2 categories, 50 ' and 60’ at present '.
It is good that a certain freedom continue to exist.

These 2 classes allow to adapt the race to the financial and physical differences of the competitors.

The class in the future

Such events are, above all, human adventures before being sports.
So, in order to remain human adventures , we think

That they do not have to be the object of spending too much monney

That they do not to come too much under the media pressure

That the competitor leaves the port essentially to sail on the sea with friends who have the same objectives, the passion to win coming then.

Consequences for cruising.

At the moment, we develop boats with better fittings who use techniques of Open boats (carbon, water ballast, rotating mast). They are safer, easier handling, faster (15 to 30 %) than the current boats.

Jean-Marie Finot