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Inside
the Designer’s Head
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The First to Finish trophy, aka the Barn Door, has long been the most prestigious award in the TransPac. To better serve some of the players who cannot, or will not, pony up for a modern “one way” sled, the TPYC will now include new First to Finish awards within box rules at 40 and 50 feet.
Existing boats such as the 1D48 and some turbo charged IMS 50s should fit within the new 50 foot Box rule. But Alan Andrews has hooked a couple of clients who want something better, and will have at least two new designs on the start line this summer.
These boats are successors to Alan’s recent 45 foot Locomotion. Given light displacement and HUGE downwind sail plans, these boats boast much more power than the IOR 70 rater sleds. Deep bulb keels and controllable fractional rigs make this type very competitive upwind as well. They will definitely be fun boats to sail. Planing is better than plowing.
After years of watching people throw money at rating rule designs, losing propositions that rewarded slow boats, we think these new box rules may be a good solution for those who wish to participate outside of One Design classes.
We had a chance to chat with Alan about the new rule, and his interpretation of it. Here are his comments:
You currently have TransPac 52s under construction at Westerly Marine and at DENCHO. Are the boats basically identical, or are there significant differences in design or construction? How many boats do you anticipate will be sailing in the class in the next TransPac?
AA: The two Andrews designed Transpac 52’s are essentially identical in design and very similar in construction. They have the same hull, decks and interior structure with only a slight difference in navigation station location. Both boats are built with carbon hull, deck, and interior structure using epoxy resin and Baltek’s “Super-Lite” balsa core. The method of hull and deck laminating is slightly different with Dencho impregnating the resin into the fabric on site, then consolidating under vacuum pressure and post-curing at elevated temperature. Westerly is laminating the hull and deck using pre-preg carbon that is then cured at high temperature, also under vacuum.
It is expected that two new boats, including one of these Andrews boats, will constest for the Transpac 52 title in this summer’s Transpac Race. Illustrating the dual-purpose racing nature of these boats, the owner of the Dencho built boat will be racing his boat in buoys regattas this summer instead of Transpac.
We know you had significant input in defining the parameters for the new TP50 Box Rule. What helped the group to determine the lower limit for displacement? The reason we ask is that although the boats are very light, they are somewhat heavier than the sleds and newer “Pyewacket” types. They are even a touch heavier for their length than a Volvo 60.
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AA: The 16,500 pound displacement is “buildable” with current top end boat building techniques while still leaving enough weight for significant ballast so that these boats will also perform well upwind and around the buoys. While they are a little heavier for their length than some of the “Super-sleds” they actually are proportionally lighter than a Volvo 60 and the Andrews 45 “Locomotion” when the comparison is based on waterline, not overall length. This displacement limit insures these boats are excellent downwind performers but not “one way” downwind only boats.
We noticed that the rule limits the SPL to 22 feet, while your boat shows an option for up to a 28-foot pole. Why was the pole length limited?
AA: SPL is limited to 28 feet under the Transpac 52 rule. The spinnaker area is also limited. It looks like the class will be using poles about 21.3 feet for buoys racing with a little bit smaller spinnakers.
Did you consider using a prod and asymmetric kite instead of the standard pole/symmetric kite arrangement? Seeing as how these boats appear to be overgrown sport boats it seems that an ASO might have worked pretty well. It would definitely be easier to gybe.
AA: The offshore spinnaker inventories will include only asymmetrical spinnakers as the boats go so fast that the apparent wind will be pretty far forward most of the time. However, our experience with Turbo-sleds has shown that being able to square the pole aft under the shoulders of the spinnaker brings a significant advantage when running downwind in medium to windy conditions. Gybing techniques have been worked out over the last few years on other Andrews designs such as “Magnitude”, “Medicine Man” and “Locomotion” so that this is pretty easy and painless for offshore racing. Rob Moore has a great explanation in January’s Lattitude 38 on page 109. So the answer is, yes these will perform as overgrown sport boats, only better because you can pull the pole aft.
Are you planning to use specialized “TransPac” foils, or are the boats being set up for all around performance? Is that information top secret?
AA: In general, this is an owner preference item and subject to optimization to fit their race schedules. The baseline foils will work well both around the cans and offshore. When you aren’t playing the IMS games of trading increased wetted surface drag of a big keel for increased sail area horsepower, a long chorded keel is not beneficial in any condition.
If someone just had to have one of these bad boys, what could one expect to pay in round numbers, all up?
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AA: Give me a call at the office and we can discuss it but there are many options with construction, deck gear, rig, sails and electronics that affect the price.
Ed. Note: The Anarchists couldn’t even afford to buy the winch handles for one of these, but if anyone out there is interested you can contact Alan by clicking here.
The smaller version of this type (the Andrews 45 LOCOMOTION) is anything but a one-way wonder. It is pretty special upwind, even in a big breeze. How do you explain this to people who assume that a light boat cannot go to windward?
AA: Many of the early ULDB’s didn’t go well upwind because they sacrificed either righting moment or draft or both to have the light displacement performance downwind. “Locomotion” and the new Andrews ULDB’s have all of the ballast in the bulb so they have enough righting moment to carry their sail upwind. Also, the keel is as deep as a buoys boat, not very shallow like older ULDB’s of the IOR era so the pointing upwind is great as well. We have been very happy that “Locomotion” has performed right in line with our VPP predictions.
Where do you think big boat sailing is headed? Given the rapid acceptance of the new breed of offshore one designs, the nearly extinct IMS fleet(s), and the limitations for PHRF in handicapping at a high level, where do you see a future for handicap racing for performance boats such as these? Do you think the Box Rule might be an improvement over measurement rules?
AA: There is a great future for class racing with Transpac 52’s. Racing within the class is boat-for-boat without handicap or time allowance. You know instantly who is winning and don’t have to take times to determine the victor. Compared to a one design, with a “box rule” like this, there is still room within the class rules for owners to personalize their boat to best fit their own sailing style.
Certainly there will always be a spot for handicap racing with big boats, if for no other reason than owners of different sized boats will argue about who sailed the course the best. PHRF is based on “observed performance” and the best estimates of those involved. Although the IMS fleet has dwindled, this system and its relatives, Americap and ORC Club, still provide some of the best handicapping that doesn’t rely on “observed performance.”
With the advent of “sport boats” and simplified OD racers like the Farr 40 (with runnerless rigs and non-overlapping jibs), as well as boats like this new TP 52, do you see a definitive trend developing in owner preference among your clients?
AA: One of the great things with these rigs is that they make it harder to get in trouble while racing. There are no runners so the rig isn’t going to come crashing down if the crew misses a runner in pre-start or in a heavy air downwind gybe. The Transpac 52’s will also have adjustable forestays which, combined with the swept back shrouds, will allow rig tension to be adjusted without pulling out the wrenches between races every time the wind changes a knot or so.
How can we get a ride on one of these monsters, for journalistic purposes of course?!
AA: When the boats get closer to launch in another month or so, send me another e-mail or give me a call and we’ll see what we can work out.
