RAPID EVOLUTION

A CRUISING CATAMARAN OFFERINGBETTER HANDLING, MORE SPEEDAND SAFER PASSAGE-MAKING – WITHOUT THE COMPLICATIONS OFDAGGERBOARDS?

- RUPERT HOLMES

Yacht design continues to advance quickly, as evidenced by the leap in performance made by the current generation of IMOCA 60s compared to just four years previously. The same is true among cruising designs and the Nautitech 48 Open also represents a big step forward, with hull shapes refined compared to those of the Nautitech 44 that was launched only three years ago. This simultaneously boosts performance while also improving handling and safety.

One of the key design aims was to improve performance at typical moderate sailing speeds of around 8 knots, which was achieved by modifying the rocker profile of the bottom of the hull, especially towards the transom. At the same time the bows are 10cm above the static loaded waterline, which helps the boat to turn more easily, both at sea and when manoeuvring in harbour. High aspect ratio rudders mounted almost right aft also help in this respect.

This boat has a very direct feel to the helm and in many ways it’s more like a monohull to steer, even if the difference that small tweaks to sail trim make is not as easy to notice. It’s also notable that very little speed is lost in tacks and in this respect the boat handles more like a good monohull than a traditional catamaran with immersed forefoots. In fact, spinning the boat as quickly as possible in a tack is the best option, even if that feels counterintuitive, especially to a yacht sailor. When executed neatly boat speed drops remarkably little.