A
special feature of the canting mechanism is that it
has been designed to be housed below the saloon floor,
and doesn’t intrude into the working area below
decks.
Maximus is certainly the first
supermaxi and one of the few monohulls to feature a
rotating wingmast – more commonly found on high
performance catamarans. As a former Tornado catamaran
sailor, St Clair Brown isn’t fazed with the concept.
“It significantly lowers our rig drag” he
says “and that translates directly into improved
boat-speed”. The rotating mast was designed by
Chris Mitchell and Southern Spars, who built a similar
rig for Ellen MacArthur in her recent record-breaking
around the world run.
The spar is notable for having
only two sets of spreaders instead of the usual four,
plus a set of smaller diamond spreaders lower in the
rig. All this adds up to reduced drag and more speed.
“We wanted a yacht with
the maximum righting moment and a very high power to
weight ratio, and a boat that is fully powered at a
low wind speed”, explains co-owner Charles St
Clair Brown.
“We wouldn’t have
built the boat unless we hadn’t been very happy
with the VPP’s (Velocity Predictions). We did
a huge amount of VPP analysis with Clay Oliver, and
also ran various scenarios including water ballasting
and canting. Plus the various hull forms – beamier
and narrower at the waterline. And have all been analysed
as best as we can with the computer.
“With these boats you
don’t have the time to go off and tank test, so
you have to use known information about hull forms and
the like.
“This boat is designed
for all-round offshore racing. “
Maximus is very much an all-Kiwi
project. “We have designed and built this boat
in New Zealand, it will race around the world under
a New Zealand flag and will highlight New Zealand technology.”
“We have kept the hull
mould here and are trying to promote this almost as
a production boat. There are significant cost savings
to be made for a new owner, plus a big saving in time”,
say Brown.
“Part of our business
concept is to promote New Zealand boat building industry
and sailing skills outside the America’s Cup”,
he adds.
Maximus will continue her
work-up on the Waitemata and Hauraki Gulf until she
ships to the West Indies to compete in the legendary
Antigua Race Week , followed by an attempt on the world
24 hour monohull speed record, and then the Rolex Transatlantic
race followed by several regattas in Europe. Her 2005
campaign finishes up with the Sydney Hobart yacht Race
where six of the new supermaxi type yachts are expected
to compete.
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