94 replies to this topic

[Doug Lord]

What a cool boat! http://www.thegreatc...eatcuphome.aspx

Specs:
GC32 Specifications
LENGTH OVERALL: 12.00M LENGTH HULL: 10.00M BEAM: 6.00M WEIGHT: 720 KG DRAFT UPWIND: 2.10M DRAFT DOWNWIND: 1.60M MAST LENGTH: 16.50M SPIN. POLE LENGTH: 6.60M MAINSAIL AREA: 60.00 M2 JIB AREA: 23.50 M2 GENNAKER AREA: 90.00 M2 AUX ENGINE POWER: 5 HP

FULL CARBON FIBER BOAT CONSTRUCTION

[Doug Lord]

Heres a shot of the daggerboard foils and a boat rendering from the website:

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[Doug Lord]

I thought I recognized the features of this boat as the work of Martin Fischer-and it is. A refined version of the foil system used on an A Class cat last year.

Martin Fischer (Hull, Appendages Designer)
Martin is in charge of the overall design of the GC32. Martin has a PhD in physics with a focus on fluid dynamics. He has been working on multihull design over the past 15 years and has become one of the most successful designers in the highly competitive Formula-18 catamaran class with his winning designs “Capricorn”, “Hobie Wild Cat”, and “Phantom”. Furthermore he was involved in several big multihull projects like Groupama-2, Groupama-3, Sodebo-Maxi and Banque Populaire-60.

[Evolution NZ]

Martin is also a TOP guy!, The 5HP is a little light on though you would never go to the dock upwind in over 20!

[Robnacra]

Yet another sweet looking race cat in the 30-40ft range. I hope they all take off and the lead is saved for the cruisers & ocean racers. Love the foil setup.

[SeaGul]

Price?

[bush sailer]

Price?
If you need to ask I suspect you could not afford it. Bloody expensive !!!

[SeaGul]

If the market is those who dont have to ask about price - I think the project is doomed.... my guess $4-500.000 - not totally out of reach...

[macca]

If the market is those who dont have to ask about price - I think the project is doomed.... my guess $4-500.000 - not totally out of reach...

There is another piece for the front page being put together shortly, it will have more info on the spec and costs etc, but for now I reckon its safe to say that if you gave me $500,000 USD you could almost get 2 complete GC32's...

[SeaGul]

If the market is those who dont have to ask about price - I think the project is doomed.... my guess $4-500.000 - not totally out of reach...

There is another piece for the front page being put together shortly, it will have more info on the spec and costs etc, but for now I reckon its safe to say that if you gave me $500,000 USD you could almost get 2 complete GC32's...

well i must have got the $ value mixed up here - my guess was more 350.000 - but if its closer to 250 - its not that bad - consider the complexity and supposed quality -
refer a Marstrom 32 which is not that complex.

[Speng]

How do you do board cases on these wavy boards? is it some king of wet box with flexible seals?

[pitchpoledave]

If the market is those who dont have to ask about price - I think the project is doomed.... my guess $4-500.000 - not totally out of reach...

There is another piece for the front page being put together shortly, it will have more info on the spec and costs etc, but for now I reckon its safe to say that if you gave me $500,000 USD you could almost get 2 complete GC32's...

It looks great... but in this economy and with already several other good designs in this space I hope you make your money back

[macca]

How do you do board cases on these wavy boards? is it some king of wet box with flexible seals?

There is a cylindrical bearing on the bottom of the hull and a pivoting bearing at the deck level, the case is shaped to the exact area required to get the foil up and down.

I will post more photos next week of the board fitment and systems when I am in Dubai.

more pics on the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/gc32racing

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[SimonN]

Good luck with the project, Macca. looks a great boat, but as has been said, it's tough economic times.

[thetruth]

Where are all these regattas in Europe going to be?

[macca]

Currently we have on the sched:-
Germany, Austria, Italy, Netherlands and Spain A mix of stand alone events and combined with existing regattas.

We also have requests from Switzerland and France.

By the time of the launch in Dubai (15-18Nov) we will be able to confirm dates/location for the majority of events.

[SeaGul]

So to start with - can one buy a set of those foils with cases?

[macca]

So to start with - can one buy a set of those foils with cases?

Sure you can! with every complete GC32 you get 2 free foils and cases

[SeaGul]

So to start with - can one buy a set of those foils with cases?

Sure you can! with every complete GC32 you get 2 free foils and cases

...hmmm then I get a problem - where to stack the rest - when I put the foils on my tri....

will ask Farrier or Marstrom then... but the foils on the GC32 looks smarter... but can they be totally retract and taken out of the case from the top?

[macca]

Ahh, well maybe you should park the tri and come race the 32!

But if you seriously want a set of foils you can PM me.

Of course we can remove the foil from the top of the case.

[SeaGul]

Ahh, well maybe you should park the tri and come race the 32!

But if you seriously want a set of foils you can PM me.

Of course we can remove the foil from the top of the case.

Well I am serious about getting a new set of foils/daggerboards for my tri - and to buy them from tested foils on the marked.
So will follow the project - and see how those foils work in real life.

[soma]

So is $250k the price? Seems a hell of a deal.

Too good to be true? Inquiring minds and all that...

[macca]

Retail price is in EURO = 172k for the complete boat Ex factory (Dubai) and Ex sails.

If you put a set of Norths 3Di main and Jib plus a Cuben zero you are adding about 30k Euro for sails inc C-tech carbon battens.

So on todays rate you are $264k USD ready to race. We know its a good deal!! but thats the point, we want to create an entry point thats acceptable to a wide group and also sustainable running costs to make sure we are all focussed on sailing and racing rather than the bills to run the show!

No cutting corners either, check the partners list and you can see its only the very best http://www.thegreatc...om/partner.aspx

[soma]

Holy shit! That's a smoking deal.

In the current lineup of offerings this takes the cake. Toro 34 is a little pedestrian, the SL33 a little too "lakes racer", the Marstrom 32 a little one dimensional, the Katima is slick, but this looks sick. Can't wait to see it floating. How you got to that price I'm not sure. But well done. Heol make beautiful stuff. Southern rig, right? 3di, Karver. No corner cut.

Now who's arm can I twist to buy one?

[MR.CLEAN]

That's a good summary Soma. I am headed over to Dubai right after the Vendee start to sail on hull #1, and to provide a full and unbiased review for the front page.

[Robnacra]

Sweet! Take a gopro!

[Doug Lord]

More on this boat here:
http://forums.sailin...33#entry3917681

[munt]

looks like an incredibly cool boat but to call 1/4 of a million dollars for a beachcat a "smoking deal?"

of all the 30' something cats the only one that sold in any numbers (and is still selling) is the Reynolds 33/35. Of which you could still buy 2 (in any beam/mast height configuration) for the price of one of the others and have a cozy bunk and some other very friendly features...

[macca]

I think the market response has shown that there is a value point for an all carbon race boat in this size range, and the price of the GC32 is unbeatable for the build materials, quality and technology involved.

Im sure there are cheaper options out there, but there are performance compromises..

[Sextant]

Looks and sounds like an interesting cat. One question though. How do you ship or transport this beauty?

[macca]

Easy, just unbolt the beams, wheel it into a trailer and tow it behind your regular car.. Mast is 2 piece so no issues.

Shipping is easy, you can fit 2 complete boats in a 40ft container.

[MR.CLEAN]

Hi-cube or regular?

[macca]

If you leave the winches on you need a high cube.

Just spent the afternoon fitting the cradles on the container wall so we can hang beams and masts along the wall. Works really well, will post pics in a day or so. Plenty on right now with final jobs before we hit the water next week.

[barney]

I really like this relatively simple and practical foil system, but why isn't gonna be a problem with ventilation on the centerboard? As far as I know most surface piercer foils had fences on the them.

[Sextant]

I am assuming that to put the hulls in and out of the container you need some kind fork lift truck and special cradles to support the hulls mast and spars. Are those cradles supplied with the boat or do they need to be purchased separately. If purchase is required what kind of cost are we looking at for those cradles Also do you have a trailer for this boat or do we have to outsource a trailer on our own. Sorry for all the questions but I am trying to asset total cost of ownership and how much cash we are looking at for a full carbon boat comparatively to other offers on the market

[macca]

We have the hulls on trolleys similar to the AC45 ones, these are an option and are around 3.5k USD. You just wheel them in, the hulls are light enough so you can lift by hand into the container.

If you are in Europe we have a trailer ready to go, and I also have a trailer builder in the USA that has one suitable, its a totally enclosed box, all alloy construction and I from memory that trailer is about 17k USD.

If you want to know more or have info sent, just email me.

[Robnacra]

Pics up of it rigged, pre-launch on there fb page. Looks hot!

[MR.CLEAN]

Pics up of it rigged, pre-launch on there fb page. Looks hot!

Linky please. Blew out data on MiFi so restricted to dialup speed here at Paris CDG. Emirates #EK76 leaves in a few hours (9:21) for an early morning arrival in Dubai. Wish I had time to go play in Paris

[can-UK]

link here

http://www.facebook....10058220&type=1

Was down at the club this weekend and saw it in the flesh.. it is stunning. It went out for a sail on Saturday.

[Robnacra]

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[Robnacra]

If they do get this foiling they might need a tighter sheeting angle for the genaker.... The apparent wind will go along way forward. Limited by the side stays though.

[macca]

Side stays are attached to the inside of the hulls. Sheeting angle is able to come in to 13deg which is plenty tight enough, even to go upwind with the zero in light stuff.

[Robnacra]

Ahh good idea. Seen it be a problem on fast cats before. Sounds like you guys have thought of everything. Can't wait to see it sailing!

[MR.CLEAN]

First flight

The GC32 hangs over the air at the DIMC ready for her first splash. In a few hours, we're going sailing. Full report to follow after METS.

Pics from Charlie Tuna.

and proof that she floats. my pic.

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[Robnacra]

Sweet! who wants to sponsor me one?

[SeaGul]

Isnt that mast a little traditional ?

[nroose]

Looks awesome! Buying my lotto ticket today for sure! Can someone 'splain to me how the squggle boards work? I do better with diagrams! And do they foil upwind as well as down, or are they designed to go upwind with one hull in the water? Fleet racing? Match Racing? Both?

By the way, there's a typo on the web site. "Clear and Exiting Competition" => "Clear and Exciting Competition" on http://www.thegreatc...egcformula.aspx

[MR.CLEAN]

all i can say is the boat is fucking sweet. Didn't get to go out in much wind at all, but we were sailing a bit faster than 2x windspeed just reaching around with the gennaker; call it 12-13 knots in 5-6. Sailed for an hour or two, then back to the dock to faff about with the current Moth world champ, current F-18 World champ, and a half dozen more very good sailors from all over the world. A very fun group.

Jibs arrive tonight, and I leave Dubai in 3 hours. Detailed report and video and pics should be together by Monday or Tuesday. Also big thanks to Max from Premier for the detailed tour of his massivenormous carbonology factory. So damned impressive...

[High Flow]

Isnt that mast a little traditional ?

you mean that kind where you can take the sails down without a crane?

[catsailordude]

Isnt that mast a little traditional ?

you mean that kind where you can take the sails down without a crane?

Good one. A rotating mast with a fully battened square top sail is still the best sail plan for anyone living in the real world.

[Robnacra]

Sounds promising, the real test is in wind and waves. Can't wait to see the vid.

[glowmaster]

may she fly far and fast!

try to keep the curved side down.

ed

[Swanno (Ohf Shore)]

Isnt that mast a little traditional ?

you mean that kind where you can take the sails down without a crane?

Golf claps

[ITA602]

Detailed report and video and pics should be together by Monday or Tuesday. Also big thanks to Max from Premier for the detailed tour of his massivenormous carbonology factory. So damned impressive...

I cannot stand waiting...

[godlooking]

If you leave the winches on you need a high cube.

Just spent the afternoon fitting the cradles on the container wall so we can hang beams and masts along the wall. Works really well, will post pics in a day or so. Plenty on right now with final jobs before we hit the water next week.

Can you fit two in a High Cube like the Extreme 40?

[macca]

Yep, 2 boats per high cube.

[macca]

Just did first day sailing today. Pics will follow but I can safely say that the boat is just as much of a weapon as we thought it would be.

The whole team are pretty blown away by how good the finished product is.

Stay tuned for photos and video soon.

[sinktheboat]

Waiting Mate

[Dog]

all i can say is the boat is fucking sweet. Didn't get to go out in much wind at all, but we were sailing a bit faster than 2x windspeed just reaching around with the gennaker; call it 12-13 knots in 5-6. Sailed for an hour or two, then back to the dock to faff about with the current Moth world champ, current F-18 World champ, and a half dozen more very good sailors from all over the world. A very fun group.

Jibs arrive tonight, and I leave Dubai in 3 hours. Detailed report and video and pics should be together by Monday or Tuesday. Also big thanks to Max from Premier for the detailed tour of his massivenormous carbonology factory. So damned impressive...

Damn...how can I get your job?

[Robnacra]

She sails

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[Lost in Translation]

Any flight?

[Doug Lord]

Any flight?

-----------------
Look at the lee hull-at a minimum significant foil assist.....

[macca]

That pic was taken in 8-9kts breeze yesterday....

[stampede]

just show the picture from her first sail. I'm deeply impressed on the boat design and would love to step up from my F20C and by a new piece of dope.
Based on my experience sailing with C-foils, there is a risk to snap the windward daggerboard when the hull suddenly drops down (caused by the C-shape and resulting levers and forces). As you all know this might happen from time to time...
The design/shape of the daggers must cause tremendous forces in case the windward hull drops down suddenly. Not only on the daggerboards but on the trunk and it's moveable inserts as well. How does the design compensates that?
Any thoughts guys?
have fun sailing her!

[macca]

Had a bit of an issue this afternoon, 15-18kts and 1.5m seas here and we had a tube failure on the forward spine. Rig came down gently, rolled the mainsail up, picked up the mast and put in on the deck. Towed back to the dock and now sorting out the cause.

[josselin]

congratulations and carry on with the tests guys, breaking is part of the normal process to have a good boat!

The boat is quite impressive, I hope to see it sailing soon again!

see U

[MR.CLEAN]

my launch and first sail report should be done tonight!

I think video is coming too from Davide and the Turks

[Robnacra]

Video:

I want one!! Sponsor me anyone?

[munt]

finally, a dolphin striker that can actually strike some dolphins!

[SL33_SF]

finally, a dolphin striker that can actually strike some dolphins!

Mine is longer

[Tony-F18]

What conditions does it need to fully foil? It really is a great looking boat though.

[macca]

The max wind in the video was 12kts and that's only in one or two shots. Most of the vid was shot in 8kts or so.

The boat will break free at 21kts speed, so we are planning to be back in the water in about 10 days to continue testing and hope to see more than 12kts so we can fly.

The cool thing is that the boat feels awesome even in the light stuff so no matter if you are foiling or not, it's a blast to sail.

[Sailabout]

nice one macca

[SeaGul]

How much extra resistance does these foils give before it starts to foil?

In a regatta with different conditions - how easy is it really to win with the foiling configuration - compared to same boat with conventional daggerboards?

If this is a one design class - that doesnt matter to much- but if this boat is raced in a fleet - and get beaten by other "slower" boats repeatedly it doesnt seem like that a good idea.

[macca]

The foils are not adding much drag at all, we wouldnt do it if there was a price to pay in terms of overall performance. The light wind behaviour so far has been exceptional and I have no concerns about the pace of the boat with the foils in the light stuff. We can trim the AOA on both the daggerboards and rudders so that there is minimal interference in light conditions and still adjust them to give lift as the breeze picks up. All in all its a very well balance scenario.

[Doug Lord]

Macca, what windspeed do you think the boat requires in order to foil with max sail area?

[macca]

About 15-16kts should do it.

[EASY]

Whats the wash up with the bow pole failure Macca?? Did the carbon fail or a fitting on the tube?

Boat looks wicked, congratulations on the project looks very well done.

[Robnacra]

From what I have read sounded like where they had a hole in the pole for a fitting. The area wasn't properly reinforced to cater for the hole. If that's the only thing to go wrong with a new design like this they have done an amazing job. Seen first hand what it is like getting a race cat like this to work straight out of the blocks. Would give my left nut to spend a couple of hours on the swizzle stick of one of these things!

[macca]

Whats the wash up with the bow pole failure Macca?? Did the carbon fail or a fitting on the tube?

Boat looks wicked, congratulations on the project looks very well done.

There was an error on the patching laminate where the cable enters the pole near the forestay. As you can imagine its a very highly loaded area and errors are not really tolerated there!

As Rob said, this being the only issue is really good! All the really complex stuff like the foil bearings and control systems all work really perfect. Nothing to change before we go to production. The platform itself is by far the stiffest larger cat I have ever sailed and I have the privilege of sailing almost all the boats in this size range. We really wanted a super stiff platform but I was genuinely surprised at what we achieved. The boat feels as one unit, no racking visible at all and that translates into a great feeling when you are driving it upwind in some waves, the foils really level out the ride and the boat just powers through the chop like its flat water.

We have a new pole being made now and it's due in Dubai in 10 days or so. We should be out sailing again before Xmas and then we can wind it up again.

Ill make sure to get more onboard footage next time so you can see the way it sails from the drivers seat.

[rob d]

To only have 2 winches per side on a cat this size is also an achievement. Some footage of your systems would be great for the rest of us to copy! I have frame by framed heaps of the footage for a good look. Main and jib sheeting, furling line and mast rotation are easy to see and really clean and practical. I haven't got to halyards and cunningham yet...

[macca]

You won't see the Cunningham system :) it's internal to the mast.

Also the mast rotation is internal on the spine structure.

And board up and down is also internal on the main beam.

So we have a very clean boat designed to be functional when racing.

Halyards for main and jib are on internal southern spars locks, so both are very clean and we can have smaller halyards.

The kite halyard is also on a Karver lock, so the whole boat is super clean.

[Doug Lord]

Macca, how is testing going? Has the boat foiled yet? Hope its a great New Year for you guys.....

[Liquid Assett NZ]

Look forward to seeing the foiling

[macca]

We had it foiling just before Xmas, the unfortunate part is that the coach boat for that day wasn't quick enough to keep up... So no pics! But we were really happy with it. Im more convinced than ever that you need rudder foils to be fast with lifting foils. With only 14kts we had it up on the foils and very stable and we really wanted more breeze to push it harder but ran out of time. We are back sailing in a couple of weeks and will make are we have the fast coach boat with us.

[Doug Lord]

We had it foiling just before Xmas, the unfortunate part is that the coach boat for that day wasn't quick enough to keep up... So no pics! But we were really happy with it. Im more convinced than ever that you need rudder foils to be fast with lifting foils. With only 14kts we had it up on the foils and very stable and we really wanted more breeze to push it harder but ran out of time. We are back sailing in a couple of weeks and will make are we have the fast coach boat with us.

=================
Great! Thanks for the info......

[dacarls]

" I'm more convinced than ever that you need rudder foils to be fast with lifting foils", says Macca.
Well, we have some pretty dang good evidence for this point of view----like "Reality". .

[Liquid Assett NZ]

Been a staunch monohull man all my life but the AC 72's sl 33's and now this have me very interested.

[Doug Lord]

" I'm more convinced than ever that you need rudder foils to be fast with lifting foils", says Macca.
Well, we have some pretty dang good evidence for this point of view----like "Reality". .

======================
And to go along with that.....history!

[Robnacra]

some detail shots

[Doug Lord]

Macca, any foiling news -or pictures? Good luck-seems like a great boat....

[macca]

Im actually heading back to Dubai on the weekend to spend a week or more training with one of our customers while his boat is being finished off.

We are planning to have the quick coachboat when the forecast is for anything more than 12kts so we can keep up with the cat and get some nice shots for you guys!

[macca]

Taken today in 12kts true, still working on optimal rudder foil angles, but going great!

https://www.youtube....h?v=OUs4d6oOlo4

[Doug Lord]

Taken today in 12kts true, still working on optimal rudder foil angles, but going great!

https://www.youtube....h?v=OUs4d6oOlo4

-----------------------
Really close to fully foiling-looking great. Much less wetted surface, even partially foiling, as compared to a non-foiling cat.

[macca]

Boat #2 sailed for the first time im Europe today, Medemblik was cold and the wind was light but it was really great to get started in Europe!

 

Busy weeks ahead with Boat #3 arriving soon and the first class event in Austria early May.