Jambalaya
Super Anarchist
Loved my J105 ... did so many great events. UK and French one design, fun passage racing weeks sleeping aboard and Fastnets too
Sun Fast 30 OD
- Thread starter Some.Rando
- Start date
apophenia
Anarchist
BRB, heading over to the local BMW dealer to see if I can defray the cost of a new M8 Coupe by subletting it to a driving school.
The earlyist article that I have found and has more info.....
New Class 30: the future boat of the Tour de France à la Voile may have arrived!
The future Class 30 international one-design designed by VPLP and built by Multiplast should make its first outings in the spring of 2023 at the Spi Ouest-France in La Trinité-sur-Mer and at the SNIM in Marseille. The UNCL took advantage of Nautic 2021 to present the model of this 9-meter one-design. Its promoters hope to produce it at 100,000 € including tax for the club version and as one is never safe from a stroke of luck: it is perhaps the future boat of the Tour de France under sail.Like the Sélection (photo), the Class 30 OD Club will have neither carbon mast nor membrane sails. | DIDIER RAVON - GILLES MARTIN-RAGETView full screen
Didier RAVON .Published on12/11/2021 at 7:01 p.m.
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"Presentation of the Class 30": it is written on the invitation card. On the Nautic 2021 stand shared by the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL) and the Yacht Club de France (YCF), opposite that of Voiles et Voiliers, there is inevitably the talkative Anne de Bagneaux-Savatier president of the UNCL, whose husband, Damien, a former pilot from Le Havre, shone in the Solitaire du Figaro in the 80s. As well as the discreet Philippe Héral, president of the YCF, who also came to participate in the presentation of this new Class 30 whose project had been launched a few months ago by the interested parties.
The beautiful days of the Tour de France by Sailing
We also come across, as if by chance, sailors who had enjoyed the heyday of the Tour de France in Sailing, in particular François Pailloux, first winner of the Écume de Mer Marseille in 1978, Bernard Mallaret who won in JOD 35 in 1995, and many others… or even Loïc Fournier-Foch, at the head of the Team Winds company which rents out the famous Grand Surprise and their canary yellow spinnakers in La Trinité-sur-Mer and in Frioul.We chat with Jean Sans, one of the fathers of the IRC (ex CHS), with the architect Daniel Andrieu, an ace of the IOR but also creator of the JOD, Sun Fast 3200 and 3600. must say white hair, but the curiosity of "juniors" discovering a new boat.
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This presentation of the Class 30, scheduled for mid-afternoon on a Friday, obviously attracts a lot of people and a number of well-known people in the small world of one-design or IRC regattas. The model that sits at the entrance to the stand would have deserved to be a little more highlighted… but the interested parties nevertheless spotted it fairly quickly.
Antoine Lauriot-Prévost, who continues the saga of the VPLP firm launched by his father Vincent with his accomplice and friend Marc Van Peteghem, is one of the Class 30 project managers after having worked for the Bénéteau Figaro 3. asked to sum up the philosophy of this new 9-metre boat in three words: "I would say simplicity, fun and accessibility (price) " explains the young naval architect, who is also an excellent sailor.
“The hull is quite bulky, especially at the front,” he adds, “ but that doesn't mean it's a Scow or a – small Class40 –. We tried to design a boat that is both versatile and homogeneous, at ease around the buoys as well as offshore and in the breeze (It will be approved to cross the Atlantic – Ed)”.
See also:
Stopover, behind the scenes of the Ocean Race in Itajai (episode 4)
The Marseillais Yves Ginoux, vice-president of the UNCL, brilliant sailor renowned for decades, record holder of victories at the SNIM, European IRC champion and "project manager" for the Class 30, surrounded in particular by experts from the regatta such as Éric Basset, Jean-Philippe Cau and Philippe Sérenon, finally breaks the omerta, saying out loud what everyone has been thinking quietly since the launch of this project with the RORC, and which is not intended to to be only Franco-French: “ We want to rediscover the spirit of the Tour (the TFV) and train young people on a simple and inexpensive boat… ”.
A dinghy and offshore racing specialist in the Midi, who wishes to remain anonymous but who leads a 100-footer in offshore racing, adds a layer: “Brilliant tacticians and helmsmen from Olympic sailing, you find them everywhere … but no Avant teammates! We are not going to poach Australians and New Zealanders to manage the foredeck on 30-foot club sailboats”.
“Since the end of the TFV with its stages along our coasts, we no longer have number 1 and it is a real concern , he adds. In France, there is this solo culture between Mini Transat, Figaro, Vendée Globe. We have exceptional sailors, but it's getting hard to find young people who know how to maneuver at the bow and at the foot of the mast, who have spent nights at sea... The best forward crew members who competed in the TFV la Coupe de the America the Ton Cups are almost three times twenty years old… We need the next generation! » .
Yves Ginoux adds that a "One Design" version with carbon mast, draft of 2.20 meters, bulb keel, should also perform well in IRC, obviously also optimized for double-handed regattas (Transquadra and especially Cap Martinique ).
We thought the hatchet was buried... let's move on!
A rumor has also been circulating about this project since the start of the Nautic: the FFVoile would not have really appreciated having been " sidelined and faced with a fait accompli in relation to this project in which it would have liked to participate and give its opinion ". It was believed that the hatchet had been buried between the two institutions after several years of rapprochement... Let's move on.Dominique Dubois, boss of the Multiplast shipyard, whose reputation is second to none in terms of the construction of large ocean-going multihulls for ages and the Imocas in particular, would like to clarify one point: "It is possible to reserve a serial number from today by paying a deposit of €2,500 which will not be cashed by the shipyard but deposited in an account – such as a Carpa lawyer – and refundable in the event of withdrawal”.
The famous shipyard selected knows that for the operation to succeed, it will take at least fifty pre-orders. A young sailor who has competed in the Tour Voile on the excellent Diam 24 trimaran in recent years then asks why the Class 30 will not be equipped with ballast. Response from Antoine Lauriot-Prévost: “ It's a cost issue. We want a simple boat and having ballasts is much more complex from a structural point of view and in terms of cost, in addition to the fact that in IRC, they are heavily taxed” .
Because the omnipresent question that arises as much at the UNCL as at VPLP, Multiplast or future buyers is the price of this boat. Yves Ginoux announces that the objective is to offer the Club version, with sails and ready to sail, for €100,000 including tax. The One Design version at €150,000, without the sails but with the electronics.
A specialist in the field who knows the production costs of series or racing sailboats like the back of his hand, then claims that this floor price of €100,000 will not be feasible… while hoping to be wrong. The Club version, planned for 4 to 6 crew members with aluminum mast, Dacron sails, draft of 1.95 metres, will have minimalist accommodation with a headroom of 1.70 metres: bunks on frame, simple WC module, and no kitchen… In short, a basic model, not to say monastic.
In addition, when you look closely at the deck plan, the piano is off-center to the right, which means that this eliminates a winch on the deckhouse, the one on the left. This “detail” did not escape an IRC doubles champion: “ You shouldn't take a left-handed – pianist! »
And Antoine Lauriot-Prévost added: “ Still with the same concern for cost reduction, there is no provision for a mainsail mainsheet bar but a leash (like the 470 or 505). No more than headsail rails, but a 3D adjustment system using a ring and ropes, as is done in particular in Imoca ”.
Let's add that, while carbon and titanium will obviously be banned, there is clearly a desire to make a bio-sourced boat with recyclable materials for a weight estimate of 2.6 tonnes. Finally, according to our information, in addition to a number of clubs in France, many foreigners are more than seduced by this boat (in Great Britain, the United States, Asia, etc.), which, with the keel removed, can be transported in a container .
The initiators of this ambitious project not only have "bottle" but are lucid. Like Multiplast, they are giving themselves two months to start the tooling inherent in the production of the Class 30… on condition, as we repeat, of having at least fifty pre-orders. Fingers crossed, because those nostalgic for the TFV of the great years – of which I am a part – have only one desire: for this Class 30 to come to life!
The UNCL is launching a competition for a cheap 30 foot regatta!
A boat that is both simple and modern, also designed for the open sea, with accommodation for living there... The specifications for this nine-metre boat, currently called Class 30 One Design, are a sign of a return to the "fundamentals" of habitable regattas. , with an upcoming program that is reminiscent of the Tour de France à la Voile in its heyday.The Grand Surprise, a one-design built at the time by Archambault, has proven its worth in association and non-association regattas, and is still available for fleet charter in Brittany and the Mediterranean. | DIDIER RAVONView full screen
Didier RAVON .Published on04/23/2021 at 5:58 p.m.
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Granted, most of today's racing boats fly, with astonishing performance… but are only accessible to a very small, hand-picked elite. And if the single-handed sector is doing wonderfully (Mini-Transat, Figaro, Class40, Imoca, etc.), there are no longer really “basic” supports for crewed racing, whether during offshore or bay races. We want to say that we have to reinvent tomorrow without falling into "it was better before!" ". This is neither the idea nor the purpose. Nevertheless, on the strength of this observation, Éric Basset, Yves Ginoux, Jean-Philippe Cau and Philippe Sérénon, the "quartet" at the head of the UNCL (Union Nationale de la Course au Large), and with the support of its partner RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club)launched a call for projects, a veritable architectural competition to design a new 30-foot monohull. The four friends have been racing for decades, and like us, have noticed that it was becoming complicated for a passionate amateur sailor to race in a habitable boat, compete in night races, learn the "trade" of crew.
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For Éric Basset, a professional music producer, but a savvy amateur sailor, multiple French champion, particularly in Fireball, and who no longer counts his participation in the Spi Ouest-France , RORC races and Tour de France à la Voile (when this last one was disputed in a monohull), “ this reflection was born after discussions with ASO, the organizer of the Tour Voile in recent years. We realized that we had a support problem, and that there was no longer a one-design monohull that could be used for this type of event, nor for learning offshore racing. There are many clubs looking for this type of boat, but cannot afford a state-of-the-art racing sailboat, all carbon or almost...". It is a fact that if we take the example of the Grand Surprise designed by the Joubert-Nivelt duo, a perfect support if ever there was one, it is beginning to age (it was launched in 1999) and is no longer built since the famous Archambault shipyard closed. “ The idea is to have a boat around 9 meters which, in club version, does not exceed 80,000 euros excluding tax. In particular, it will be equipped with an aluminum mast placed on the deck and a set of minimalist sails, including genoa on carabiners, and without electronics, the navigation being carried out on a waterproof tablet” explains Éric Basset .
We can only welcome this initiative, even if we will have to find the shipyard agreeing to produce a competitive boat at this "discount" price, allowing clubs and municipalities to acquire one or more units to train young at the regatta. " Today, if you don't do light sailing or Diam 24, it becomes difficult to learn about habitable outside races in IRC or Osirisabounds a former winner of the Tour de France. Precisely, if the Tour de France version "80s to 90s" is not at all on the program for the moment, the underlying idea is to reconnect with what made the salt and the great hours of the Tour , having seen several thousand amateur sailors, but also all the big names in sailing without exception or almost. “ The TFV was not just a great school, ” rightly recalls Éric Basset. "We must never forget that it is undoubtedly the event where there was the highest level in France, whether it is the specialists of the America's Cup like Bertrand Pacé, record holder of victories at the TFV (eight), the French Olympic team (Peponnet, Pillot, Audineau, Bouët, etc.), offshore racers and other Figaro specialists (Mas, Desjoyeaux, Caraës, Jourdain, Cammas, Lunven, Dick, Pailloux, Seeten, Coville , Morvan, Cordelle, Pahun, Souben…) or foreign stars (Cayard, Dickson, Coutts, Graël…) In short, all the greats have gone through the Tour, allowing young people to cut their teeth against the elite and to "raise their level of play" thanks to this confrontation! It would take a Directory to name all the sailors who have worn out their oilskin on the toe rails…”
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And the UNCL to add:Building up a reservoir of young crew members trained in crewed regattas, promoting a practice of sailing that is more collective than consumerist or even allowing to address weather constraints and aspects of offshore navigation are the bases of the approach of this new boat. . In order to eventually become the support of a one-design regatta activity, the rules of the Class 30 OD will be established and managed by the UNCL, the construction being able to be entrusted to various licensed shipyards, in France and abroad (c was the case with the Farr 30; editor's note). From the second half of 2022, a circuit of regattas reserved for the Class 30 OD and integrated into existing events, will be offered in the three basins (Channel, Atlantic and Mediterranean), with events in the harbor but also offshore races. The objective is to set up from 2023 a complete circuit animated and organized by the Class 30 OD which will end at the end of the season with a final bringing together the best crews. Finally, a special challenge is planned for young crews (under 30) opening up the possibility of participating in the financing of the following season for the winner of the final.»
And even if the initiators of this Class 30 OD refuse to talk about it, it is difficult not to think of the potential return of the original Tour de France to sailing, its night stages, its barnum, its tents and tables set up in a parking lot at two steps from the port… And everything that has made it so successful.
See also:
Stopover, behind the scenes of the Ocean Race in Itajai (episode 4)
A “Club” and an “Owner” version
The specifications of the call for projects around the design of the Class 30 Design, open to all architectural firms, shipyards and architect-shipyard groups without restriction throughout the world, is intended to give rise to a regatta boat between 9 and 9.60 m (30 and 32 feet), which can embark up to 6 crew members for the day and 4 to 5 for a navigation of several days, with consideration of the principles of eco-design from the origin of the design. In order to meet the expectations of sailing clubs, associations, works councils and owners who want to sail on a high-performance, simple and economical boat, the concept of the Class 30 OD is available in two versions (perhaps three if the race large is endorsed by the IOC in early June for the 2024 Olympic Games), likely to race together under the IRC gauge in order to compensate for the differences in equipment and performance, but also to give them access to all the biggest national and international regattas.
- Class 30 Club: the basic version, simplified but efficient, for training crew members in offshore racing and one-design racing at a particularly competitive ready-to-sail call price allowing it to be acquired by the greatest number of people .
- Class 30 One Design: from the Club version to which equipment modules have been added (electronics, ballasts, etc.) intended to extend the field of use and performance for offshore racing. The Class 30 One Design version allows you to race as a one-design, duo or crew, and to be competitive in IRC .
All information on the call for projects competition:
Information, Specifications, Presentation of the Project: on request by email to [email protected]All architects and construction sites who wish to do so must apply by email to the UNCL before the date of May 6, 2021.
The Dark Knight
Super Anarchist
- 8,312
- 2,155
Hull #001
GJW NEWPORT
New member
Congratulations Jeanneau for this new SF30 one design and kudos to the photographer who has passed this along. We are awaiting final MSRP for the USA market, etc. We will report shortly how the first test sails are performing.
robalex117
Super Anarchist
I bet more boats than the 3300 will be sailing in two years or so. I went from a big boat to a 3300 and having much more fun. If I get something bigger it won't have sails.
GJW NEWPORT
New member
Certainly the Jeanneau team is betting on your prediction. Where are you sailing your 3300?
Fastnet this year? Looks like quite an impressive DH field
Fastnet this year? Looks like quite an impressive DH field
GJW NEWPORT
New member
BTW - I believe even before there are published Jeanneau public pricing, they have orders for around 40?
The Dark Knight
Super Anarchist
- 8,312
- 2,155
robalex117
Super Anarchist
Sailing around NE, mostly WLIS but will be in Newport later this summer.
Designed for the next generation of ocean racing sailors, the Jeanneau Sun Fast 30 one design has a huge amount of potential
The growth of the shorthanded racing scene continues and while grand prix custom carbon creations at the top end of the sport seem to be emerging from yards as if spilling off a production line, one of the latest projects to go public is at the other end of the scale, the Jeanneau Sun Fast 30 One Design which is expected to hit the water later this season. This new offshore 30-footer attracted plenty of attention when it was announced at the end of last year. This has been a project that has been bubbling away in the background for a while having been initiated by three international parties, the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL), the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and the Storm Trysail Club (STC) who put out a tender for a design to promote offshore sailing by making it more accessible and affordable for the younger generation.
The competition to create this new 30- footer was won by the combined proposal from designers VPLP and builders Multiplast, both of whom have a great deal of expertise in this field; VPLP for their offshore designs and Multiplast for their abilities in the conception and development of offshore racing boats.
The Sun Fast 30OD has sparked a lot of interest in the shorthanded ocean sailing community but it has been designed as a dual-purpose racer and is equally well suited to fully crewed racing
The one-design aspect of this boat lies at its heart and as such requires the ability and resources of a production builder, which is where Jeanneau joined the party. But, given the French production builder’s ongoing success with its Sun Fast range, to say nothing of the recent impact on the racing scene of the Sun Fast 3300, you may wonder why they felt the need for yet another 30-footer in an increasingly crowded market. The answer was simple.
Bénéteau Group is preparing for the production run in its Nantes shipyard
‘This is a one-design offshore keelboat, designed to keep the cost of competing down and avoid the pressures and expense of optimisation that are frequently incurred in the handicap racing world,’ says Nigel Colley of Sea Ventures T (UK) Ltd, Jeanneau’ s UK agent. Colley and Sea Ventures have played a big part in the development of the shorthanded scene in northern Europe and are keen to see the growth continue.
‘While there has been plenty of focus on the Sun Fast 30OD as a shorthanded boat, it will also be suitable for a crew of four or five, but the first consideration was to create a raceboat for younger people. From there, the second key objective was to create a programme of events for fleets which was why the three clubs were so important. ‘Cost is clearly one of the issues, but not just for the sailors. To get fleets established the 30OD has to be affordable and we are already seeing signs that this is being achieved. It is early days and we are expecting some big announcements to come soon, but there some very interesting and exciting projects developing behind the scenes which look set to provide great access to racing fleets for both youth and corporate racing,’ he continues.
So how much does I cost? ‘The standard price for the One Design version is €142,500 excluding VAT, ex-factory,’ says Multiplast’s commercial development manager Louis Vaquier. ‘This includes a full electronics package from B&G to a high specification with the kind of equipment you have for solo sailing or shorthanded sailing. On top of this price, you only have to add the safety gear and the sails.
The infusion of the new thermoplastic resin involves three components rather than two but that is the only real difference in the production process
‘In the class rules we are limiting the fabrics and the quantity of sails to control the budgets. The sail wardrobe will include a mainsail and two jibs, one will be an allpurpose J2, the other a heavy weather reefable J3 (that serves as ORC sail when reefed), a reaching flying jib and then two asymmetric spinnakers. There are no code zeros allowed. Basically, we're looking for a boat fully equipped, able to do a transatlantic for a bit more than €200,000, including VAT.’
Running costs were also part of the design consideration. ‘Looking back to some of the successful 30ft one-designs in the past, the Mumm 30 is still considered to have been one of great boats,’ he continues. ‘So many people are nostalgic for this period and the Mumm 30’s part in the success of the Tour de France a la Voile and I believe there's clearly a gap to be filled. One of the things that made those boats successful was that they were easy and affordable to manage. So, when it came to the 30OD we were very conscious of these factors, especially when it came to berthing and the size of the boat for the marinas. As a result, we limited the draft to two metres, the beam is just below three metres and the boat length is just under nine metres thanks to a retractable bowsprit.’
But while cost is a major factor, sustainability issues also played a big part in the thinking and the construction of the 30OD is a big step forward. ‘We’re building the boats with Groupe Beneteau in their shipyard in Nantes where the Figaro 3 boats were built,’ continues Vaquier. ‘This yard has a strong history of building offshore racing in the nineties, it used to be Jeanneau Techniques Avancées and now Bénéteau is working towards sustainable yards with the use of a recyclable resin.’
Following several years of research and development with composites supplier Arkema, the Sun Fast 30 One Design will be Bénéteau Group’s first recyclable production boat. Erwan Faoucher is Bénéteau’s research and innovation director. ‘We’ve been working towards the goal of using recyclable resins for three years,’ he says. ‘One of the first major projects was using it for a First 44 to establish whether it could be used on an industrial scale. From there we have used it to build some 6.5m Mini Transat boats and now it will be used for the 30OD which will be the first production boat from Groupe Bénéteau using this system.
The moulds are the same as Bénéteau would use for a polyester laminate
‘Arkema’s Elium resin is thermoplastic and can be recycled which means it can be reheated to take out the fibre and recover the resin. The resin recovered from production waste is also reusable. The interesting aspect is that the recovered resin, which is a monomer, has a good market value.
‘There is very little that we have to do differently in production which makes this process very practical,’ he continues. ‘The moulds are the same as we would use for a polyester laminate and we have the same structural properties, so the design of the boat hasn’t had to change to accommodate the new resin. What does change slightly is the infusion process as there are now three components rather than two, but that is the only real difference. ‘It's a big breakthrough for the industry and Groupe Bénéteau is really proud of it.’
The hull lines feature fuller forward sections and a generous overall beam for a highly powerful hull in terms of righting moment. We have given the boat a narrow waterline beam at low angles of heel to preserve its speed capacity in light winds, and rocker lines with a relatively high aft chine to help the trim of the boat when hiking aft. We think it will be thrilling to sail but easy to control.
One design concept
‘The power of the Bénéteau and Jeanneau Group and their global aspirations for this kind of boat means that they understand where the price point needs to be,’ says Colley. ‘And then there’s the size of the short-handed market in northern Europe, which has exploded in the last two or three years. I don’t see any signs yet of that weakening.
‘For a while during the pandemic shorthanded sailing was the only racing in town and owners of boats that would normally accommodate 10-12 crew came across the shorthanded scene. Interestingly, many of them haven’t gone back. They find the personal satisfaction and sense of accomplishment is greater, the cost is more acceptable and from there success has bred success. You only have to look at the entries for the upcoming Fastnet race where probably one third of the total fleet is going to be double-handed. So the market is big. But we have to make sure that people can access it and that means making it available and affordable which in turn means a well-priced, competitive boat with a good circuit of events’.
The growth of the shorthanded racing scene continues and while grand prix custom carbon creations at the top end of the sport seem to be emerging from yards as if spilling off a production line, one of the latest projects to go public is at the other end of the scale, the Jeanneau Sun Fast 30 One Design which is expected to hit the water later this season. This new offshore 30-footer attracted plenty of attention when it was announced at the end of last year. This has been a project that has been bubbling away in the background for a while having been initiated by three international parties, the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL), the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and the Storm Trysail Club (STC) who put out a tender for a design to promote offshore sailing by making it more accessible and affordable for the younger generation.
The competition to create this new 30- footer was won by the combined proposal from designers VPLP and builders Multiplast, both of whom have a great deal of expertise in this field; VPLP for their offshore designs and Multiplast for their abilities in the conception and development of offshore racing boats.
The Sun Fast 30OD has sparked a lot of interest in the shorthanded ocean sailing community but it has been designed as a dual-purpose racer and is equally well suited to fully crewed racing
The one-design aspect of this boat lies at its heart and as such requires the ability and resources of a production builder, which is where Jeanneau joined the party. But, given the French production builder’s ongoing success with its Sun Fast range, to say nothing of the recent impact on the racing scene of the Sun Fast 3300, you may wonder why they felt the need for yet another 30-footer in an increasingly crowded market. The answer was simple.
Bénéteau Group is preparing for the production run in its Nantes shipyard
‘This is a one-design offshore keelboat, designed to keep the cost of competing down and avoid the pressures and expense of optimisation that are frequently incurred in the handicap racing world,’ says Nigel Colley of Sea Ventures T (UK) Ltd, Jeanneau’ s UK agent. Colley and Sea Ventures have played a big part in the development of the shorthanded scene in northern Europe and are keen to see the growth continue.
‘While there has been plenty of focus on the Sun Fast 30OD as a shorthanded boat, it will also be suitable for a crew of four or five, but the first consideration was to create a raceboat for younger people. From there, the second key objective was to create a programme of events for fleets which was why the three clubs were so important. ‘Cost is clearly one of the issues, but not just for the sailors. To get fleets established the 30OD has to be affordable and we are already seeing signs that this is being achieved. It is early days and we are expecting some big announcements to come soon, but there some very interesting and exciting projects developing behind the scenes which look set to provide great access to racing fleets for both youth and corporate racing,’ he continues.
So how much does I cost? ‘The standard price for the One Design version is €142,500 excluding VAT, ex-factory,’ says Multiplast’s commercial development manager Louis Vaquier. ‘This includes a full electronics package from B&G to a high specification with the kind of equipment you have for solo sailing or shorthanded sailing. On top of this price, you only have to add the safety gear and the sails.
The infusion of the new thermoplastic resin involves three components rather than two but that is the only real difference in the production process
‘In the class rules we are limiting the fabrics and the quantity of sails to control the budgets. The sail wardrobe will include a mainsail and two jibs, one will be an allpurpose J2, the other a heavy weather reefable J3 (that serves as ORC sail when reefed), a reaching flying jib and then two asymmetric spinnakers. There are no code zeros allowed. Basically, we're looking for a boat fully equipped, able to do a transatlantic for a bit more than €200,000, including VAT.’
Running costs were also part of the design consideration. ‘Looking back to some of the successful 30ft one-designs in the past, the Mumm 30 is still considered to have been one of great boats,’ he continues. ‘So many people are nostalgic for this period and the Mumm 30’s part in the success of the Tour de France a la Voile and I believe there's clearly a gap to be filled. One of the things that made those boats successful was that they were easy and affordable to manage. So, when it came to the 30OD we were very conscious of these factors, especially when it came to berthing and the size of the boat for the marinas. As a result, we limited the draft to two metres, the beam is just below three metres and the boat length is just under nine metres thanks to a retractable bowsprit.’
But while cost is a major factor, sustainability issues also played a big part in the thinking and the construction of the 30OD is a big step forward. ‘We’re building the boats with Groupe Beneteau in their shipyard in Nantes where the Figaro 3 boats were built,’ continues Vaquier. ‘This yard has a strong history of building offshore racing in the nineties, it used to be Jeanneau Techniques Avancées and now Bénéteau is working towards sustainable yards with the use of a recyclable resin.’
Following several years of research and development with composites supplier Arkema, the Sun Fast 30 One Design will be Bénéteau Group’s first recyclable production boat. Erwan Faoucher is Bénéteau’s research and innovation director. ‘We’ve been working towards the goal of using recyclable resins for three years,’ he says. ‘One of the first major projects was using it for a First 44 to establish whether it could be used on an industrial scale. From there we have used it to build some 6.5m Mini Transat boats and now it will be used for the 30OD which will be the first production boat from Groupe Bénéteau using this system.
The moulds are the same as Bénéteau would use for a polyester laminate
‘Arkema’s Elium resin is thermoplastic and can be recycled which means it can be reheated to take out the fibre and recover the resin. The resin recovered from production waste is also reusable. The interesting aspect is that the recovered resin, which is a monomer, has a good market value.
‘There is very little that we have to do differently in production which makes this process very practical,’ he continues. ‘The moulds are the same as we would use for a polyester laminate and we have the same structural properties, so the design of the boat hasn’t had to change to accommodate the new resin. What does change slightly is the infusion process as there are now three components rather than two, but that is the only real difference. ‘It's a big breakthrough for the industry and Groupe Bénéteau is really proud of it.’
Designers’ Comments
VPLP Naval Architects
The hull lines feature fuller forward sections and a generous overall beam for a highly powerful hull in terms of righting moment. We have given the boat a narrow waterline beam at low angles of heel to preserve its speed capacity in light winds, and rocker lines with a relatively high aft chine to help the trim of the boat when hiking aft. We think it will be thrilling to sail but easy to control.
One design concept
- Sail area : displacement ratio higher than a typical IRC racer/cruiser
- Not an extreme boat but still more powerful and lively than an IRC-optimised boat
- About 1 ton lighter than a comparable IRC racer/cruiser
- A simple boat: no foils, no water ballast, making it accessible and easy for maintenance
- Certified A4 so eligible for transatlantic racing in a fully crewed or doublehanded format
- Hull made in monolithic fibreglass infused with Elium resin, some reinforced areas
- Hull counter-mould made in fibreglass infused with Elium resin
- Bulkheads made in fibreglass or plywood sandwich with PET foam
- Deck made in sandwich infused fibreglass / Elium and PET foam
- Cast iron keel fin and lead bulb
- Rudders made in monolithic fibreglass infusion with unidirectional carbon reinforced areas
‘The power of the Bénéteau and Jeanneau Group and their global aspirations for this kind of boat means that they understand where the price point needs to be,’ says Colley. ‘And then there’s the size of the short-handed market in northern Europe, which has exploded in the last two or three years. I don’t see any signs yet of that weakening.
‘For a while during the pandemic shorthanded sailing was the only racing in town and owners of boats that would normally accommodate 10-12 crew came across the shorthanded scene. Interestingly, many of them haven’t gone back. They find the personal satisfaction and sense of accomplishment is greater, the cost is more acceptable and from there success has bred success. You only have to look at the entries for the upcoming Fastnet race where probably one third of the total fleet is going to be double-handed. So the market is big. But we have to make sure that people can access it and that means making it available and affordable which in turn means a well-priced, competitive boat with a good circuit of events’.
apophenia
Anarchist
Official team car of the 30OD:
solosailor
Super Anarchist
Not a cored hull?
Matagi
Super Antichrist
I don't get it.
apophenia
Anarchist
30OD = 300D
Matagi
Super Antichrist
The Dark Knight
Super Anarchist
- 8,312
- 2,155
Ok, then the official press photographer camera is ...
