Dear all,

Clearly, wavepiercer boats are coming out from behind the "A-Class scene" and expand on F20 with Ventilo Pulso and F28 with Ventilo M2...

That trend seems to look like a "fashion-victim" slavery...for naval architects. Indded, the wavepiercers work well on A-Class...but mainly because waterplane loads and propulsive diving moments ( pitch ) are low...

How could you simply imagine F18 or NACRA's heavily loaded boats on waterplane and bows ( by weight and propulsion ) running without generous bows to secure the ride ?

Even C-Class, 770 pound with crew, so light for a 25ft waterline couldn't stand their huge propulsive drive force without a 1.66 ft high bow at least !!!! ( Ask Duncan Mc Lane )

So, there's certainly someone who's wrong !


Frenchie

How well does the Hobie Fox sail? The boat has been sailing for several years with a wave piercer design.

The boat never caught on in the US. However, I believe one boat was actively raced in Southern California against a well sailed I20. I was never sure if its failure to match the performance of the I20 was due to a less then optimal rig OR to the hull shape. Did the boat go through the water well and handle the loads and weight?

Mark

It is undoubtably true that part of the wave-piercer thing is a hype. However, the larger boats can be improved when understanding the concept properly. It has nothing to do with wave-piercing and everything with the redistribution of the SAME total amount of volume.

Test sail a Taipan 4.9 and then a Blade F16 and you'll know what the difference can be.

Some designers however just take a older hull shape and trim the bow and sterns. That way they end up with waht looks like a wave-piercer but is actually worse than the older unmodified hull.

As always there is no substitution for understanding what is really going on.

But in our 1 min attention span society this is alot to ask.

Wouter

Yep, I have been cought into the hype. But the Blade being built locally I could not pass up the oportunity for this.

So yes I am part of the Versace club fashion trend!! lol

Wavepiercers are sooo last year its lifting boards and hydrofoils now.

Those 30 thousand euro A2s will be off the pace by next year.

I'm not a victim for sure, because, to me, "wave-piercing" translates to "very wet." I would much rather go over the waves than through them.

And I think Frenchie is right about the problems of carrying the concept up to bigger racing cats and to cruising cats.

Question: Of the three maxi cats racing currently in Oryx Quest, are their bows considered to be "wave-piercing"?

Dear Wouter,

Just for Mary, Oryx Quest Boats and Orange II show 8 to 10 feet high bow, so shouldn't certainly be called "wavepiercers"...

Very interesting Wouter's reply about Taïpan 4.9 and Blade. However, I'm simply wondering if volume balance is still sufficient for explaining hull diving sickness.

Obviously, huge transoms combined with fine bow entries always lead to severe pitchpoling...but too narrow transoms lead to "rocking chair" syndrome !!! I think that Wouter is somehow right about volume distribution, tension in hull lines is important for quick reaction of Archimedian forces at hull tips.


Best Regards,
Frenchie