Design #428 IMS 49

Results gleaned from our extensive tank testing in support of IACC and Volvo Ocean 60 designs combined with continued analysis of the evolving IMS rule have yielded this advanced shape. Like BEAU GESTE, this hull has a removable stern extension. It is installed for regattas with big seas and removed for regattas in sheltered waters. At the beginning, IMS hull measurements were made of both configurations to allow simple swapping of the offset files for rating purposes.

Design 428 will benefit from the significant investment Farr Yacht Design has made in the installation of the surface-modeling program Pro/Engineer. Reproducing the design airfoil shape is critical to the performance of the boat so the keel and rudder surfaces were machined using Pro/E 3D models supplied directly to the builder. The keel is a refinement of the style first used on the highly successful Farr 45, BIG APPLE. The draft is somewhat less than the preceding designs because the IMS rule now is less favorable to extreme deep draft and the boat will first sail in the rock-strewn waters of the Solent and English Channel. The stability of the boat can easily be varied by swapping portions of the keel with different densities while maintaining the original shape of the fin.

The rig and deck layout are adaptations of the previous designs but have been fine-tuned to meet the owner’s requirements. Every detail of the deck and interior is designed to function efficiently using the least amount of weight while meeting the requirements of the IMS rule. The coachroof is of minimum size while the cockpit length is maximized for ease of maneuvering and sail handling. The sailplan has overlapping headsails for flexibility in the wide range of expected weather conditions.