ac45 catamaran

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Meet the Boat: The AC45

• By Sailing World Staff
• Updated: June 20, 2012

Hull Length-13.45 m (44 feet)

Maximum Beam – 6.90 m (22.6 feet)

Mast Height – 21.50 m (70.5 feet)

Maximum Draft – 2.70 m (8.8 feet)

Displacement – 1400 kgs (3,086 pounds)

Wing Area – 85 sqm (914 square feet)

Jib Area – 48 sqm (516 square feet)

Gennaker Area – 125 sqm (1,345 square feet)

Crew – 5 people @ 85 kgs/person (187 pounds)

• More: AC45 , America's Cup , Americas Cup World Series , Catamaran , Multihull , Oracle Racing
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• Sailboat Guide

AC45 is a 44 ′ 1 ″ / 13.5 m catamaran sailboat designed by Oracle Racing Team and built by Oracle Racing Team between 2010 and 2011.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

AMERICAS CUP 45 CATAMARAN Wing Area - 85 sqm (914 square feet) Jib Area - 48 sqm (516 square feet) Gennaker Area - 125 sqm (1,345 square feet) Crew - 5 people @ 85 kgs/person (187 pounds)

One-design, high performance, wing sail catamaran. These boats were used throughout 2011 and 2012 in the America’s Cup World Series events preceeding the Louis Vuitton Cup and final Americas Cup match in 2013 (sailed in AMERCA’S CUP 72’S) . (Recently modified with foils added.)

DESIGN CREDITS: Michel Kermarec – appendages, general design Manolo Ruiz de Elvira – hull Dirk Kramers – general design, structures Joseph Ozanne/Mario Caponnetto – wing aero Scott Ferguson – wing structure Mike Drummond – general design input (Updated with foiling capabilitity - 2016)

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• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

America’s Cup: AC45 First Impressions

• January 17, 2011

Reporting for Yachting World from Auckland NZ, Rebecca Hayter tracks the first AC45 and her crew as they sail for the first time

In just 8 to 10 knots of wind, the first AC45 skimmed to more than 20 knots on the Waitemata Harbour, Auckland on Monday, 17 January. Perhaps the speed was due to having just a sliver of wave-piercing hull in the water; perhaps it was her ultra-high tech-minus-one construction or even the hand of James Spithill on the helm – but for those who pushed forward the throttles to keep up, it was all about the wingsail.

Oh, the wingsail. It’s so darn gorgeous. As translucent as the wing of a butterfly and seemingly as delicate, with its 450-piece cartilage of carbon fibre, Nomex core and Kevlar, sheathed in Shrinkwrap. I know, you were expecting something more techy than Shrinkwrap.

But boy, does it boogie. The AC45, built by Core Builders at Warkworth, New Zealand, tacked down the Waitemata Harbour, with the nearly 3-metre daggerboards cutting dramatic profiles. Onboard with Spithill were Murray Jones , Matthew Mason, Joey Newton and Dirk de Ridder. After the first, slow tack, all manoeuvres showed the cat’s nimble tacks and rapid acceleration. It even sailed backwards, intentionally, with the wing well angled.

Spithill returned to dock clearly happy with the AC45 prototype. “It’s an awesome tool, and we had a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s a big wing but it powers up quickly. It’s easy to sail, maneuverability is not a problem. We knew that straight off the bat.

“The wing is fantastic and so much quicker to depower than with a mainsheet. It gets up to speed quickly. I can’t wait to get out there again.

“The boat’s a bit of a handful. The America’s Cup needs to have things that test people and that’s how the America’s Cup should be. It was unbelievable first sail, in eight to 10 knots of breeze we were doing over 20 knots.”

One of the wingsails’ builders is its trimmer, Dirk de Ridder, who trimmed the wingsail on the BMWOracle Racing trimaran in Valencia. “It’s not a sail so it looks different, and you’ve got to get your head around that,” he says. “Trimming it, the load is only twenty per cent of a soft sail so it feels wonderfully easy.”

But if this yacht is destined for the America’s Cup World Series, something is missing – noise. In stark contrast to the boom-box audio of IACC yachts, this cat was quiet as a feline. The wingsail doesn’t flap and crunch through the tack like soft sails – suddenly rendered obsolete in AC land; the sliver of the leeward hull licks through the water with more of a scratch than a wake; and the winches ease without the sound of gunfire. This is because a wingsail subjects the boat to much lighter loads because there is no need to stretch out the leech of the mainsail. With a wingsail, the load on the traveler of the AC45 is around 300kg and easily managed with top-handle manual winches. With a soft sail, the loads would be around 1500kg. On the 90ft trimaran in Valencia, the difference was even more dramatic: 20 tonnes under soft sails down to 1500kg under wingsail.

The cats will have gennakers and jibs, but no Code 0 sails. BMWOracle Racing launched the AC45 with wingsail in place, with just one crane. Within seconds of releases her tow just outside the Viaduct Harbour, she was sailing – it bodes well for a slick operation when the AC45 gets active in the America’s Cup World Series in June this year.

Sailing Pictures and Launch Video

AC34 Teams, Dates & Venues – Who’s Up for the Cup?

www.yachting-world.com/ACteams  

America’s Cup World Series San Diego AC45 Catamaran Photos

By Danny Cruz

The America’s Cup World Series took over San Diego starting last weekend when the torrential rains put a damper on racing. The weather throughout the weekend improved a bit, but was riddled with crazy morning fogs.

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Publisher of FloatWays, Danny Cruz is resourceful creative designer, lover of the ocean and all things that float.

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We love boats! We love everything about boats! FloatWays is dedicated to the art of boating and sailing. Whether it be in the ocean or the lake, we are devoted to the lifestyle and all the joys that come from being on the water. We are people who have practically been raised aboard boats. At the same time, FloatWays believes in being humble, friendly and down to earth (er … More

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At FloatWays we pay a lot of attention to the visual aspect of the water activities in which we participate. This means we are focused on enjoying our outdoor life by making sure we have the best optical clarity and sun protection we can get. Not only that, but we like to look good while doing it. We've created this sunglasses guide for that very reason. As we look into what the market has to offer for functional and stylish sunglasses and review them on FloatWays, we'll … More

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America's Cup AC45 sailing yachts convert to hydrfoiling catamarans

Oracle Team USA and the five challenger teams have agreed to convert the existing fleet of AC45 catamarans into hydrofoiling catamarans for racing in the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS).

To do anything else would have drawn criticism of not keeping up with the times. Since the foiling spectacle of the 2013 America's Cup in San Francisco, the professional sailing world has been going hydrofoiling crazy.

Sailors on the Cup teams have been encouraged to go Moth sailing, and indeed Artemis Racing’s helmsman Nathan Outteridge recently won the International Moth World Championships in the UK. Others have been desperate to gain experience on the Great Cup circuit which uses foiling GC32 catamarans.

It was a GC32, Richard Mille, that took line honours in the JP Morgan Round the Island Race earlier this summer in the Solent. As for the AC45s, some teams such as Artemis already have experience of converting such a craft to foiling.

It’s good news for the Cup that the teams have been able to agree on something after a year of little progress. Even more impressive is that the teams have committed to continue racing the foiling AC45s on the America’s Cup World Series circuit in 2018, the year after the 35th Cup will have taken place.

If this proves to be the case, it will be a rare example of continuity taking place in an event that tends to lurch from one edition to the next with all the momentum lost from one Cup to the next. Here’s hoping that the teams - and whoever wins the next Cup - prove capable of keeping to their pledge.

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Tuesday 18 January 2011

America's cup: ac45 wing-sailed catamaran under sail in auckland.

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Ready, Set, Sail: America's Cup Back In Rhode Island

Bradley Campbell

The Oracle Racing AC45 catamaran skipped by James Spithill competes in the America's Cup World Series in Cascais, Portugal in August 2011. The Oracle Team USA sailors are also competing in the final leg of this year's regatta in Newport, R.I. Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

The Oracle Racing AC45 catamaran skipped by James Spithill competes in the America's Cup World Series in Cascais, Portugal in August 2011. The Oracle Team USA sailors are also competing in the final leg of this year's regatta in Newport, R.I.

An America's Cup sailing event is being held to Newport, R.I., for the first time in 29 years. Sailors began arriving in Newport last week for the final leg of the America's Cup World Series regatta, which has been held at stops all across the world to gin up excitement for the official America's Cup next year in San Francisco .

No longer the sleepy, tactical event of old, the race now features a revolutionary new boat — the AC45 catamaran , made of carbon fiber and powered by a giant vertical wing. The high-tech boats are smaller versions of the vessels that sailors will be skippering in next year's big race.

"The boats are relentless," says Australian sailor James Spithill , who races for Oracle Team USA. "They are the most physical thing we've ever sailed and the most exciting thing we've ever sailed, and then probably the most demanding."

The Oracle Racing AC45 catamarans practice in the San Francisco Bay in February. The AC45 is a smaller version of the AC72, which teams will race in next year's America's Cup Finals in 2013. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images hide caption

The Oracle Racing AC45 catamarans practice in the San Francisco Bay in February. The AC45 is a smaller version of the AC72, which teams will race in next year's America's Cup Finals in 2013.

Spithill, also known as "James Pitbull," was a childhood boxer from Australia who left the ring for the sea. The youngest man ever to win the America's Cup, Spithill arrived in Newport skippering a class boat that's reinventing the game.

'Something That They've Never Seen Before'

These catamarans have also piqued the interest of Newport's residents. Even though this week's regatta is not the finals, Brad Read, chairman of the local host committee, says that with the right sailing conditions, the event just might knock the Topsiders off the locals.

"I'm really hoping it's windy because the people are going to just see something that they've never seen before," Read says.

Newport resident Halsey Herreshoff is excited to show off his backyard to a new generation of international sailors. Though their name is often mispronounced, the Herreshoffs are like royalty in sailing. Herreshoff's grandfather designed and built the first catamaran back in the 1870s.

Halsey Herreshoff has sailed all across the world from the Mediterranean to the Baltic, but he says, "I come back here, and I look out at my window and I see Narragansett Bay, and I think to myself, 'Yeah, those places were all great, but this is the best.' "

Like NASCAR On Water

Sailors like Spithill want to show people that sailboat racing has moved past the days of Ted Turner in a blazer . The regatta also allows sailors to get comfy with the high-tech craft because, as Spithill says, they're dangerous.

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On a recent ride, the boat kicked up to 24 knots or so on Narragansett Bay. One hull lifted out of the water, and Spithill and his Oracle teammates leaned their bodies over its side. The boat balanced at a 40-degree angle, slicing through waters crowded with pleasure boats.

Unlike in the past, this new breed of sailing does not permit dead weight. Navigators, tacticians and other non-athletes can no longer just sit onboard during races. "If you can't put some serious horsepower into the boat, the guys [onboard] aren't going to carry you around," Spithill says.

Still, Spithill hopes the new boats will increase the sport's popularity. He wants people to view sailboat racing like NASCAR on the water. And as he threads his racing machine through waters off Newport, leaving the pleasure boats in his wake, you can't help but think he might get his wish. As every NASCAR fan knows, speed sells.

Golden Gate YC : P ress Release Multihulls for America's Cup 2013

The catamaran will be able to fly a hull in 5 to 6 knots true windspeed.  The target boatspeeds in winds under 10 knots were set at 1.2 times the true windspeed upwind and 1.6 times true windspeed downwind. 

High speeds are derived from enormous power.  The AC72 has a righting moment of approximately 60-ton-meters.  Determining the sail plan dimensions was difficult because the boat has to be powerful in light winds and not overpowered in stronger winds. 

“It’s been challenging to have the cat fully powered-up and flying a hull in light winds, yet also able to sail in 30 knots,” Melvin said.  “We put a lot of time and effort into sizing the wingsail and the platform dimensions in order to sail in that full range.”

The height of the wingsail will be approximately 40 meters (130 feet) with a maximum chord length between 10 and 11 meters (32 and 36 feet). 

Two options for depowering are removable flaps on the upper leech or a removable mast tip.  Both options would reduce sail and weight. 

With such a wide boat, additional structure has been required to optimize the longitudinal stability of the AC72 to dampen flexing and to resist the high forestay loads. 

A draft of the AC72 Rule has been completed and the final rule will be issued by September 30. 

Other highlights of the new class:

• Ease of assembly: The AC72 can be assembled in two days and disassembled in one to accommodate the shipping schedule for the America’s Cup World Series events.  • Platform configuration: Either a conventional layout catamaran, one with cockpits and helmsman stations in both hulls, or teams will have an option of designing a central pod to centralize all the wing and sail-handling controls.  • Wingsail or soft sails: The AC72 class rule allows for wingsail and soft sail options to promote racing through a broad range of conditions.  • Power source: Engines are banned but electrically driven valves to control the wingsail might be permitted.  • Rudders and daggerboards: The rule limits a maximum of four underwater appendages, two rudders and two daggerboards.  To reduce costs, standardized, one-design daggerboards are being considered.  • Construction materials and methods: Limits on high-modulus carbon-fiber have been put in place for hull construction.  The class rule outlines a minimum outside skin weight of 600 grams per square meter, similar to other racing boats of that size.  Core materials may either be foam or honeycomb.  High-modulus carbon will be allowed in the wing sail, to add stiffness and strength.  • Onboard cameramen will be carried during racing.   

The Youth America’s Cup and AC45

The next generation of sailing heroes will be created by the Youth America’s Cup, a new global sports event that will take place annually from 2012.

National teams will compete in the AC45, the new, fast, wingsail one-design catamaran that America's Cup teams will race during 2011.

Competition rules for the Youth America’s Cup are in development and will be announced by June 2011, following the close of the challenge period for America's Cup teams.

The AC45 is not only a launch pad for young sailors around the world, but will also fast-track America's Cup teams straight to the latest state-of-the-art wingsail technology.

The AC45 class will be managed by the new independent America's Cup Race Management and built by Core Builders in Warkworth, New Zealand.

Six new boats are underway with hull no.1 due to be launched in December 2010. All America’s Cup teams will be invited to take part in the sea trials.

The platforms, hulls and cross beams, will be delivered to America’s Cup teams with all composite work completed. Only assembly, painting and instrumentation fit-out will remain.

The wingsails will be supplied either as a finished product or in a kit with assemblage information supplied as per the class rule.  

Related Links:

Read Protocol for the 34th America's Cup (41 pages, pdf)

At America's Cup Official Web site: View Press Conference Video

Additional Links and Info:

Visit Golden Gate YC website

Visit Club Nautico di Roma website  

CupInfo Home

AC45 Americas Cup Wing-Sailed Catamaran Launched in Auckland

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Written by Mike Smith

The New Catamaran Class Centerpiece of 2011-2012 America’s Cup World Series is launched in New Zealand – the AC 45 cat.

Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour showcased a glimpse into the future of the America’s Cup with the debut of the wing-sailed AC45 catamaran. The forerunner to the next generation of America’s Cup boats, the AC45 made its maiden voyage, the first of many sea trials planned over the coming weeks.

“Thanks to the efficiency of the New Zealand boat building industry and a huge effort by our team, the first AC45 is now ready for sea trials just a mere four months after this exciting new multihull class was first conceptualized,” said Tim Smyth, co-construction manager for Core Builders Composites of Warkworth, New Zealand.

The AC45 will be the centerpiece of the 2011-2012 America’s Cup World Series, which will start mid-2011. The high-tech carbon fibre catamaran is the first in a fleet of the new 45-foot one-designs that will be tested by America’s Cup teams before racing on the America’s Cup World Series circuit.

The AC45 is an essential element of the vision for the 34th America’s Cup, which will feature 72-foot catamarans raced on San Francisco Bay in 2013. Focused on creating more on-the-water excitement for both the teams and the fans, the AC45 is designed for both speed and close racing. While capable of closing speeds of up to 30 knots, the AC45 was designed to remain nimble enough to handle the tight race courses planned by America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM).

“The biggest challenge with multihulls is learning how much to anticipate. With the AC45 being a big, powerful multihull capable of tripling the wind speed, your reactions and skills are accelerated. It’s all about being ahead of the cycle,” said ORACLE RACING skipper James Spithill. “I think the AC45 will enable all teams to advance to hard-core race mentality very quickly.”

The AC45 was designed by the ORACLE RACING design and engineering team, which developed the catamaran on behalf of the America’s Cup community. At task was designing a boat that would not only meet the racing criteria, but could also fit inside a 40-foot container, which is the shipping vessel for the America’s Cup World Series.

“The boat was designed for all-around performance so it can be sailed in wide range of conditions, and that means the next America’s Cup will see races start on time,” said Ian Burns, ORACLE RACING design coordinator. “Plus it’s a regatta boat, meant for lots of racing, so quick assembly and disassembly was a must to accommodate an active competition schedule.”

The AC45 had to be robust enough to sail through a wide wind range, from 5 to 30 knots, as well as survive in the event of collisions, which are foreseen as teams learn to adapt to multihull closing speeds.

Utilizing the same technology used in the aerospace industry, the hulls are built in carbon epoxy with honeycomb cores, making them extremely stiff and light structures. The sandwich construction involves two carbon skins less than 1mm thick laminated over an ultra-light honeycomb core.

“The new America’s Cup is for those who are hungry for a challenge and the AC45 is really a fresh take on the multihull,” said Vincenzo Onorato, President, Mascalzone Latino.

“We plan to run tight race courses that will force boats to engage with each other, creating really close racing situations. Multihulls are very fast boats and will therefore reach the course boundaries sooner, so races will become a true test of skill and strategy, not just speed,” said Iain Murray, CEO, America’s Cup Race Management and Regatta Director. “The AC45 will fast-track teams to state-of-the-art wingsail technology and crew technique in the first season, and will greatly prepare them for the AC72.” Specifications:

LOA: 44.13’ (13.45m) BEAM:22.6’ (6.9m) DSPL:1,400 kg Mast Height:70.5’ (21.5m) Sail Area:1430 sq’ (133 sqm) (up w/main & gennaker), 2,259 sq’ 210 (sqm) (dwn w/main & reacher) For further information please contact:

Jane Eagleson America’s Cup Race Management Email [email protected]

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "AC45 Americas Cup Wing-Sailed Catamaran Launched in Auckland".

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