AC40 - The Next Big Thing

The AC40 looks set to be the next big deal outside the America's Cup as the new foiling 40ft monohull prepares to raise the bar in the Grand Prix World. Matt Sheahan talks to Ancasta boss Nick Griffith to find out how and why.

[@FutureSystem738]

Faaaaabulous! As a lifelong sailor, (won my first championship in about 1968) I find this development so exciting.

[@weatheranddarkness]

Was this interview not in a previous episode of On Course?

[@Antipodean33]

Imagine a gang of richie yacht club types buying these things and racing, the carnage would be wicked

[@jeffcondell]

Very exciting, but more Billionaire toys!

[@ironmantwilliam]

Not even is a fraction of the cost Bro and way more exciting

[@Trajectionable]

"outside the America's Cup" would be most excellent. Forever.

[@boatboy222]

Yup ! Im loving these more than the 75! Looks so much more fun.... Dont know why?

[@jameslittlewood7663]

If this thing takes out the TP52s that would do us all a big favour. Most boring spectator yacht racing ever. With tedious processions on every single light weather reaching leg, and all the lead changes happening upwind, TPs wound the art of yacht racing back by half a century.

[@GordonjSmith1]

There was a lot in this vlog. 'Traditionalist' AC supporters should have locked on to the fact that the AC40 will be a requirement of more than one AC (and the venue is guaranteed for at least another AC cup - from other sources) - which means all the current AC participants have signed an agreement to keep the class, and also the venue, not what the traditionalists will have expected nor welcomed. But let us also appreciate that what we have here is an interview with a Kiwi salesman, selling a Kiwi boat and 'building' his sales pitch! Over all things I do not think that an AC40 matches an RC44 in terms of the owner's satisfaction what so ever, it will have to find a different, and possibly 'corporate' market.

[@Trajectionable]

I'll interpret *traditionalists* as normal sailors who prefer proper yacht match racing, not banging off stadium walls alone 95% of the 'race'.

[@Secretlyanothername]

I'd love to see scaled down versions, perhaps an 'AC18' and 'AC25'

[@Gottenhimfella]

Not strictly true to say the first AC40 didn't have to go back in the shed. It would be an exaggeration to say "the front fell off", but the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes. (Not indicative of poor build quality, and it is hardly surprising in a new boat of such an ambitious spec, with very light scantlings and very high loads, but all the more reason not to misrepresent the sequence of events)

[@boatboy222]

They look superb! Better than a cat...🤭

[@TheoSmith249]

I must say...that is a nicely pressed dress shirt

[@mikewiedl1991]

Not sure this is my idea of sailing. Push buttons and go? Yuck.

[@matthiasteubner1923]

Content recycled from episode 23 about three months ago…

[@keevee09]

Fantastic looking technology and a reassuring potential partnership in these post-Brexit times for a British business to cooperate and create a viable business opportunity.

[@jasonpickens9839]

Didn't have to go back in the shed? I bet they were wishing that was the case after stuffing the bow and breaking it 😅

[@vsstdtbs3705]

The racing in Vilanova i la Geltrú will be both fleet and match. The fleet interests me with those raised foil arms, what if boats collide as sometimes happens. But then again with a catamaran, an entire hull can be a few meters out of the water.

[@julian4548]

Pretty dam encouraging. Been great to see them hooning around the gulf.

[@tomsear1]

haven't we heard this content before?

[@jcmaludy]

😅

[@CelsoCavallari-b6p]

FK that it is a total BS. I like it but it is BS. advertising,,, would be more brave to actually do an advertise. this means nothing just probably destroy sailing.

[@brucefale6132]

Sailing is harnessing the wind to it's full potential.....you're more than welcome to keep running with the dinosaurs if you want.

[@cjprimata]

@@brucefale6132 you did not get it about advertising did you?

[@danieltoone5979]

Anybody know why the jibs are so tiny on these (and other AC boats from the past)? What is the point of a jib that barely hits 50% of the mast height?

[@brucefale6132]

Drag

[@danieltoone5979]

@@brucefale6132 Getting rid of the jib entirely would get rid of the jib’s drag entirely.

[@brucefale6132]

@@danieltoone5979 if you need to have the the dynamics of the jib explained then sailing isn't for you. No jib would create instability.. Too bigger jib creates too much drag for the amount of wind you would harness to go go faster. It's a tight balancing act. Rest assured I think they know what they doing....lol After all they've been doing it a lot longer than you and I.

[@danieltoone5979]

@@brucefale6132 if you are just gonna make shit up as you go along, you might as well not answer. I know exactly what a jib is for, what I don’t understand is why you would only fly a shit jib that doesn’t even reach 50% of mast height. Literally no other racing class has such pointless jibs. The only meaningful answer is that is what the class rules allow, but why would the class rules be designed that way in the first place?

[@brucefale6132]

@@danieltoone5979 if you wanna stay an ignorant mutt then that's your problem. You wrinkled piece of foreskin

[@bukwok]

im not a sailboat guy , these foil thing is only worked on those lightweight racing sailboat..? not for normal sailboat , im thinking that foil thingy is possible use on normal sailboat ,not for foiling but for make the boat always level while sailing , not tilted to one side. sorry for my poor english.

[@weatheranddarkness]

Yes that can work, but it does require speed.

[@kukuc96]

There are foiling offshore racing boats as well now. The last two Vendée Globe-s featured foiling IMOCA 60s, which weigh around 11-12 tons. So it's definitely possible, and faster than non foiling. But foiling does impose some constraints on a boat. The upper speed limit for foiling is about 50 knots, above that, you get cavitation on the foils. A non foiling multihull is already pushing up against that in strong winds, so there is not much to gain. On the other hand, in less winds, weight becomes more of a problem, because you have to generate enough lift on the foils, and still be able to get to your takeoff speed in those lighter winds. More weigh->bigger foils needed->more drag->hard to get enough speed to take off. For some numbers: AC50 and AC75 boats can take off at around 16-18 knots, and they generally need 7-8 knot winds for that. So you have to have a boat that can do twice the windspeed, while in the water and not foiling. That is very hard if you are heavy.

[@bukwok]

​@@kukuc96 for a F1 fans like me, sailboat racing really fascinating ,that speed can reach just powered by wind , lately following little bit American cup testing and the ocean race , two different type of race, american cup like F1 circuit racing ,those boat like no need to slow down and carry the speed to make 180 degree turn , fast that rally car handbrake turn, and the ocean race like WEC endurance 24hrs le mans racing, sailing cross ocean, almost a month cant see a land, constantly to repairs the boat in middle of sea without other support ship , climb to high up fixing the sail in bad weather, very scary.

[@kukuc96]

@@bukwok Very good comparison. The America's Cup to F1 is a common one. The peak of short sailboat racing, bleeding edge designs just like F1. Endurance racing like WEC is also a good analog for offshore (especially around the world) racing. And I absolutely agree with the turning part. More mindblowing than how quickly they go straight is how they turn on a dime, while going nearly highway speeds, and being as large and heavy as trucks.

[@78779]

The America’s Cup is slowly becoming irrelevant. Just look at how the general public is following it. IMOCA has captured the public’s attention fir good reason.

[@santos.l.halper1999]

nah

[@sasakostic1982]

$2.8M to expensive.

[@bradclifton5248]

Sure but, once the tech is refined a bit more there is no reason why it couldn't be scaled to a 6-8m,/18-24foot class.

[@Silvius.2]

Only carefully must team NZ be if building this boats in china, powered with batteries, they not catching fire likely chinese electro cars🥳!

[@perrybeadon1086]

Made in China forget it