The ADM Design Synopsis

The Boats

The AC72 Catamaran The AC45 Catamaran About the Builder
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America’s Cup Racing

The “tune-up” boat for the 34th America’s Cup is the AC45 hard-wing Catamaran. The AC72 is slated to be raced in the actual America’s Cup and Challenger (Defender) series.

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A catamaran is a type of "Multihull" multihulled boat or ship consisting of two "Hull (watercraft)" hulls joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of "Aka (sailing)" akas. Multihulls were invented and sailed by the early Polynesians. Catamarans can be sail- or engine-powered. Catamarans are a relatively recent introduction to the design of boats for both leisure and sport sailing. The catamaran has arguably become the best design for fast ferries, because their speed, stability and large capacity are valuable.

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To get the latest news on racing the AC45’s, check out our recommended sites:

America’s Cup Boats Artemis Racing ACRM and ACEA Trial Race in Auckland

The design parameters, governing all of the competing yachts, allows the Naval Architects to pursue configurations of various proportion of length, sail area and displacement, which add up to the same theoretical sailing speed potential. Version 5 of the design parameters led to mainsails with gaff battened flat tops with almost parallel leech and luff. Unlike powerboats, which operate at an optimized horsepower, sailboat speed can be greatly affected by as small a differential as a two-mile per hour fluctuation in wind speed and by the size and angle of waves. 1983 was the year that personal computers became widely available for design office use, at first for spreadsheet rating and engineering analysis. In 1986, the first generation of computer programs enhanced hull design, velocity prediction, and CAD with curve fairing capabilities. Yacht design software in 2007 has become very sophisticated, with boat speed prediction capabilities refined from several years of updated mathematical correlation between tank testing, computer modeling, and on the water testing.

The design of the America’s Cup Class AC72 for African Diaspora Maritime can be broken down into the following areas:

Design Analysis & Research
VPP Analysis & Hull Design
Hull Construction
Deck Layout & Hardware
Wing Sail & Rigging
Underwater Appendages
Boat Construction
Sails
Timelines/Project Management

34th AMERICA’S CUP

On January 17th, the first of two new designs for the 34th America’s Cup, the AC45 catamaran made its debut in Auckland, hitting speeds in excess of 20 knots, right out of the box.

The boat 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 the Finals in 2013.

But first, the AC45 will allow all teams to grow their experience on wing-sailed multi-hulls. The 45 will be used throughout 2012 in the “America’s Cup World Series” events before giving way to the AC72s for the Louis Vuitton Cup.

The AC 45 was designed by the ORACLE Racing design and engineering team (which developed the catamaran on behalf of the America’s Cup community) and will use the boat for racing, testing and practice in 2012 and beyond.