Design № 801

FAST 40+

Farr Yacht Design has created a FAST 40+ design that will lead the fleet in 2017 and define the direction of the class going forwards.  Starting from a blank slate, our design 801 is a FAST 40+ created with advanced tools, to create an innovative design that is optimised for the UK class circuit.  Each component and parameter of the design is balanced within the rest of the total design package to produce the best overall performance in the expected racing conditions and format. This design is optimized to the newly finalized 2017 FAST 40+ class rule and Solent conditions. The refined, high stability/low drag hull shape is integrated with advanced deck and structural design.

The FAST 40+ class rule presents fertile ground for design development and optimisation. The class parameters were positioned to include existing high performance 40 foot boats.  Now that the rule limits have been formalized and racing has begun, FYD has taken advantage of the opportunity to create an entirely new design without restricting ourselves to old hull shapes or unnecessary restrictions.

The hull form we have developed for this design has been crafted from the ground up to reflect the specific requirements of the FAST 40+ rule and the conditions anticipated for a Solent-focused event schedule. The shape itself is the product of an extensive computational fluid dynamic based optimisation study using our state-of-the-art Integrated Design-space Exploration and Optimisation System (IDEOS) that automates a suite of in-house simulation and performance prediction resources. The IDEOS system allows us to complete an automated exploration of the design space through the evaluation of hundreds of design variants.

Our studies of crew position have been central to the deck development. The open cockpit, centralized pit work station and deck geometry maximize efficient handling with minimized weight, windage and pitch gyradius. It takes an aggressive approach to maximize the benefit of moving crew weight both longitudinally and transversely.