Projects

For a number of years fast monohull yachts have been getting wider and relying more and more on form stability rather than deep heavy keels. The best
examples are the TP52s, Volvo Around the World yachts and the 100 foot Comanche that took line honours in the 2015 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Design Concept

Andrew York has been racing his VX One for three years. It is a 5.8m long sports boat designed by Brian Bennett which is beamy, with very good form stability, terrific acceleration and great downwind speed in a breeze. With only three VX One's in the country, the owners decided to compete within the ASBA (Australian Sports Boat Association) to get exposure for their new toys. They found that the other sports boats were bigger and Andrew, being fairly competitive, wondered early on how a bigger version of the VX One would go in the ASBA fleet.

One night in May 2015 Andrew realised that he had the spars, keel and rudder so there was nothing to stop him just putting a bigger hull under them. Brian agreed to produce the lines of the hull with a plan to build the boat with a foam core to keep weight to a minimum. Andrew's friend, Richard Stanning, a specialist in composite boat construction methods and materials, confirmed his thoughts, and recommended products from ATL Composites for the build.

Construction

Andrew had little knowledge of vacuum bagging to begin with but Michelle Crouch at ATL Composites was extremely helpful with technical information on suitable materials and construction techniques.

DIAB 12mm Divinycell H80, used worldwide with a proven track record for marine applications was used for the construction of the deck and topsides, and Divinycell HM80, also in 12mm, was used in combination with ATL's KINETIX R246TX Laminating epoxy to produce a very tough hull, capable of absorbing high dynamic impacts and slamming loads. Core for the hull and bulkheads were delivered in CNC-routed kit form by ATL. To keep the cost down, the majority of the boat is laminated with a combination of +/-45 double bias and woven E Fibreglass.

Andrew did the engineering for the boat and the keel box, chainplates and other high-load areas were reinforced with woven and unidirectional carbon. WEST SYSTEM powder modifiers, including lightweight 410 Microlight fairing modifier, were used in the construction, and ATL also supplied a selection of AIRTECH vacuum bagging consumables.

The build was completed in 6 months in Andrew's portable building manufacturing factory. The last fitting was bolted on the day before the ASBA Nationals started on January 5 2016. Rigging modifications were made every day of the regatta, with the change on the final day allowing REO Speedwagon to score 1,2,1 to win the National Championships by one point.

Andrew has now crossed off an item that has been on his Bucket List for 40 years and commented “The boat has more than met my expectations, and there is still plenty of untapped potential. To say I am happy with her is the understatement of the year.”

View the laminating process on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgToPXjqHR8