Spectacular, wingsail catamaran unveiled for 34th America’s Cup

The draft rule for the spectacular AC72 Class went public today, published on www.americascup.com.

Encapsulating the 34th America’s Cup – the best sailors in the world on the fastest boats – the AC72 will be a physically demanding boat capable of top speeds twice the windspeed.

The new AC72 class is the first-ever wingsail catamaran class for the America’s Cup and the fastest-ever class in the iconic 159-year-old competition. It replaces the ACC monohull class, which was created in 1988 and first raced in 1992 Cup.

The new boats will make their racing debut in the 2012 season for the America’s Cup World Series ahead of the 34th Match in 2013.

A catamaran was selected as one element to transform and enliven the America’s Cup for the future. A multihull is the ideal dynamic class, capable of being raced hard in winds from 5 to 30 knots to minimize racing delays due to winds too light or too strong.
 

AC72 design parameters:

    * LOA 22.0 meters (72 feet)

    * Beam 14.0 meters (46 feet)

    * Displacement 5,700 kilograms (12,500 pounds)

    * All-up weight 7,000 kilograms (15,500 pounds)

    * Wingsail area 260 square meters (2,800 square feet)

    * Wingsail height 40 meters (130 feet)

    * Wingsail chord 8.5 meters (28 feet)

    * Sail trimming Manual grinders

    * Configuration Twin-hulled catamaran

    * Crew 11

    * Sail trimming No mechanically powered systems

    * Sail area reduction Removable top sections/leech elements

    * Appendages Maximum of 2 rudders, 2 daggerboards

    * Construction Minimum 600 grams per square meter outer-skin;

    * High-modulus carbon-fiber permitted in wingsail spar

The AC72 Class Rule was drafted by a distinguished group of consultants, chaired by Pete Melvin, on behalf of US SAILING.