New Owen Clarke Class 40 in-build at Evolution Marine
Sixteen years ago, Owen Clarke Design (OC) saw the baptism of its second Class40, #15 Bolands Mill. Revolutionary design put that first boat on the podium in the 2006 Route du Rhum, the year where the emerging Class40 ended up dominating the entry list of the iconic ocean classic with 25 boats showing up on the starting line.
Since those early days, OC has continued to be a leader in the class with eighteen boats delivered, all to private owners and still competing across the globe. In a class with incredibly close racing, reliability and polyvalent design has proven to deliver an edge in race after race.
Given our history with the class that stretches back to the very beginning, we are proud to announce that construction is well underway on a new, sixth generation design. Commissioned by Michael Hennessy, American skipper of the legendary #54 Dragon, this new OC scow design is intended to take on the best of the Class40 fleet on both sides of the Atlantic.
Owen Clarke, working with Peter Hobson Design (PHD) and PURE Engineering have come up with the fastest, most versatile Class40 drawn to date. Merf Owen, principal designer, explains: “after a close review of the existing scow bow fleet, we identified key design features that contribute to success and as importantly, those that do not. In 2022 alone we subjected 86 different hulls to CFD analysis and VPP testing against computer models of our competitor’s designs, on the classic ocean racing courses using historical weather data. We are highly confident that the boat can reach the top of the podium across a wide range of courses and conditions”.
The design team also worked closely with Hennessy to focus on skipper ergonomics, designing a cabin, cockpit and deck that are meant to provide unparalleled protection for its crew and ensuring that they can sail at peak efficiency for transoceanic races. Leaning on his own ocean racing experience, Merf reflected “a fast boat is better able to achieve its potential if the crew can perform at 100%. Hennessy adds: “I strongly believe we’ve been able to ensure this new design supports a better ergonomic outcome than any other boat in the Class40.”
Evolution Marine in Cape Town has been engaged to build the new boat. Their experienced team, led by Oliver Dawson, has already built the hull and deck tooling and is busy laminating structure. She will be delivered from South Africa to France for final fit out by Marco Lefevre and his Class40 specialists at V1D2 in March of 2023, and will be raced in Europe next season against the best of the Class40 fleet.
For more information about Owen Clarke’s new scow Class40, please contact merf@owenclarkedesign.com
