110' Performance Cruising Yacht
Client: Commander Yachts Ltd
Performance can be difficult to quantify, as it is the sum total of the components that create the overall speed, sea keeping ability, safety ………
However, let’s consider each of these components separately
Hull Shape:
The first area
‘Dibley
Yacht Designers’
focus upon is hull shape. Through their work alongside
Laurie Davidson on a wide range of high performance racing
yachts around the globe, they have established the areas to
concentrate upon in the quest for optimum performance
without sacrificing the ease of sailing and sea keeping
abilities that winning designs require.
Dibley, with Commander Yachts, design High Performance Cruising Yachts. They acknowledge the issues involving comfort, ease of sailing and Clients requirements and then they wrap a high performance hull package, rig and systems around these inputs to maximise performance.
To do this correctly, they need to concentrate on a few important factors.
The keel and rudders are the next area to look at. In the quest for high performance, we need a low center of gravity and to achieve this, we need draft. Of course, for ideal cruising ability and entry into some marinas around the popular racing areas, there will be a draft restriction. This does not help performance, as the center of gravity will rise accordingly. To counter this performance handicap, Commander employ a lift keel arrangement that offers full draft capability when racing, but can be lifted easily and effortlessly for entry into marinas and bays that would normally preclude the fixed keeled racing yachts with high draft. The system used utilizes a straightforward hydraulic ram that lifts the keel effortlessly up the centrecase. To protect sightlines and aesthetics within the interior, the keel will only lift as far as required for marina/bay access. The centrecase catering for this lift will be minimized in height and intrusion, since clearly there is little point in lifting the bulb above the rudders.
Other options in the Commander Range include Fixed Keel where there are no draught restrictions and Canting Keel for ultimate performance. But initially, they look to the lift keel option to establish parameters.
Commander employs the twin rudder configuration for most of their designs, the advantage being that twin rudders make sense with lift keel arrangements. When the keel is set in ‘race mode depth’, a deep centerline rudder works well. However the keel can only be raised as far as the rudder depth permits which in many instances does not offer sufficient advantage when sailing into shallow draught areas. With twin rudder arrangements, we can reduce the rudder draft and hence the lifting keel draught by half. When sailing, the leeward rudder will always be in its most efficient, non-stallable position whilst the windward blade will be creating very little or no drag.
Twin rudders allow greatly improved utilisation of the aft lazerette. The twin rudderstocks permit centreline stowage for the inflatable, which leads to faster and easier launch and recovery times.
Rigs:
The third area that is looked to with regard to performance
is the rig. Working closely alongside their rig designer,
Chris Mitchell, they work through the issues of drag,
weight and strength to come up with the optimum edge. The
latest development being factored into their yachts are
carbon stays, which both reduces weight aloft and improves
directional load bearing.
The
Commander
Sail plan is powerful for any given displacement. It is
their belief that the Skipper can always reef when
required, but can never add to what is already 100%
capacity. With this in mind, they ensure reefing is as
effortless and non stressful as required and they employ
both Reefing headsails and Furling Boom to maintain balance
and efficiency. In racing mode with full crew, the furling
headsail is replaced with full racing headsails that are
changed as per usual practice. For fun regattas and in
performance cruising mode, the furling systems come into
their own. A protruding Prod is extended during reaching
and downwind legs to cater for the masthead and fractional
gennakers as well as a Code Zero in tightened reaching
mode.
The fourth area they look to, once performance criteria and initial weight analysis is complete, are the construction options. Working alongside their structural engineers, High Modulus [NZ] Ltd., Dibley ensures the latest and most efficient materials are employed to maximize the strength and weight ratios. Carbon Fibre, Kevlar and various E-glasses are used within an Epoxy matrix. All panels are vacuum bagged and all weight saved in the hull construction can be added to the bulb for further performance gains. High Modulus have worked closely with Dibley’s racing and cruising designs and are instrumental in breaking new ground with smart engineering solutions.
Systems:
The heart of Commander lies in their systems and system interface. Hydraulics are seamlessly integrated with electrical systems to provide enormous power to sail handling, keel control and transferable water ballast systems. AC power is preferred to DC for its weight savings and simplification.
Commander works closely with Top Logic Systems Ltd and Onboard Systems Ltd to ensure that hydraulics and electrics remain cutting edge.
In summary, Commander combines high performance, ease of handling, safety and luxury with style and structural integrity that will set new standards for years to come.
Contact Dibley Marine for more information