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The dimensions of the
boats must conform to the America's Cup Class Rule, a
mathematical formula, which is the function of length, beam,
draft displacement and sail area. It follows that
increases made in one area must lead to decreases in
another. The trend is for heavy, narrow boats which are
faster upwind. General
dimensions Length:
26m Beam: Max.
allowed is five metres but more likely to be around four
metres. Displacement
(hull): 1.5 tons (total boat weight: 25 tons, of which
20 tons is the keel. The rest is mast and
rigging). The building process
begins with the designers sketching various ideas on
computer, aided by sailing data and computational fluid
dynamics programmes. Scale models are then built and tank
tested to analyse performance. Once the design has been
agreed, the hull is built in a mould. Materials used for the
hull and deck gear include carbon, Kevlar, titanium, glass
fibre, aluminium and steel.
