RUPERT HOLMES ON SCOW BOW DERIVED CRUISING YACHTS
Those who followed the early stages of this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race will surely have been intrigued by how well the front runners in the Class 40 fleet appeared to handle the brutal wind against tide conditions that caused problems for a lot of other boats.
Conventional wisdom has it that a slim, narrow hull is ideal for sailing upwind in a blow. Yet the recent Class 40s carry their immense beam well forward of the mast, with a bow that’s closer to a square shape than a conventional point.
However, when heeled these boats present a relatively narrow immersed section that doesn’t slam into a head sea with the intensity that the flat saucer-like hull might suggest.
At the same time they have enormous righting moment, which gives power to punch over big waves and reduces the total time spent sailing to windward.
This stability is also an important factor in the boats’ behaviour in strong gusts: an increase of wind that would have many of the rest of us scrabbling for another reef is often handled simply by depowering the top of the mainsail with a bit more twist.
Although this hull form has only been in existence for little more than a decade, since David Raison won the 2011 Mini Transat in a boat of his own design, it has quickly gained traction across the Mini 6.50, Class 40 and IMOCA 60 fleets.
It’s now increasingly appearing in designs for cruising yachts, which also have potential to offer considerably more internal volume than other vessels of a similar length.
Skaw Paradise
LOA 12.9m 42ft 4in
Hull length 11.3m 37ft 1in
Beam 4.89m 16ft 0in
Draught 1.3m-3.2m 4ft 3in-10ft 6in
Displacement 4,500kg 12,800kg skawsailing.com
The Skaw Paradise is a very beamy 11.3m foiling scow bow cruiser with its roots firmly in the racing scene, but with the concepts reworked to produce an ultimate cruiser.
Skaw CEO and founder Benoit Marie is also technical director, coach and co-skipper (when racing doublehanded) for Caroline Boule, who’s notched up a string of impressive results in the Mini 6.50 class this season in her full flying Sam Manuarddesigned Nicomatic.
Marie co-designed the Skaw Paradise with naval architect Clément Bercault of Berco Design.
“We could not find any boat on the market suiting our needs, so we started designing our own perfect boat,” he says.
“It’s one to take our friends and family around the world to unseen places, in the safest, easiest and fastest manner.”
The Skaw Paradise differs to Nicomatic in that it has fully retractable C-foils that are intended to act like motion dampeners, giving a smoother ride, while also increasing both stability and speed.
While much is borrowed from the racing world, this boat has been simplified as much as possible, so it’s not complicated to sa
