F50 (catamaran)

The F50 is a one-design foiling catamaran used in the SailGP race series. The boats are based on AC50 boats and technology used in the America's Cup. The boats are the fastest racing class in history, with speeds exceeding 50 knots.

F50

Development
Year	2019
No. built	6
Design	development, one-design
Builder(s)	Core Builders Composites
Boat
Crew	5, weight limit 438 kg (966 lb)
Hull
Type	foiling catamaran
LOA	15 m (49 ft 3 in)
Beam	8.8 m (28 ft 10 in)
Rig
Rig type	wing and jib
Mast length	18 m (59 ft)- 29 m (95 ft)
Class is a member of World Sailing
← AC50

Three boats from the 2017 America's Cup were converted to comply with a new one-design rule called F50, which was based on AC50 hulls and components to create the new SailGP fleet racing circuit. Core Builders Composites in Warkworth, NZ built more boats from scratch to create a fleet of four boats crewed by teams from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and France—and two more boats for China and Japan.[1]

The boats use a two-element wingsail and jib for propulsion. Two removable sections in the wing can be used to achieve mast heights of 18 m (59 ft), 24 m (79 ft) and 29 m (95 ft) to suit wind conditions. In SailGP races, the mast height and jib are selected in competitions by the race committee. Apart from the wingsheet, which is controlled by two grinders, all trimming is hydraulic powered by electric motors and batteries. This includes active pitch control of all appendages, daggerboard lifting/lowering, and the jibsheet. This reduces the crew to five.[2] The beam of the boat is larger than the AC50 boats to 8.80 m (28.9 ft) to increase righting moment.

The boats have a crew of five—a helmsman, wing trimmer, flight controller and two grinders. A dedicated crew member relieves the helmsman of flight controls so the helmsman can focus on tactics. This is similar to Team New Zealand's unique crew arrangement in the 2017 America's Cup. While racing, crew stay in the windward hull.

The boats comprise a one-design development class. However, unlike most one-design sail classes, which have fixed rules, F50 boats are constantly developed with changes being implemented on all boats simultaneously. This prevents technological arms races, while allowing performance improvements.[1]

References

1. F50 arms race, SAILGP, 2019-05-01
2. The supercharged F50s, SAILGP, 2018-10-03