The International B-class/F20 Catamaran, is a development class, on the comeback after the fracturing of the original B-class, into the myriad of one design, off the beach cats we have today.
The International B-class/F20 Catamaran, is a development class, on the comeback after the fracturing of the original B-class, into the myriad of one design, off the beach cats we have today.
The B-class was founded during the 1960s and was part of the 4-tier IYRU (now ISAF) approach to divide up the sports catamaran sailing scene into 4 separate groups. These A, B, C and D classes were governed by a very small set of class rules to which each design had to comply. [1] In the beginning it was just:
| Class | Max Length | Max Beam | Max Sail Area | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-Class | 18’ | 7’6” | 150 ft² | 1 |
| B-Class | 20’ | 10’ | 235 ft² | 2 |
| C-Class | 25’ | 14’ | 300 ft² | 2 |
| D-Class | 32’ | 16’ | 500 ft² | 3 |
All boats designed and built to these specs would be grouped into one fleet and race each other for crossing the finish line first. The A-Class is the largest remaining of those 4 main classes, while the recent development in wing sail technology, the C-Class is enjoying a revival.
In 1967, the then International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU, now ISAF) decided to run a week long series of trials (August 5–12) to determine the best "A" and "B" classes of catamaran design to be selected for International status. The trials were held at the Catamaran Yacht Club, Isle of Sheppey (a small island in the Thames Estuary, 50 miles to the east of London), Kent, UK. [2] The B Class was easily won by a Tornado sailed by Reg White and Bob Fisher, who took six first places out of nine races. The Tornado went on to be used for the Olympics from 1976 onwards. Nearly 50 years later, the Tornado is still one of the highest performing B Class catamarans.
Unfortunately the choice of such a beamy and thus difficult to trailer boat, left a massive hole in the market. Consequently the B-Class quickly splintered into a score of sub classes like the one-design Hobie 16's, Nacra 5.8, and more recently the Formula 16 and Formula 18 specifications with strict class rules.
The rigid specification of the Tornado [3] combined with splintering mentioned above, has meant there has been a virtual absence of a B-class specification for many years.
However the recent arrival of what are being called International F20 catamarans we are starting to see a revival of a class that could lead sailors into the future of high tech, fully foiling and affordable catamaran sailing.
The current trend is to create a box rule like the A-Class but relax the rules that are preventing it from becoming fully foiling. Public opinion is leaning towards avoiding the pitfalls of the Formula 16's and Formula 18's that excluded several existing designs, such that the new spec would include all existing sub-20 ft off the beach catamarans. These dimensions are stretched out to accommodate the three production fully foiling Formula 20's: the Nacra F20 FCS, [4] the Flying Phantom [5] and the Marstrom M-20 [6]
Subsequently the International F20 catamarans is defined by
Practical considerations:
A catamaran is a watercraft with two parallel hulls of equal size. The distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts resistance to rolling and overturning. Catamarans typically have less hull volume, smaller displacement, and shallower draft (draught) than monohulls of comparable length. The two hulls combined also often have a smaller hydrodynamic resistance than comparable monohulls, requiring less propulsive power from either sails or motors. The catamaran's wider stance on the water can reduce both heeling and wave-induced motion, as compared with a monohull, and can give reduced wakes.
The Tornado is a double handed multihull class recognised as an International Class by the International Sailing Federation. It was used for the Catamaran discipline at the Olympic Games from 1976 to 2008.
Hobie Cat is a company that manufactures watercraft as the Hobie Cat Company. "Hobie Cat" can also refer to specific products of the company, notably its sailing catamarans. Its fiberglass catamaran models range in nominal length between 14 feet (4.3 m) and 18 feet (5.5 m). Rotomolded catamaran models range in length between 12 feet (3.7 m) and 17 feet (5.2 m). Other sailing vessels in the Hobie Cat lineup include, monocats, dinghies, and trimarans, ranging in length between 9 feet (2.7 m) and 20 feet (6.1 m). Its largest product was the Hobie 33, 33 feet (10 m) in length. The company's non-sailing product line includes surfboards, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and pedalboards. It was founded in 1961 by Hobart (Hobie) Alter, who originally manufactured surfboards.
The A-Class Catamaran, often abbreviated to A-Cat, is a development class sailing catamaran for singlehanded racing.
The Formula 18 class, abbreviated F18, is a non-foiling, restricted development, formula-design sport catamaran class. It was started in the early 1990s and quickly grew getting class recognition by World Sailing, with large racing fleets all over the globe.
The Formula 16 (F16) sport catamaran is an ISAF recognised 5 m long beach catamaran with an asymmetric spinnaker setup.
The term beachcat is an informal name for one of the most common types of small recreational sailboats, minimalist 14 to 20 foot catamarans, almost always with a cloth "trampoline" stretched between the two hulls, typically made of fiberglass or more recently rotomolded plastic. The name comes from the fact that they are designed to be sailed directly off a sand beach, unlike most other small boats which are launched from a ramp. The average 8 foot width of the beachcat means it can also sit upright on the sand and is quite stable in this position, unlike a monohull of the same size. The Hobie 14 and Hobie 16 are two of the earliest boats of this type that achieved widespread popularity, and popularized the term as well as created the template for this type of boat.
A sailing hydrofoil, hydrofoil sailboat, or hydrosail is a sailboat with wing-like foils mounted under the hull. As the craft increases its speed the hydrofoils lift the hull up and out of the water, greatly reducing wetted area, resulting in decreased drag and increased speed. A sailing hydrofoil can achieve speeds exceeding double and in some cases triple the wind speed.
Fernando Echávarri Erasun is a professional yachtsman in the Olympic Tornado class. Teaming with crew Antón Paz Blanco, he became the Spanish, European, World Champion, ISAF Sailor of the year in 2005, Olympic gold medallist at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games held in Qingdao.
The Dart 18 is a one-design 18-foot (5.5 m) long glassfibre sailing catamaran. It is designed to be sailed by two people and can achieve speeds of up to 20 knots. This is reflected in its Portsmouth Yardstick of 805 and D-PN of 76.3
The SL 16 is a 4.80 m long fiberglass sailing catamaran. It is designed to be sailed by two people. The SL 16 was selected by ISAF in 2005 for the Youth Sailing World Championships.
The Extreme 40 is a class of sailing catamaran created by TornadoSport and designed by Yves Loday. The boats are 40 feet long and are constructed out of carbon fibre. They have a top speed of about 40 knots and can sail at about 35 knots in 20–25 knots of wind The first extreme 40 was launched in 2005. They were sailed in the Extreme Sailing Series, formerly known as the iShares Cup. Extreme 40s are essentially a scaled-up version of the Tornado sailboat used in The Olympics.
The AC72 is a class of wingsail catamarans built to a box rule, which governs the construction and operation of yachts competing in the 2013 Louis Vuitton and the America's Cup races. The class was subsequently replaced by the smaller AC50 class.
The Nacra 17 is a performance catamaran used for sailing. It was designed in 2011, went into production in 2012 and has been the focus of multihull sailing at the Olympic Games since its conception.
The Nacra F18 Infusion was announced in 2006 and launched in January 2007 as a One Design catamaran conforming to the Formula 18 class rules. It quickly developed into a class in its own right.
Nahid Pachai Gäbler is a Tornado World and European Champion and multiple mixed Tornado World and European Champion sailor. Her mother correspondent and interpreter Jette Pachai was from Fredericia, Denmark and her father Dr. Modjtaba Pachai from Tehran, Iran, the family moved back to Denmark in 1965.
The Hobie 17 is an American catamaran that was designed by John Wake as a single-handed racer and first built in 1985.
The Flying Phantom Elite is a French hydrofoil catamaran sailing dinghy that was designed by Martin Fischer and draws on the work of Alex Udin, Franck Cammas and the Groupama sailing team. It is intended as a one-design racer and was first built in 2015.
The Flying Phantom Essentiel,, is a French hydrofoil catamaran sailing dinghy that was designed by Gonzalo Redondo and Martin Fischer and first built in 2017.
The Nacra 20 is a catamaran sailing dinghy that was designed by Gino Morrelli and Pete Melvin as a one-design racer and first built in 1998.
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