SailGP is set to have the biggest fleet yet next season, with work well underway to transform an AC50 racing catamaran into the league’s 12th F50.
The boat, which was previously used by Team New Zealand in the 35th America’s Cup, was recently acquired by SailGP. Elements of the boat are being utilized in the construction of the league’s 12th F50, with works underway at SailGP Technologies in Southampton and in New Zealand.
The process of transforming the boat was described as ‘complex in some areas and simple in others’ by SailGP Technologies director Joel Marginson, who revealed a total of 45 people are currently working on the project.
The center pod and beam structure of the AC50, for example, ‘remain the same’, but must be ‘completely stripped back’ to be ‘fitted with SailGP’s electronics, hydraulics and systems’.
The hulls however are ‘more complex’, Marginson said, and need to be ‘cut down’ and ‘rebuilt’ to SailGP’s design.
Similarly SailGP’s new T-Foils, rudders, wingsails and hydraulic and electronic systems vary considerably from what was used in the 35th America’s Cup. “Most of the internal structure must be replaced or moved,” he added.
The boat is currently in Auckland, where the ‘bulk’ of modifications are taking place, while SailGP Technologies in Southampton is ‘leading the production of hundreds of components’ which will be ‘periodically shipped to New Zealand to keep pace with the build’.
The wing meanwhile is being constructed in the UK and scheduled to be shipped to Auckland to arrive in January.
The 12th F50 will not be complete in time for the 2024/25 Season opener in Dubai and is being fast-tracked for delivery in January 2025 for the second event of the season in Auckland. Once complete, all hydraulic, electric, and structural testing will take place at the Auckland Tech Site leading up to the second event of the 2024/25 Season.
“The timeline is tight,” Marginson said, “but we are confident in our ability to get boat 12 on the start line and ready to race.”
This timeline means one team will have sit out Dubai and will instead receive compensatory points before joining the rest of the fleet on the start line of Auckland in January 2025.
Decisions on the season’s opening line-up are still under discussion taking into account team sales and ongoing commercial decisions.
