AC40 - What does what?

Its all in the detail

Understanding the basics

With any new design, there is always a learning curve of new technology for owners and crews and the AC40 is clearly no exception to that rule.

Despite the AC40 appearing a very daunting task, the designers and engineers involved with the AC40 have always had a consideration for the manageability of the boat, as clearly not everyone has the full support of a 100-strong America’s Cup team in their back pocket.

Below we offer a small insight into what does what.

 

Hydraulics

In principal, hydraulics are at the heart of the AC40 control systems, with most hardware being operated by electrically assisted hydraulics, supplied by Cariboni.

Controls include - Foil arms, autopilot control, all sail controls and mast rotation.

These are all operable using a push button control system, whilst sitting at either the helm or crew positions.

Foils

Each AC40 is supplied ready to sail, with two foil arms, wings and flaps and the T-foil rudder blade.

The foil arm is a carbon composite construction with the foil wings and flaps a mixture of carbon and stainless steel for strength and durability. The foil arms connect to two bearing points, one on the hull and the other onto the hydraulic rams directly to control overall foil position.

The T-foil rudder is a carbon/steel construction, with a solid wing fixed into a stock and hull mounting at deck level.

Electronics

One of the key points with the new AC40 is the reliance on battery power vs man power, so gone are the days of requiring a small army of crew.

Each boat is provided with a lithium battery pack and the required charging unit and power reserves are designed to last around 8 hours, so even a long days racing is more than taken care of.

Power is used to accumulate hydraulic pressure and operate the boats PLC unit which handles all sail, board and mast controls.

Plug your boat in after racing each day and she will be back at 100% efficiency for the following day.

Mast and Rigging

Provided by Southern Spars, the rig on the AC40 is a high-modulus D Section spar, which flies two mainsail skins simultaneously.
Coupled with internal composite battens it allows sail camber and twist to manipulated far more than a conventional sail.

A single boom is fitted inside the two skins which allows for mainsheet attachment, traveller attachment and outhaul control.

The mast is built in two sections that allows for easy break-down when shipping/trucking the AC40. The boat is supplied with a full standing rigging package of EC3 fibres and a race running rigging package also.

Sail plan

The AC40 One Design yacht has a standardised OD sail inventory, consisting of 5 sails - 2 mainsail skins and 3 headsails. Class sails are provided with North Sails using a mixture of C-Tech and Custom built hardware.

Sail areas:

Mainsail - 63sqm

J1 - 38sqm, J2 - 32sqm and J3 - 26sqm. Every yacht comes supplied with one full suit of sails.