Hull construction 

The hull is a carbon fibre foam sandwich construction, yet somewhat uniquely is made from all uni-direction pre-preg carbon fibre. There is no woven cloth in the hull laminates of this boat.

Laid firstly at 0 degrees and then at 90 degrees the uni directional cloth creates a light weight robust hull without the “stretch” characteristics and extra glue that is taken up in the warp/weft of  typical standard woven cloth. 

The foam core is 4mm 70gram.

The hull is molded with the foredeck as part of the hull molding. This means that the structural integrity of the boat is enhanced as there is no joint, and again weight is saved.

You can have any colour as long as it’s black. That’s because the hull finish is a satin lacquer over the carbon fibre outer skin.

Subtle Mach 2 logos add to the finishing touch.

The hull weighs approx 8.00kg.

The Wings

The wings are molded to take into account the need for aerodynamic efficiency and outer wing bar buoyancy. The beautifully shaped front bars wouldn’t look out of place on a Formula 1 car and the radical outer bars are thicker in the middle than at the ends, meaning less bend and much better ergonomics, helping you to forget about hiking and concentrate on the sailing.

The front and rear wing bars are short and don’t extend out to the full legal width of the boat which has typically been the case. The front wing bars finish at the shroud take off point and this is where the molded outer wing bar joins. This means that it is possible to simply slide off the tramps and fold the outer wing bar into the boat for safe towing or storing.

The Foils

Recently in the Moth class this is where the greatest gains have been made and the Mach 2 foils have taken development to the next level. Their pedigree is impeccable and we have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Jim Bungener, the America’s cup designer, who has tested the foil design using state of the art computational fluid dynamics software.

Notable features are:-

The vertical rudder foil which is longer than the centreboard. This also means that the chances of  the rudder lifting foil being caught in the “jet wash” of the main foil is further reduced.

The prominent front bulb on the main foil which extends forward further than ever before and effectively minimises the turbulence created by the horizontal and vertical joint.

The “Albatross” like horizontal rudder foil which minimises ventilation

There is no rudder box on the Mach 2, the rudder foil fits directly onto the carbon fibre gantry. Although not a new development, this minimises play and reduces complexity.
 
Each carbon fibre foil is built to exacting standards and can be disassembled for easy cost effective transportation. They are finished is clear lacquered carbon fibre.

The design brief could not have been simpler

The boat had to be fast enough to win the 2009 World championships, but it must be also capable of achieving this “straight out of the box” Our goal is that the black art of “tweaking” will not apply to this boat in the way it has to other production designs, that those “in the know” do not have an advantage over your regular Jo.

Everything is just right, from the foils that are designed at exactly the right angle, to the sophisticated wand system, and whilst clearly the International Moth is a development class, care has been taken to ensure that the boat will work perfectly, straight from the box.

But the design brief was also to make a boat of such quality that owners would be proud, whether they are racing at world level, or just enjoying some free ride time on the water. Pride comes from not only having a desirable product, but a dependable one too, and as a result great care has been taken over the tooling, material selection and method of construction.

The hull shape has been designed to be as fast as possible at “take off” speed. This is the only traditional requirement of the hull, the rest of the time its in the air. And that’s where windage is important and the lack of any flair to the deck, the first on a production boat allows an easy flow of air around the boat from most angles.

The Dreadnought bow not only looks great but also reduces windage. Equally it minimizes resistance as the hull punches through waves going downwind in rough conditions. This means that the boat doesn’t “load up” so easily and is therefore more manageable and quicker.

The sexy transom, a feature that immediately catches the eye, is designed to put strength into that area whilst taking weight out.

Finally the unique triangular centerboard case is moved further forward to increase stability and share the lifting loads more equally between the two foils.