Tantalums Volvo One design regatta

Carr HT sail review

We've got the Volvo One Design tuned and ready. We'll be testing the Carr HT sails in this video. What we really liked about the Carr sails is the twist induced at the top of the stick. With the high aspect ratio of the main, it's really important that the sail cover not only the surface wind, but the wind five feet up off the water. There is considerable difference and we'll be covering the forces at work in a future video.

We were impressed with the sails over previous models. As you can see as the breeze built, the sails did their job as advertised. We didn't even bring the boat in to retune. Dooing so would have resulted in even greater performance gains with trim and speed.

Special thanks to HBRC Sailboats, GoPro, Carr sails and West Marine Newport Beach.

Next week, stay tuned for the Tantulums regatta in Long Beach!

Volvo One Design Video

We've got our first video ready... Check it out!

http://youtu.be/G3Tz4RPRtqQ

Turnbuckles installed

Our new turnbuckles have been installed on the Volvo 70. Stay tuned for on the water footage over the weekend !

Turnbuckles

Our new turnbuckles for Burberry Ocean Racing. The Volvo one design from hbrcsailboats.com.

Pictures and video in a couple days.

Vo70/65 test sail

First sail of Burberry Ocean Racing took place this weekend in San Diego's Mission Bay. Great sail and we gathered lots of tuning info. Breeze was a consistent 4-6 with occasional 7-8 puffs down the course. Upwind speed and pointing was good. We saw tacking angles of about 80 degrees for optimum upwind speed. With dead down fastest off the wind. We tested this over a wide range of tuning and rig settings. What this should mean is the boat is fairly forgiving and will be a tactical boat for the owner. Harken blocks performed flawlessly, with the exception of the mainsheet block. The line would slip out of the sheave. We have since fixed this by locking the block upright. It hasn't reoccurred since.

We had some technical difficulties. With the GoPro, but promise footage soon! Thanks to hbrcsailboats.com, beckwithracingyachts.com, and GoPro

Stay tuned for our next update.

Burberry Ocean Racing

Here are the first pics of the almost ready to sail Burberry Ocean Racing Volvo 70/65 by HBRCSailing.com.

Some finishing detail on the line ends, but we are almost ready to splash.

On the bow we went with a Harken carbo block with a soft loop to the deck eye. On the stern we went with a larger carbo block for the main sheet system and the back stay.

The carbonized GoPro/intellian mount will allow for recording the action.

Only a few more bits to sort out and we'll be ready to sail. Stay tuned for video !

HBRCsailboats.com and Volvo Ocean Racing

As we mentioned in a previous post, we've gotten in the Volvo Ocean Race scene with the help of HBRCSailboats.com We've been diligently working on our hull and experienced a few minor set backs a long the way. We are happy with some last minute progress and have the hull graphics complete!

We also received our first batch of Harken hardware for the VO70/65 hull and have winches and blocks to sort out for our rigging and deck layout. We expect to have everything sorted out in the next couple of days and get our first video posted.

Until then, here's a sneak peak at a Harken winch on the deck.

Volvo 70 / 65 comes to life

Working on a project with West Marine and HBRC who manufactures the Open Ocean 70 class boat, we've acquired our own model to finish and outfit with a customer Harken deck hardware package. We'll be posting and updating the site as we move forward after our brief hiatus with BRY and look forward to documenting our campaigning of this exciting new design, and will be discussing its unique features to the world of model yacht racing.

At 48" long, this model is sure to turn heads with its light weight and generous sail plan, and amazing true to life design with the new bread of VOR 65 boats.

For more information, stay tuned as we finish off our model and update you on it's performance.

Special thanks to Steve at HBRC for helping us get the ball rolling and getting us a hull in record time!

J class news!

Our j class models are moving along. Here's the Ranger hull before and after glassing. Just a little trimming and light sanding and we'll be ready for paint ! We are super excited to have this model outfitted with scale components! Stay tuned !

New 1.7m class yacht !

We are pleased to announce our new 1 .7m Class racing yacht. Designed from the ground up, we've optimized the design for medium - heavy conditions to class rules utilizing the A rig for more power. The yacht, built to class max beam, has a lower wetted surface area when heeled upwind and a more full bow to provide buoyancy preventing nose diving downwind.

Deck design has been optimized for weight distribution as well as allowing water flow to exit the deck/ cockpit and can beat be described as "skiff style". 


We'll get more graphics soon, but thought we'd post these teasers of hydro statics and lines. 

Inquiries welcome ! Laser cut frames available soon. 

Race to mackinac - the movie

Stay tuned for the race to Mackinac movie. Here's a teaser ! 

http://youtu.be/4PZvxV4w72Q

Understanding VMG's

Check out our latest video on understanding VMGs and polars. How to use them for yacht racing at: http://youtu.be/nyQdxIqPQv4

Entire hull planked, faired...

The entire hull has been planked and mostly faired. We'll do a little touch up this week, before covering. Soda can for scale reference. 

On another note we've been getting lots of interest in the TP52 from all over the place! We have an Australian builder going full scale in Asia. We'll keep you updated as the class progresses. 

Port side complete!!!

As promise, we've got some detail photos of the kit. We pushed through and got the port side of the J Class model complete today. 110 planks, with very little scrap. 

This photo shows the back bone of the model. The backbone is broken into five pieces so that the kit and frames can be shipped easily. To ensure proper alignment, it's notched so that it can be glued together. Also in this picture you can see how it locks into the frames. Eliminating the need to get proper right angles and measure distance. Everything slides together easily. 

Here we show the bottom frame alignment on our center rail guide. Similar the the backbone, the center rail comes in five pieces that lock together. There's a notch for every frame, and the frames are notched so that they can be set onto the rail and everything lines up with no measuring needed. You can also see the stand off portion of the frame has been cut, to allow for easier removal once the hull is complete and allows for the deck to be laid with the proper scale camber. 

Here's the completed left side. You can see glue marks between the deck and waterline. We switched glue at that point, and changed our technique a bit, resulting in a faster build, and less running. Fingers not sticking, etc. In this picture, we've rough trimmed the planks, and are ready to sand smooth. We'll go over the hull one more time looking for loose fitting pieces, reglue as needed before sanding. All in all, we're very happy with our first J Class hull. 

We grossly underestimated our required planks, and need to wait on another load.  I the meantime, we'll work on the Open 10, and TP52. 

Stay tuned. 

Planking the plug

Planking the plug of the J class yacht 'Ranger' over our laser cut frames. No tracing, no lofting, no cutting. Glue them together and in an hours time, be planking away. The estimate is this saves about 10 hours or more depending on your skill level in the build process and allows you to move into the planking stage. We'll post detail pics of the bow and stern soon.

Using 36" strips butt joined together. Ca glue to frames. No steaming or wetting. Bends easily. 

At the stern where there is high concave twist, edges of planks leave small ridges. This will easily be sanded out before filling. 

As you can see in the photo, planks were staggered every two frames. This minimizes weak spots and allows for easier fairing with less "hard" spots. 

Bodacious Dream wins Leg 1 of the Atlantic Cup

Congratulations to Dave Rearick and Matt Scharl on Bodacious Dream, a Kiwi40, for their win in the first leg of the Atlantic Cup. Having sailed and raced with Dave, I know they not only won, but had a good time doing it, and deserve this victory. Leg two starts in a few days, and takes the boats to Newport RI. Beckwith Racing Yachts is proud to know these guys. We look forward to having a PBR with you back in Charleston after the Bermuda 1-2.

Our latest all carbon TP 52

Enjoying some sunshine and 80 degree weather is exactly what our latest TP52 hull is doing. Enjoying a black custom Burberry paint scheme, we'll be getting. "Infidel" out on the race course soon.
This variant, our scaled down design from its true to life big brother, weighs in at a mere 2lbs with out deck and hardware.

Star Class Yacht added !

We are happy to announce the Star class yacht to our deign portfolio. Custom, to order S glass hulls, and laser cut frames for rapid build, will be available in a few days on our site. You'll find our pricing extremely competitive, and our hulls optimized for weight distribution and performance in the rules. If you're looking for a winning Star class yacht, let us quote you a completed hull!

Ranger coachroof/ cockpit/ hatch now available!

We're pleased to announce the ranger coach roof kit for our J Class model. It's kit has been designed to have a slightly raised deck like its real world counterpart, with a sunken cockpit/ seating area, raised coach roof with door and hatches, and forward access hatch. With this design, it's possible to utilize this setup for a large lifting hatch for access to below deck. The components can be finished with varnish to enhance your models beauty, or painted. Email us for details, and specific questions. This closes the door on our work for the Ranger deign. With, plans, frames, deck, and cockpit/coachroof now available.

J Class Ranger frames

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New yachts coming!

We're pleased to announce we've sourced drawings for Cheveyo, EndeavourII/Hanuman, Lionheart, and Svea. We'll be making them available one at a time, however if there's interest in a particular hull, we can bump it up on the schedule and make the necessary options available. Just email chris@beckwithracingyachts.com with your particular questions or details.

The "Ranger" boats (Sparkman & Stephens designs 77a-f) have many similarities, and also some unique differences. These yachts are available from us as Ranger (77c), Cheveyo(77b), Lionheart(77f).

We're excited about being able to offer the new line of J class yachts, as we know our clients will be as well. We've had a lot of interest in the last few days on the newer designs, o we look forward to getting them ready for distribution ASAP.

Exclusive miniature Harken distributor

Beckwith Racing Yachts is pleased to announce we are the exclusive distributor for miniature Harken yacht equipment for model yachting. Miniature Harken yacht fittings are engineered to the same specifications as the real world counterparts, and are fully functional. Miniature Harken yacht equipment is machined to quality specs, out of stainless steel, aluminum, and delrin. Our ball bearing blocks are lighter, with less friction, while our traveler, jib, and mast track can be used for a variety of scale, yet practical applications. Simplify sail changes with our Harken Battcar system. Control your jib with a jib track and central fairlead system. Make your yacht stand out, with real miniature Harken fittings. These are the best fittings that can be had for your model yachting needs. Now the Harken name, along with product availability, is at your model yachting finger tips. Put our blocks on your boat, and start winning races.

Site is live !

We've now added J Class yacht "Ranger" to available plans, and laser cut kits, as well as finished hulls. More boats coming soon! Stay tuned.