A.R.S.E.

This is a joint UK/Aus project to break the world water speed record for sail craft. The ideas draw from a book by an American designer, the late Bernard Smith whose seminal work "The 40 Knot Sailboat" has had such a massive impact on everything from 18 footers to the America's Cup.

The driver, Paul Larsen, is an Australian who lives inland and just liked the idea of high speed sailing, read Smith's book and started work. This version, Sailrocket 2, was the product of British designer Malcolm Barnsley with whom Larsen was working. This first video was shot when they broke Hydroptère's nautical mile world record by about 5kts.

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You'll hear him say "Goodbye Hydroptère" as he makes his run.

It just got better and Better for the Sailrocket team. A week later, they trashed their own world record:

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In the days of incremental improvement, this was the biggest margin ever by which this record has been broken.

Ironically, both world water speed records are now held by Australians. As of 9/1/2013, Ken Warby's World Water Speed Record from 1978 still stands.

OMG that is nucking futs!!!

And a few more trim tweaks to make it faster.

If I remember correctly Wobbler, your idea of exciting sailing is the 1998 Sydney Hobart.

Could be.. but speed needs smoother water then that years race.

Being that the old record is 2010 Kite-board 55.65 kts, they might hold it for a while or other might try to copy/have a similar style and a new speed race could be on.

Of the other reading I have done of this fast boat.. that day and he ran out of adjustments, but the cavitation was done quite well indeed, never know you might see a super maxi with a change.

That is just insane that that thing is wind powered.

wobblysauce wrote:...the cavitation was done quite well indeed...

I'm not sure they were using cavitation Wobbler. I know it's been considered. The last think I saw which mentioned both cavitation and Sailrocket didn't say they were using it. But it's coming and engineers are predicting 100kts as a possibility.

Exar Kun wrote:That is just insane that that thing is wind powered.

...and the hardest thing for most people to get their head around is that the wind speed was only about 30kts.

Awesome stuff but I spent an hour reading about Ken's record, still standing for so long made with a boat he built in his backyard no less, after reading this