F18 Open Project : “Scorpion” by Exploder, World Champ 2017 Design
Image F18 Worlds 2017 – I launched the F18 Open Project back in 2012. The idea got some drive and these guys joined the group:
Francesco Nadal (Foil Section: Eppler 836)
Ralph Molenaar (CFD)
Ronan Currid (CFD)
Andrew Gallagher & Sanyi Roka.
From the first lines Ralph & Ronan tested (last test was made by Ralph around Feb 2013) I continued to refine hull ad infinitum till April 2015 when I sent Jakub Kopylowicz the final cads that were revised and digitally ‘sanded’ for millimetric routing by the expert hands , know-how & top notch catia software resources of Marc Menec from is3de.com
Since I left the IT office in 2008 to build the first F18 I draw back in 2005, this is the 4th set of lines being constructed. The first one generated the local F18 Class, story told thousand times, second was a recreational daggerless 16 foot, 3rd a 12 feet I did on request and finally the Scorpion F18 .
For the first hull in 2005 I was working in IT infrastructure, I didn`t had a clue about a thing but learnt from cad drawing , to building techniques , to digest every info that available at the time, that was not much indeed.
Basically the same scenario when at the office someone threw over my head a deep black Linux text shell console and told me : “install and run an Oracle database there kid..” .. “yes sure…no problem(!?) “
Once involved in the built of the first F18 and thanks to the further info I collected here in CSN plus the hundred contacts I made , the thousand cads I draw in 10yrs, plus the chance to sail and race many F18s after launching the class here in Arg creates a receipe where you get a good degree of understandnment. And if you get immersed 24 x7 living out of building / selling cats and maintaining this Catsailing related web chances are you are going to learn something…
But ideas on paper alone are nothing without someone helping you to make them become true. For the locals builts my cousin Nadal Solari and his own yard he had with his father , was the only reason we could launch the F18 Class here on our own designed & built boat, and for the Scorpion Jakub Kopylowicz / Exploder made the entire investment to built the new F18.
Jakub also designed the rudders & daggers planshape, with the foil section provided by Francesco Nadal from the F18 OP group. We had some different views on where to place beams/dagger case with Jakub, but he finally trusted me. For the rest it was all his work on the built and final product.
I named it ‘Scorpion’ on my birth date.
Sometimes when you embark yourself in this kind long term projects it seems work never ends or even you start thinking if all is worhtwhile. But If you like building cats like Jakub & I do, then the process has some degree of “entertainment” and you always learn something new, even if you don`t build a rudder.
For Jakub being a commercial investment, you need to get the project going to secure its viability. Exploder offers some of the most cost effective racing cats out there contributing hugely to the A-Class fleet grow, and now obviously will do the same for the Formula 18.
This 2017 F18 title won by Mischa & Stephan Dekker , its a prize for their own efforts , and a huge reward to Jakub and the Exploder yard on putting this new boat on the water.
Getting his two other riders in the top 5, and really close to full podium for Mitch & Ruben Booth 4th and Danny Paschalidis & Konstantinos Trigonis 5th proves the boat built by Exploder is now a secure investment in a Class where you can select from many other design and brands as demonstrated also by second place which went to a Goodall C2 and third to an Infusion.
Title
In the end it was all Mischa & Stephan work, the Exploder Scorpion responded well and surely Mischa’s DS had its performance nitro added. The whole sailors/ boat package summed up for one of the greatest dominance I’ve seen in an F18 Worlds and credit is full assign to the sailors and the builder.
For me it was a great ride from the idea to drawing the actual hull lines to contribute a bit to that performance and I want to thanks all named above , sailors builder and the F18 Open Project crew.
Greatest reward was seeing Mischa finally crowning himself World Champ, Jakub getting his Constructor’s Title and getting a congrats mail from Pete Melvin.
Update: Been told by Gavin Rietman the Aussie kids loved so much the that blue Scorpion is heading back to Australia . Well that’s another highlight , as Lachie Hughes & Harrison Rietman could participate in Denmark thanks to Jakub charter boat. Bright future for this young crew.
Next days we’ll have some insights from Mischa on DS devels for the F18 and his Scorpion setup.
So now Phil Mickelson & Mischa Heemskerk have their deserved and duly share of majors titles, Life’s Good-
I remember clearly Francesco Bianchi words after saling the Scorpion at Kiel with Heemskerk: “This boat one day will be World Champ”. Well, he was right.
Future Projects:
The Convertible and I have been working past months with a group of guys on foil devel. I had already drawn A-Cat hulls based on Arno’s Terra concept, which precede the aero oriented F1 & D3 platforms. I’ve been learning foil sections and how to develop them.
Foiling requires much more technical knowledge and research compared to a displacement racing cat.
Still building and testing is a key part of innovation and the way A-Class reached to this point of R&D.
We have limited resources now hopefully the process of the F18 OP can be repeated, we’ll learn new stuff and lets see if we can reach to put more cads lines on the water again in the future.
