F18 Worlds 2015: Scorpion F18 Open Project by Exploder sailing at Kiel
All Images Jasper van Staveren – IF18CA from practice race, full gallery at F18 Fb
10yrs
After launching the F18 OP in April 2012, the last version Render above has been quitley awaiting in CSN header since Jan 2015.
Now being July 2015, I count exactly ten years since I started drawing the F18 hull while working at the IT office, that hull ended been launching the local class from scratch with posterior help of many converted cat fanatics and the built of my cousin Nadal Solari. I wrote on the story several times and is described again by the local Arg sailors in a series of interviews uploaded to the Buenos Aires 2016 Worlds fb and soon on the official web.
Celebrating 10 yrs from that original hull with a new one being built by Jakub Kopylowicz at his Exploder yard and being sailed by Mischa Heemskerk and his crew Francesco Bianchi (thanks to Jakub) at Kiel 2015 Worlds is one of the highlights of my short 42yrs life!
As I wrote yesterday I launched the F18 project back in 2012, and with the help of a great group od people we pushed forward the concept with the main goal to offer a new cost effective alternative to race in the F18, for anyone to build it at their home or for a builder to support the project and offer a production alternative.
The latter option permitted the project to become a reality when Jakub decided he will built the ‘thing’.
F18 Open Project Contributors
The people involved in the project were:
– Ralph Moolenaar , at the moment he was running his on Marine CFD company and offered to do simulation tests, he did plenty. Ralph is now working a specialized propeller designer.
– Ronan Currid, former Artemis/Juan K engineer who also did CFD tests of his own and recommended a concave/negative section aft.
– Francesco Moretei – Naval Arquitect & Aerospace Engineer working at Smar Azure, a Sail design & development software who recommended to use the Eppler 836 section for the foils.
And two known members of the F18 Class:
Sanyi Roka & Andrew Gallagher ,
Both of them hard workers and leaders of their respective ireland & Hungary local Assoc at the time, putting the needed hours for us to have an organisation to rely on in the IF18CA World Council.
I draw the hull lines and with the group above we analyzed the best options for the whole concepts, and overall project viability.
Exploder Built
Then Jakub got involved too when I sent him the Cad and he offer to built it! Before the built I contacted Marc Menec , also former Artemis/Juan K engineer along Gonzalo Redondo and Ronan, who grabbed my cad lines and sanded / polish them previous the routing at Exploder yard.
In the process we discussed at large with Jakub final & key
details on beams/dagger case placement one more time and he used Francesco’s Eppler foil section to design the rudders & dagger foils for the project.
For the rest the boat is now being sailed at Kiel by Mischa & Francesco Bianchi, and we are already more than satisfied and happy on this, that was possible on Jakub’s side.
Also there is another boat at Kiel being sailed by Thomas Haupt and Hans Täubert from Team Haupt. more on them as soon as I have pics of their boat sailing.
Jasper van Staveren got Mischa in front on the lens a few secs today but manage to take some good pics of the hull lines.
Hull Concept
The hull bottom has a combination of a more rounded cross section than latest F18 or A-Cats through bow upto passing mid lenght with a rather flat transom with marked chines.
The best F18 I’ve sailed are the Wildcat with its known low margin in the breeze and the Infusion, the all rounder machine and harsh breeze cruiser.
Then you have the Phantom that excels in the mid range as none, the C2 which is another all rounder and one of the fastest boats in the fleet and as balanced as the Infusion, the Cirrus R with an extreme flat wide bottom through its entire lenght and extra downwind performance and the Falcon which is also super fast and has a wider transom.
All these designs are proven winners, and the F18 continues to deliver one the most leveled Formula competition out there.
For more details check the F18 Open Project label to trace back details, CFD tests and more catsailingnews.com/search/label/F18%20Open%20Project
So what I tried to do was to combined the smooth and super refined ride of the Wildcat adding the Infusion margin in the breeze.
Mischa already sailed the boat in 28knots and felt no lack of control, which is great news , still the boats has to be sailed in waves and Mischa & Francesco with Thomas & Hans will be finding the limits and best trim of the boat directly while racing this week at the 2015 Kiel Worlds.
Kiel Worlds Equipment
Mischa is racing with his own ‘Mischa Sails’ , beams are Tornado stock from Jakub’s, Mischa’s mast is AG+ C 152 section. Jakub will have an addon in the future for the Cirrus beams too that I pretend to use on mine along Manu’s Cirrus mast.
Performance wise is all to be discovered, for now mission accomplished for this first stage.
Exploder Production Series
Exploder has two hulls mold ready to continue production with two more boats for Arg. Prices are really good, contact Jakub at Exploder.info for details.
Of course no design royalties or one times whatsoever are involved in the Exploder built thus contributing to lower final costs.
“Disclaimer”………..
Be aware I will be ‘leveraging’ this project as done with many others, but specially this one that I’m involved in.
This remark cause I received a rather hard complain the other day : Being a ‘journalist’ I “couldn´t leverage my own projects, ” plus ” I cannot talk about prices neither or mislead with a possible price range of my own.” …………. Altogether one of the most hilarious comments I’ve heard in my life.
Being first a builder since 2005 when I left a wealthy IT profession to do almost pro bono work with cats launching F18s at cost to form a local Class which will peak in a F18 Worlds Championship next year in Buenos Aires, and mainly been promoting any kind of third party projects all these years in Catsailingnews since 2008 it is a bad taste joke someone telling me what or which project I can promote or not here in CSN, huge lack of respect and immense lack of gratitude, specially coming from that specific camp.
So be advice again I will promote this project which I’m involved in, along many others I’m not, some get more exposure than others mainly on the material produced/sent or specially those supporting the web back.
F18 Open Project Plans
Back to good vibes!
Plans to home built I need to prepare some indications along with Tony Grainger and I will release them afterwards, maybe with a non mandatory donation to the International Formula 18 Class Association to get funds to help the promotion of the F18 World Wide.
