RC 44
The regatta yacht RC 44 is made entirely of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) and is therefore particularly light and fast racing yacht. In addition to the hull, almost all components of the yacht are made of CFRP ( mast , spreaders , boom , bowsprit , rudder , rudder wheel, keel fin ). The yacht is a device class (one design) jointly by the three-time New Zealand America's Cup winner Russell Coutts and the Slovenian yacht designer Andrej Justin has been developed. The designation RC stands for the initials of Russell Coutts and 44 for the boat length 44 feet (13.35 meters).
RC 44 concept
The yacht RC 44 was developed for top-class races in international regattas in strict compliance with the class regulations. The boat concept and boat layout are aimed at amateur teams, which can certainly be expanded to include sailing professionals. A large open cockpit therefore takes up a lot of space . The regattas are organized in the still young class as a fleet race or a match race . During the construction, special emphasis was placed on the light wind properties, as many regattas are held in the Mediterranean region.
The class rules expressly emphasize the unit class. One pays meticulous attention to compliance with the building regulations and tries to produce and equip the boats as identically as possible. The Pauger Carbon shipyard was able to manufacture the hulls from CFRP with a total tolerance of 1 kg per hull. The deck layout, the hull shape and the sail plan are absolutely identical. The RC 44 is designed for a normal crew of 8 sailors, but in match races it can also be moved by six professional sailors.
In addition to the identical regatta yachts, the developers Russel Coutts and Andrej Justin attached particular importance to a simple transport system for the yachts in order to be able to transport them inexpensively between the individual regatta ports. Together with the Kuehne & Nagel freight forwarder , a container system based on 40-foot open-top containers was developed. In such a container, the entire regatta yacht with the stern removed, the mast dismantled (two parts) and the keel and other accessories can be transported inexpensively by truck and / or ship.
Technical data RC 44
hull
- Overall Length (LOA): 13.35 meters (43 feet 8 inches)
- Width: 2.75 meters (9 feet)
- Draft: 2.90 meters (9 feet 5 inches)
- Displacement: 3560 kg (7850 lbs)
- Keel weight: 2200 kg (4850 lbs)
sail
- Genoa 3: 39 m²
- Genoa 1: 60 m²
- Main sail: 70 m²
- Gennaker 1: 170 m²
- Gennaker 2: 150 m²
crew
- Number: 6 to 9 men, depending on the total weight
- Crew weight: maximum 680 kg
Auxiliary drive
- Machine drive: 20 HP (built-in diesel with retractable drive)
RC 44 shipyard
The yachts are manufactured by Pauger Carbon Composites in Budapest (Hungary). The company was founded in 1990 by Dénes Paulovits . At first the company specialized in the design and manufacture of CFRP masts (up to a maximum of 30 meters in length) and the development of custom-made racing yachts.
