Class: VO70
Rig Type: Jumperless Fractional
Rigging: TSC laterals, FlexC aft, PBO forestays
Length: 21.3m
Displacement: -
Designer: Farr Yacht Design
Launch date: July 2011
Future Fibres supplied a fully customised mast and rigging package for the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team.
The accuracy of our aluminium tooling enabled the team to design and build the Abu Dhabi rig right up to the tolerances of the Volvo Ocean Race rule. The complete Abu Dhabi mast and rigging package came in 0.3% underweight i.e. exactly what we designed it to be.
Future Fibres also designed a vast array of custom fittings for the Abu Dhabi rig. One of the reasons that Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Team came to Future Fibres is that they are enjoying the benefits of ultimate customisation. We sought to combine fittings in the rig wherever possible. If you were to look inside this mast, you'd find a lot of custom tooling which allows us to integrate a locking box mechanism with a stay attachment, for example. There is a lot of stuff which serves a dual purpose, and saves weight. We've combined two fittings into one integrated structural solution. That's where what perhaps would have been the weight of two fittings can just be the weight of one and a half.
The rigging on the boat is also a true reflection of Future Fibres´ latest technology and our mantra for providing the right fibre for the right application. The lateral rigging and bobstay are made from TSC solid carbon rod which has proved to be the smallest diameter and lowest windage in the fleet. The aft rigging and fixed forestay are made from the innovative, flexible carbon product "FlexC™", which combines all the benefits of carbon fibre (stiffness, strength and excellent fatigue resistance) with the flexibility, impact resistance and general handling benefits of a dry fibre cable. Finally, all of the high performance torsional cables and other strops and in-mast deflectors are PBO for their light weight and stiffness.
And the result; Ian Walker has certainly been impressed with the quality of workmanship on the Abu Dhabi rig. Speaking the day after the VO70 was officially launched he commented:
"I think the rig's awesome. It's every bit as clean and neat as I could have hoped. The locks and fittings are working really well. It's early days of course, but thus far I would say this is the best rig I've ever seen. The attention to detail, the windage reductions, the cleanness of the rigging in terms of spreader ends and aerodynamics, it really is impressive."
