Racer

We get so many boats to review these days that are near identical it's really good for a change to get a truly unique design. SpeedDream is a conceptual design from my old friend Vladimir Murnikov of MX Design. Being in the "conceptual" stage of design at this time there are many details to be worked out but the goal is clear, to design the "fastest monohull on the planet." I'm not sure what I think about it. There are so many novel aspects to the design that are beyond my own design experience that I'll try to explain it the best I can and let you be the judge.

The boat has an LOA of 100 feet and a D/L of 17. That's right, 17. That is the lowest D/L we have ever measured and it will take some very skillful engineering to design a structure that light that will stay together. With a 50% ballast-to-displacement ratio, that means that the builder will have 18,000 pounds for hull, rig, sails, machinery, fuel, water, deck gear and structure. Beam is 20 feet for an L/B of 5, and 10 at the BWL. Stability comes from a combination of a very deep bulb on a canting keel with a draft of 20 feet and a unique sliding, curved daggerboard designed to prevent leeway and provide lift to further increase stability. The daggerboard details vary from drawing to drawing so there is a lot to be worked out there yet. The boat is designed to sail at a constant angle of heel of 20 to 25 degrees where the weather board will be out of the water. The wedge-shaped, chined hull with max beam at the transom has almost no fore and aft rocker and has a flat planing surface port and starboard that presumably will allow the boat to plane to weather and reach a theoretical top speed of 55 knots while maintaining 40 to 45 knots "for extended periods of time." "Don't put the fenders away, dear, we'll be there soon."
The slender, wave-piercing bow is designed to reduce resistance in heavy seas. I can't think of any hull design quite like this one.

There actually is an interior layout. There are stacked berths for six on each side well outboard where the weight will help. There is a galley and a nav station and a head forward. From the mast on forward the boat is completely empty.

The rig has an SA/D, using Vlad's figures for upwind sail area, of 75.78. The mast is drawn different on different drawings but it looks to be a rotating spar. Some drawings show spreaders and some don't. My guess is spreaders. It's hard to keep a deck-stepped rotating spar up without some shrouds. I'm not sure what is going on with that curved boom but I presume it does away with need for a vang, but with the apparent wind angles this boat will see the boom may not need a vang.

The deck is gracefully sculpted to reduce wind resistance and keep the crew comfortable and dry. The deck will be frequently submerged and the shapes of the structures will shed water quickly. In the cockpit the crew will stand on a mesh trampoline suspended about 14 inches above the actual arced cockpit sole. Note the breakwater shape built into the deck at the jib tack.

Now the real trick for Vlad and his design team will be to find a sponsor so we can see SpeedDream get built.

LOA 100'; LWL 100'; Beam 20'; Draft 20'; Displacement 36,000 lbs.; Ballast 18,000 lbs.; Sail area 5,166 sq. ft.; SA/D 75.78; D/L 17; L/B 5.

SpeedDream, speeddreammedia@gmail.com, www.speeddream.org.

OBE: $10.7 million
Our Best Estimate of the sailaway price