Martin 16 + 29er = Paralympic Hotrod

The Martin29er

From Dan Fitzgibbon

With the possible inclusion of a third discipline to the 2008 Beijing Paralympic games, the Martin 16 class has been far from resting on its laurels. The "Zenith" design project which has been undertaken by me to test the possibility of "Superdupercharging" a Martin 16 to make it more suitable for elite level competition.

I shipped a Martin 16 to Australia and took it to the Bethwaite design factory in Sydney where Julian Bethwaite fitted a 29er rig and sails to the boat giving it 30% more sail area. To counteract this extra power in the rig I have deepened the keel by 300mm giving it more than adequate stability. As well as changes to the foils and rig, I have designed a new steering system and seat that makes the boat more accessible to a wider range of sailors.

These modifications can be easily and readily adapted to any existing Martin 16. The rig simply uses all the existing standard attachment points, the keel can be made 300mm deeper by simply shortening the keel trunk by 300 mm and the new seat and steering system uses the standard Martin 16 mounting brackets. This allows any of the existing 120 odd boats to be adapted to this format.

The next step in the project is to test the "Zenith" format against a standard Martin 16 under racing conditions over a wide range of weather variations. We are planning to do this at the Martin 16 North American Championships being held in St Petersburg, FL, March 24 - 27. Here we will study and record the speed and control differences between the two formats, across a wide range of conditions, which will help us determine which is the best way for the class to move forward into the future.

If anyone would like any more information they can contact me by e-mail.

Regards,
Dan Fitzgibbon
Brisbane, Australia.