Riptide 50

Cool boats are never dull, and this one is noe exception. Here is the follow up to the August article on the Riptide 50 “Strum”.Enjoy.

We promised Sailing Anarchy reader’s some details about the sea trials on the Riptide 50 “Strum” and we thought some information on the development of the boat was in order as well.

We have owned several boats over the years and have actively raced in events around the Pacific Northwest including several Victoria-Maui races and Kenwood Cup’s. Cruising in the Pacific Northwest is truly spectacular but the creature comforts for basic cruising are usually compromised with faster boats, to the point that our last boat was a single purpose race boat. We have always wanted a yacht that would have exceptional sailing performance and could also be used for extended cruising; a true “dual-purpose” yacht. The result is the Riptide 50 “Strum”.

Paul Bieker was selected as the designer because he had clearly demonstrated his understanding of weight, strength and speed through his previous designs for Olympic medallist Jonathan McKee and his involvement with the BMW Oracle America’s Cup design team. We met with Paul to discuss the concept and outlined the criteria we had for the boat. We agreed to not be limited by any rating rules; we just wanted the best performance possible. The yacht had to be comfortable for cruising in the Northwest and capable of being raced offshore. As the chief structural designer for the BMW Oracle Campaign, Paul has developed advanced knowledge and techniques for strength/weight design for big boats. The understanding of modern materials has allowed him to design the very lightest possible yacht that is also comfortable, strong and extremely safe. He consistently has a dual purpose for many features. The water ballast tanks, transfer tubes, bulkheads and control lines that run under the deck all have secondary functions: they add strength and stiffness to the boat. From an owners perspective these features also contribute in a visually positive way to the interior of the boat. All the functional components (fuel tanks, water tanks, batteries, engine, ballast pumps, water heater etc) are located low and around the keel to perform their intended duties but also act as internal ballast. This philosophy is consistent throughout the boat with key components strategically placed to add stability and strength whenever possible. You could spend several full days climbing around the boat inspecting the details and saying “cool, that’s smart!”

These tubes (left most photo) allow the transfer of water ballast within 25 seconds during tacks, provide stiffness and are also quite comfortable on your legs when sitting in the berth.

Balast transfer tubes

Control line tubes

Control line exits

The carbon tubes that run the length of the boat against the coachroof (center photo), house the mainsheet and the furling control lines. Aside from the strength and stiffness they provide, they also contribute to a very clean deck layout above and make great handrails below in rough conditions.

Specifications:

Sea Trials:

Furling Mechanism

Rig

PBO anchor points

Salon Head Galley Nav Station Interior Forepeak

Strum was launched in Picton, New Zealand on August 22. Sea trails were conducted in the beautiful Marlborough Sound before the finishing touches were put on the boat and she was packed up and shipped on a container ship to Vancouver, BC. We have only been out on English Bay (Home of the 2007 Star North American’s) a handful of times to date but here are some of our early observations about Strum.

• Lifting Keel: The Riptide 50 features a lifting keel that draws 12’ when down and 7.3” when up. The 5,700 lb keel is controlled by an 8:1 pulley system housed within the keel box that runs to the cabin top, through a jammer and to an electric winch. To raise the keel, one person runs the winch and another is in the main cabin to insert stainless steel pins to lock the keel in place once it is up. Lowering the keel is just as easy, simply remove the pins, lower the keel slowly then insert the stainless steel pins in the down position. A hydraulic damper is installed within the keel box to stop the keel from a sudden drop in the event of a failure in the system and it takes up much of the load when lowering the keel. Raising and lowering the keel is best done in flat water and it takes 2 people about 5 minutes from start to finish.
• Sails: Strum is equipped with a roller furler system for cruising and a tuff luff for racing. The furling mechanism is below deck and can quickly be removed for racing. Strum has a full compliment of cruising and racing sails from Quantum’s Auckland loft. The main can be raised with the electric winch and is captured by lazy jacks when dropped, this system has proven to be very simple and makes handling the mainsail shorthanded very manageable. The lazy jacks are run forward when sailing so they do not interfere with the main.
• Rigging: Strum has an all carbon rig from Matrix Masts in Auckland. The swept back spreaders allow for cruising with no permanent backstay and the PBO rigging keeps weight aloft to a minimum. The forestay is rod due to the furling mechanism and the rig tension is adjusted with a hydraulic mast jack and shims. Running backstays are rigged for racing.
• Water Ballast: The water ballast system is controlled from the cockpit. A toggle switch on each steering pedestal controls the pump for that side; the switch on the starboard side fills the starboard tank etc. The ballast tank fills with 2,866 lbs (1,300 KG) of water in just over 4 minutes. That’s like having fifteen 190 LB guys sitting on the rail (or twenty six 110 LB girls). The best part is you can add and drop the weight as required and you don’t have to buy them beer after. The water can be transferred from side to side in 25 seconds, depending on the angle of heel, and it can be dumped overboard in a little over 1 minute. There are secondary aft ballast tanks that hold 650 Lbs (295 KG) of water for fast reaching and running but we have yet to use these.
• Motoring: Strum is powered by a Volvo D2-75 HP Turbo Diesel with a sail drive turning a large 21” 3 blade Bruntons folding propeller. At idle and low RPM it is actually difficult to hear if the engine is even running but a quick glance at the tachometer on the starboard pedestal confirms she is ready to go. When you put the boat into gear she responds by accelerating quickly. At 2,400-RPM Strum is gliding quietly at 10.8 knots and at 2,900 RPM she is flying at 12.2 knots! Motoring at 8-9 knots is the most efficient speed and we burn only about 1 gallon/hour. We have found that motoring with the keel up she averages .5 knot faster than with the keel down. She is extremely maneuverable and responsive due to the large (7’) rudder located directly under the helmsman’s feet between the two carbon wheels.
• Sailing: During our first practice sail in Vancouver we had 9 people on board, enough to handle anything. Strum performed very well off the wind, planing at just over 12 knots of boat speed and sitting consistently on 13-14.5 knots in just over 20 knots of breeze. Jibes were a breeze and she was a pleasure to drive. Although the wind never got much over 20 knots there is no doubt that as the wind speed increases the boat speed will increase accordingly. The PBO rigging adds a nice acoustic dimension to sailing with what we call the “Strum Hum” adding to the excitement as she accelerates. As the TWS and boat speed get higher so does the pitch of the hum from the PBO rigging, a neat feature. Sailing shorthanded, with only four people on the boat, Strum goes upwind at or just over the TWS in true wind of 3 to 9.5 knots. Tacking the small headsails is easy to do but handling the large, masthead asymmetric spinnaker requires a larger compliment of crew. The articulating carbon prod projects the asymmetric chute nicely out with a 28.8’ (8.78M) JSP. Depending on the number of bodies onboard, we start to ballast up when the true wind speed goes over 8 knots and we are fully ballasted at about 12 knots true. She is very balanced and responds to every puff and lull. Acceleration off the wind is so instant it feels like a big high performance dinghy, you can actually feel it lurch forward in a puff. Shifting gears in variable conditions should keep us occupied and entertained. Many of you Anarchists from the Pacific Northwest know that sailing in December and January can be downright cold at the best of times so it is sure comforting to have a diesel furnace keeping the salon toasty and warm while the fridge keeps the beer cold.
• Overall: The concept for a true dual-purpose yacht has been nicely executed with a very clever design from Paul and outstanding build quality provided by Ian Franklin Boat Builders. Down below Strum feels like a true cruiser with 3 substantial double staterooms. The two enclosed heads are large and each is equipped with a shower with hot water. The galley has a front-loading fridge, a separate freezer located under the nav table seat, a large four-burner Force 10 oven and large sink located in the center behind the keel box. At the nav table all the electronics are linked (GPS, VHF, B&G Hercules system and autopilot) and laptop ready for racing. The stereo above the electrical panel drives the interior and cockpit speakers and a connection for an IPOD is located in the chart table. There is a Raymarine C-80 GPS on the starboard steering pedestal for cruising and the autopilot control is within easy reach of the helm as well. An all carbon boat with non ferrous rigging does not show up very well on radar so Strum is equipped with an “Activ Echo” unit, a radar transponder that amplifies the radar return signal to make the boat look much larger than it really is to oncoming ships. The interior lighting is a combination of halogen and low voltage LED lighting. The main cabin lights can be switched from white to red with fingertip touch and 10 bullet-reading lights are smartly placed throughout the boat.

Ian Franklin Boat Builders in Christchurch, New Zealand is tooled up to produce the Riptide 50 as a limited production custom build. For more sales information contact Ian Franklin or Paul Bieker

02/07/07