Premier Composite Technologies to build potential Sydney Hobart winner

Premier Composite Technologies will build Matt Allen's new Carkeek Design Partners designed 60 footer © Premier Composite Technologies

Dubai-based Premier Composite Technologies (PCT) will build one of the most exciting new grand prix race boats to be commissioned in 2013.

The company will start building prominent Australian yachtsman Matt Allen's new Carkeek Design Partners designed 60 footer immediately. This exciting new order adds to their already successful line of custom, semi-custom and one-design production boats,

Allen aims to win the next Sydney-Hobart race with the new boat and plans to have it launched, tuned and tested on time to have optimum preparation before the annual ocean-racing classic. In response, Premier Composite Technologies has set in place a demanding round the clock build schedule, which will be managed by Neil Cox who has huge experience in managing builds for offshore and inshore racing yachts, including Volvo Ocean Races for ABN Amro, Puma and CAMPER as well as One Australia and Aloha Racing.

"This is a very exciting project for Premier Composite Technologies. It is a great opportunity for us to showcase not only the ability of our very experienced team to build to the highest quality and tolerances, but to embrace the challenge of using our industry leading technology and manpower to meet a demanding deadline, " says Hannes Waimer, Managing Director of the Dubai-based company. "And, of course, on top of those challenges it is a pleasure for us, as active sailors, to be building a boat that we believe will be a potential winner."

The new Ichi Ban – which follows an esteemed lineage, continuing Allen's past grand prix yachts of the same name – needs to be delivered to Australia in time for initial testing in early November and is scheduled to be shipped from PCT's facilities in Dubai in October.

The 60-footer is designed to win under IRC and HPR and will be active in Australasia after the Sydney-Hobart. Matt Allen picked 60 feet as the optimum size as, he states:

"My view is that 60ft is a good size for ocean racing and the average wave pattern. 70ft is sometimes too large for the waves and 52ft is quite small when going upwind in heavy conditions. Also with modern tight luff downwind sails the 60 footer can be more efficient than a 52. When sailing around the buoys a 60 can sail away from the 52 quickly, even if on the wrong side of the first wind shift."

PCT will build the new boat using their highest level of technology, unidirectional carbon pre-preg and honeycomb sandwich core materials processed in female moulds. All the female tooling is precision cut in-house using Premier Composite Technologies' 5-axis milling machine.

Max Waimer, Marine Technical Director at Premier Composite Technologies said: "We are looking forward to getting our teeth into this build. It will be a nice challenge for the team here and a chance to prove what we can do on the grand prix stage. It nicely complements the existing projects we have in build like the Farr 400's, Carkeek 45 and the Premier 45 cruiser. We have a facility that is of a significant size with unmatched levels of technology support and experience".

Among other reasons for choosing a Carkeek Design Partners design, Matt Allen says: "I have been very impressed by Shaun's yachts and his vast experience in the TP52's and other yachts makes him perfectly positioned to create a fast yacht using latest thinking developed in TP52's and the Volvo Ocean Race."

"I have sailed Maxi yacht, Farr 52, Farr 400, Farr 40, IOR, IRC & Admiral's Cup yachts. I like sailing fast powerful yachts and the modern yacht is so much fun & fast to sail downwind. The Carkeek 60 should be fast downwind due to light displacement and generous sail area. The apparent wind angle downwind due to the high potential speed will assist the modern downwind sails."

"Choosing PCT was easy after building two yachts with them previously. PCT has a state of the art operation in Dubai and has such a huge buying capability it affords lower prices and better technology than most other builders due to their non-yachting composite activities. A great example is their 5 -axis milling machine so we can create a female mould, save weight and get a more accurate hull shape without filler."

"Having Neil Cox as the project manager is also a huge positive. His recent experience building the Volvo 70 CAMPER and many other yachts is important to create a state of art yacht ready to sail in early November, and meet the challenges of the 2013 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race."

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