Please select your home edition
Edition
V-DRY-X

Evolution Marine Manufacturing announces the build of a new Class40

by Evolution Marine Manufacturing 11 Nov 2022 06:26 GMT
Evo40 Render © Evolution Marine Manufacturing

Evolution Marine Manufacturing of Cape Town, South Africa, is excited to announce the build of a brand new Class40 scow, designed to take on the hottest fleet in offshore sailing today.

Over the course of the past 18 years, the Class40 has proven to the be most versatile, exciting platform available for short-handed offshore sailing, boasting a fleet of over 190 boats racing in all corners of the globe. The class, which relies heavily on feedback from skippers for its growth and development, has resulted in a stable rule that has delivered proven reliability and exciting racing across the most classic race courses in the world. With fleets finishing within minutes after thousands of miles of racing, no other class can produce the excitement found in Class40.

In recent years, the fleet has come to be dominated by scow designs, blunt bowed versions of the Class40 that get on plane quickly and deliver meaningfully faster average speeds than prior generations of Class40s. The scow bows have dominated the podium since they first appeared in 2018 and the expectation is that they will lead the 55-boat fleet of Class40s entered in this year's Route du Rhum.

Evolution Marine is excited to be partnering with Owen Clarke Design (OC) to launch the Evo40. OC has a long history of assembling design teams to create innovative IMOCA 60s and Class40s and is highly confident that their design for the Evo40 can best the rest of the scow Class40 fleet across a wide variety of race courses.

The first boat is being built for an American client, Michael Hennessy, who plans on racing her in Europe in 2023 before bringing her home to the USA. Michael, who has been racing in the Class since 2008, plans on entering his boat in the Normandie Channel Race, Fastnet and Transat Jacques Vabre next year.

With over 100,000 ocean miles in his current Class40, Hennessy brings his considerable experience to the design process and has worked closely with Evolution Marine Manufacturing and the design team to create one of the most optimized Class40s afloat.

When asked what led him to Cape Town for his new Class40, Hennessy replied "South Africa has a long history of quality yacht construction, and the team that Oliver Dawson has assembled at Evolution Marine is world class. I looked at builders all around the world for this project, and believe I have the best partner possible to deliver a winning boat."

Evolution Marine has started construction and expects to deliver boat #1 to Europe in March of 2023 for final fit out.

Related Articles

GP14 Midland Area event at Trimpley
The wind was from a favourable easterly direction, giving some consistency The day was forecast to be extremely hot, 30 degrees Celsius plus, with light winds. Club organisers had identified likely risks associated with the heat and had planned measures to mitigate any risk of heat/sun stroke to sailors and supporting duty crew. Posted today at 9:08 am
Blind Sailor's solo Round the Island Challenge
Dani A. Pich is aiming to navigate his Patí Català catamaran around the Isle of Wight next week A truly remarkable challenge is underway on the Solent, with blind sailor Dani A. Pich aiming to sail solo around the Isle of Wight in a catamaran dinghy that has no rudder, no centreboard, no boom and is steered by the use of balance and body weight. Posted today at 9:06 am
RORC Channel Race 2025 Preview
The high-stakes opener of the 2025 Admiral's Cup The 2025 RORC Channel Race is the high-stakes opener of the 2025 Admiral's Cup—and the pressure is on. With double points on the table and no discard allowed, this race could make or break a team's Admiral's Cup campaign. Posted today at 8:42 am
World premieres, new models and turnkey solutions
Ancasta will be leading the way when the autumn boat show season commences When you're enjoying time out on the water this summer, let your thoughts drift to next season - could your boating experience be enhanced with a new yacht? Posted today at 8:00 am
North ILCA UK circuit at Pennine
A great leveller between the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 Ten visitors spanning from Carsington to West Kirby joined sixteen club members for the Pennine Sailing Club ILCA open, which also formed part of the ILCA UK North Grand Prix series. Posted today at 6:13 am
2025 WASZP Pre-Games in Weymouth starts today
131 boats from 18 countries prepare ahead of the main event The 2025 WASZP Pre-Games in Weymouth has become a magnet for the international foiling community. With 131 boats entered from 18 countries, this event is more than just a tune-up—it's a snapshot of the class's spirit. Posted today at 5:33 am
America's Cup: Azzurra Challenge
Azzurra's 1983 debut turned Italian sailing into a national interest. Italy has one of the most passionate and enduring histories in the America's Cup. Azzurra's 1983 debut turned Italian sailing into a national interest. Posted on 15 Jul
Musto Lark Nationals runners and riders
Returning to the golden sands and turquoise waters of Abersoch this month The Musto Lark Nationals (27-30 July) returns to the golden sands and turquoise waters of Abersoch, a venue that promises champagne sailing and tight tactical racing. Posted on 15 Jul
2025 Cascais J70 Summer Cup
The first qualification event for the 2026 Worlds Held from 11 to 13 July at the Clube Naval de Cascais, the Cascais J/70 Summer Cup marked the start of the national qualification process for the much-anticipated 2026 J/70 World Championship, which will also take place in Cascais. Posted on 15 Jul
Solo Vintage Championship
Leigh on Sea Sailing Club turned on the Essex magic Leigh on Sea Sailing Club turned on the Essex magic for the Vintage Championship, supplying champagne conditions which even Lake Como would have struggled to match, North Berwick, venue for the Solo National Championship in three weeks take note! Posted on 15 Jul