Wallyrocket51 (15 m) is the world’s lightest racing monotype

Slightly shorter than a TP52, Wallyrocket51 is designed to beat any other boat thanks to innovative features, ultralight displacement, and an extremely refined hull. Here is the new “rocket” designed by Luca Bassani, a boat not only fast but designed to be competitive under IRC and ORC classification rules.

Wallyrocket51 the monotype born to win

With an overall length of 15.5 meters, the wallyrocket51 falls squarely in the classic 52-foot category. The design team Wally worked on the design of wallyrocket51 together with Botin Partners, the firm whose resume includes the America’s Cup and whose designs have won the TP52 title for 12 consecutive seasons and have won ORC world championships and Maxi Rolex Cups, among others. Vasco Vascotto, one of the world’s most successful racers, along with Argentine racing boat expert Guillermo Parada, advised as developers of the project.

“Fast, fun, easy to drive and revolutionary-as are all Wally‘s,” says Luca Bassani, Wally’s Founder and Chief Designer, enthusiastically. “With its incredible reverse leapfrog, flush deck and long bowsprit, the wallyrocket51 immediately became part of the family. True to the Wally DNA, it will feature some revolutionary innovations that not only make it truly competitive, but at the same time reduce annual operating costs compared to today’s one-design classes“.

Secrets of wallyrocket51

Adolfo Carrau, Partner at Botin Partners Naval Architecture explains “Given our experience in that size, we started with a 52-foot design, partly because it is a size that has proven competitive in all sea conditions. But the first secret of the wallyrocket51 design.” he jokes, “is that it’s not a 52-footer, it’s a 51-footer.”. This proved to be a key factor because it allowed the design team to optimize the hull, submerged appendages, and sail plan while gaining a bonus rating that could be spent on other elements. These include a displacement of only 6.3 tons, making it the lightest racing boat on the market.

In addition, wallyrocket51 takes advantage of a technical feature that dominated the 2007 America’s Cup: an adjustable trim tab on the trailing edge of the keel blade. This is a solution that greatly increases upwind lift by exploiting only the aft profile of the blade, reducing drag and providing a neutral drift. With the water flow aligned with the boat, there is a great reduction in hydrodynamic drag: this means that despite having a shorter waterline length, the wallyrocket51 will be able to sail at tighter angles and faster than its opponents.

A boat for small crew

Another innovation of wallyrocket51 is that it can be steered by a crew of only 11 people; the water ballasts at the stern are not only a righting aid, but ensure a more neutral pitch, further improving the hull’s strength.

The deck ergonomics are also designed for a small crew, with two columns providing power for everything from mainsail trim to hydraulics, thanks to an intelligent switching system. The mid-boat pedestal can also be replaced by an electric motor to provide power to the winches in small-crew racing.

Cutting-edge materials

The wallyrocket51 uses proven, state-of-the-art materials and construction methodologies. The hull is pre-preg carbon with Corecell, while the deck core is Nomex. The rigging is by Southern Spars made of High Modulus carbon fiber, with Future Fibres AeroSix rigging. The sail plan calls for 163.9 square meters upwind and 261 square meters at the carriers.

The first wallyrocket51 is already under construction and is scheduled to be launched in 2024.

Data Sheet

Overall length 15.50 m
Length at waterline 14.68 m
Maximum beam 4.32 m
Draught 3.50 m
Displacement 6,250 kg
Sail area 163.9 sqm
Naval Architecture Botin Partners
Website wally.com

James Barbaro